Shepway
Britannia Inn

Britannia Inn

26 Horn Street, CT21 5SR, Shepway, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • Lunch • British


"My Wife and I were stopping overnight in Folkestone before catching an early Chunnel crossing. We’d lived in Kent 21 years previous and I really fancied a proper pint of Shepherd Neame Spitfire,other beers are available but this one is very good We did the usual and looked on Trip advisor and there are lots of three lettuce leaf and a smattering of gorilla glue on the side type of places if that’s your thing, no, I wanted pub grub. It came as a surprise that literally 0.6 of a mile I don’t do kilometres, google it or whatever is used for working such nonsense out)there was an oasis of pub normality, the Britannia, we were suited and booted in the blink of an eye and off down the road. It’s in a great location, there’s a car park and on street parking too. As we entered into the bar there was a crowd of people in there laughing and having a good time and then the big red sign hit me like a failed cricket ball catch, “ look, Hooligans lager”, I couldn’t believe it, after telling the northerners about this miracle elixir, anti ageing liquid,there it was, proud as punch. This brought on a rare moment of contemplation, Hooligans or a couple of Shepherd Neames best. I’m sorry to say I went for the Spitfire,this pub knows how to keep its beers and how to serve them, fanbloodytastic We asked to see the menu and as expected there was a great choice of proper pub grub, my wife had the Steak and Kidney pie, it was great, no searching around in a tasteless liquid for the filling, oh no, this was brimming with meat, I’m not sure how many cows went into it, but my Wife thanks you for your sacrifice. I opted for the Britannia burger, fantastic. Nice thick burger, onion rings, cheese and barbecue sauce, I may have missed some ingredients, but it was great. Mine came with a mountain of chips and a nice salad selection so if I wanted to I could pretend I was being health conscious , my wife’s dinner came with a mountain of chips too, and a very generous portion of garden peas that were very tasty too. After my very tasty mains, I decided to go all out and order a pudding,I chose the syrup sponge and of course, custard, loved it. Served piping hot, as in global thermo nuclear hot syrup as it should be), let’s face it, we’ve all scooped a spoon of syrup/sticky toffee/jam up to our lips and then had the mental discussion as to how painful it was going to be, now I know the adults amongst you would be saying,”blow on it, leave it for a few minutes, why didn’t you have ice cream?” But, where’s the fun in that? Did I mention the beer?. The publican was a very sociable host and his staff are excellent. Have a look at the menu, give it a go,we loved it. Check the food serving times and if you want fish and chips we were asked to pre order it, ie it wasn’t available at the time of our visit The Britannia 26 Horn Street, Hythe, Kent CT21 5SR"

Folkestone Wine Company

Folkestone Wine Company

5 Church Street, Shepway, United Kingdom, CT20 1EX

Wine • British • European • Vegetarian


"The Folkestone Wine Company is a delightfully intimate restaurant in the old town with a charming rustic interior. The tiny bar hosts an old style record player providing soothing background music and the front of house leads onto a small room at the back with views into the kitchen. The menu is small and select offering one meat and one fish dish, displayed on a blackboard and changes with the seasons depending on what is fresh and available with all ingredients sourced locally. With the renown David Hart at the helm we knew the food was going to be good but it surpassed both of our expectations. We had a glass of the sparkling Vouvray with the Caponata, buffalo mozzarella and pine nuts and the mussels, cider and leeks with cream. I had to ask for a soup spoon and some of the delicious homemade soda bread to mop up the delectable cream sauce which accompanied the mussels. For mains we had both of the meat and fish dishes on offer the cod fillet, roast peppers, barlotti beans and aioli and lamb rump, flageolet beans, tomatoes and rosemary with charlotte potatoes. With just enough room for dessert we opted for the Basque gateaux which came with preserved strawberries and a generous serving of cream. The dishes were all cooked to perfection, beautifully presented and the portion sizes were equally perfect. In fact everything about our meal was perfect. The wine list is very extensive with a good by the glass selection and suggested wine pairings are posted on the blackboard. Polly, the owner and front of house, suggested the Reserve de Gassac 2022 which was an excellent accompaniment for both dishes and has an impressive mix of grapes Viogner, Chardonnay, Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc. The food was excellent and the service very personal. It felt as though we were dining in a countryside kitchen. Polly was charming, engaging and attentive and we happily went with her excellent recommendations for wine and dessert (off menu) which proved to be spot on. We really loved our meal here and the restaurant it’s bijou, quirky, slightly eccentric, offers authentic French style cuisine served on mis matched vintage crockery and an extensive selection of wines in the heart of Folkestone. It’s not short of awards and recommendations from top food critics and chefs and it’s not difficult to see why."