AN OUT-OF-SEASON ESCAPE TO KENT AND EAST SUSSEX - VOLUME I
Volume one | exploring the beautifully wild isle of sheppey from the ferry house
Last year, I took a trip to a completely new area, heading just about as far east as possible from Devon; it was exciting to set off on an out-of-season escape to East Sussex and Kent, two counties I had yet to explore. Our first stop was the Ferry House, situated on the Isle of Harty - uniquely an isle-within-an-isle - on the beautifully remote Isle of Sheppey.
The Ferry House is a 16th-century, dog-friendly property with an award-winning restaurant, working with a field-to-fork ethos, positioned on the expansive Swale Estuary among protected wetlands, nature reserves and farmland. It’s the kind of place that cossets you from the moment you step inside – it’s warm and inviting with a lively bar at the hub, complete with roaring log fires and the friendliest staff.
The Burden family, who own the Ferry House, are third generation farmers who run an estate game shoot, with a cattle herd - producing wonderful grass-fed beef. A family-run business, owners Alex and Victoria keep warmth and sincerity at the heart, taking ownership of The Ferry House 23-years ago, it’s been a labour of love with a fastidious approach to attention-to-detail. The family had been farming the land around Harty since the 1960s and so naturally have a strong personal connection with the area.
“We want to offer quality hospitality, but we want to do it in the relaxed atmosphere with a family welcome, and respect for the beautiful, local landscape,” says Victoria.
Farming around 3000-acres, with arable and livestock farming in Harty and Eastchurch, the Burden Family have a huge responsibility to the surrounding landscape with all of its natural habitats.
The Ferry House sits on the periphery of their farmland and was initially a humble local pub - there has been a long journey of development into the venue it is today, centred around the family’s long standing personal connection with area, and of growing the food production.
Burden’s beef is served in the restaurant (grass grazed on the nearby Elmley Nature Reserve), along with Harty estate game from the family shoot, and Chatham Dockyard spirits, which are distilled from Burden’s grain. The local shoreline and surrounding hedgerows are foraged regularly – for sea vegetables and purposefully-planted on the farmland to provide edibles.
The cultivation of the Kitchen Garden at The Ferry House from 2014 feels like a natural extension of this heritage.
The Kitchen Garden is run by Head Chef James Pilcher, and Head Gardener Jane Rudd . Produce is cropped fresh, daily and year-round. Established ten-years ago, it started life as one humble lettuce bed. Today it stands at 1.5-acres, with established vegetable and flower beds, a large fruit cage, orchard, herb garden and two polytunnels.
“The gardening ethos is about more than home-growing, rather growing produce that is out of the ordinary, that isn’t easily available to supermarkets and wholesalers,” says James.
It was a joy to have such an insightful tour of the kitchen garden with head chef, James Pilcher showcasing the rich diversity of produce with polytunnels, fruit orchards, bees and asparagus beds, offering fresh local and seasonal ingredients for the brilliantly thought through menus. I would highly recommend taking a garden tour with James, who will offer you an insight into growing his brilliantly diverse produce and how it translates to the field-to-fork menus.
There’s also a gorgeous ornamental rose garden and the island is a RSPB site for birds of prey, and home to miles of cycle tracks and long stretches of Blue Flag beaches.
An isolated bird-watching hut on the Swale Estuary Nature Reserve
Partridge and I, taking a jaunt along the wild and remote Swale Estuary
There are endless walking routes from the doorstep, with the pub sitting at the edge of the beautifully wild and remote Swale National Nature Reserve, with its abundant bird life and estuary views. A highlight of our stay was venturing out and exploring the surrounding landscape; we walked over 10k across the reserve, passing a little isolated bird-watching hut - it was such a joy to watch some rare birds frolicking, as well as wild geese taking flight overhead - circling back through the farm land, country lanes and open fields.
We also loved the Isle of Harty Trail, a superb circular walking route of about 9km, that takes you through wild wetland coastline via the 11th century church of St Thomas the Apostle.
There’s also Leysdown-on-Sea – about 15-minutes’ drive away, which is a great spot if you’re after a coastal walk, with its Blue Flag beach and a large expanse of grassland opposite.
At the end of your day exploring, unwind with a relaxing hot stones massage in the purpose-built treatment room, followed by an wonderfully wholesome meal in the restaurant.
Dining at The Ferry House
The restaurant and bar area is a warm, low-lit environment with a buzzy-yet-relaxed vibe, where you will be treated to a standout supper with a field-to-table ethos, and menus that are driven by the seasons, using some of Kent’s finest seasonal produce; inventive flavour combinations are explored through clever and playful dishes that celebrate the diversity of local produce. Expect homegrown and home-farmed fare, inspired by the Burden family’s farming heritage, using an unusual variety of produce cultivated in the kitchen garden, driven largely by the passion and fascination of James, who is inspired by that same desire to be innovative with his creations, experimenting with each new season, bringing new ingredients to the table.
James is also passionate about reducing food wastage at the preparation stage. He is driven to use every edible part of the produce creatively, for example making flavourful ‘onion ash’ from the head and tail offcuts of onions. The pub’s onsite butchery also allows for complete control of a ‘nose to tail’ ethos using the whole animal to its maximum potential of flavour and nutritional value.
The restaurant scooped a two-AA Rosette for culinary excellence earlier this year, it’s easy to see why with first-rate menus that change with the day’s crop, using whatever is at its seasonal best - brimming with wholesome farm produce, packed with flavourful ingredients; think pan-fried pheasant breast and Kentish pork pate en croute, garden Jerusalem artichoke and kale nero gnocci, and cornfed chicken breast with spiced garden squash puree. The deconstructed honey cake is one of those rare puddings you won’t forget, and the apricot souffle is a melt-in-the-mouth dream. Sticky Toffee comes with a divine Miso toffee sauce and the dark chocolate, garden chicory espresso with rosemary ice-cream is an unusual flavour combo that stands apart.
On Sundays, you can tuck into delicious roasts of home-farmed and Kentish meats, served with the wonderful kitchen garden veg.
Stay
Light-filled rooms are cosy and welcoming spaces with peaceful estuary views – located above the pub or in the Coach House - with a simple contemporary style, fusing natural materials and textures against a palette of calming neutrals. If like us, you can’t bear to leave your four-legged friends behind, there are five dog-friendly rooms available where you will find all your doggie essentials - a large comfy bed, bowl and some all-natural, quality homemade dog treats.
Breakfast is a hearty affair, with plates brimming with local farm produce to set you up for your day of exploring.
It’s a long old trek from Exeter, taking us around five-and-a-half hours, but thoroughly worth the drive for a truly restful getaway in a fascinating part of the country with a stunning natural landscape. It was a joy to stay and discover a little taste of life on Sheppey - so utterly peaceful; The Ferry House offers the perfect spot if you’re after a relaxed countryside escape and a little outdoors adventure with some of the best food you will taste, warmest atmosphere and wild ponies and buzzards for company.
To book a room, visit https://www.theferryhouse.co.uk
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