The Bull at Horton Kirby

It was Dad's birthday on the 4th of June so PM and I decided to take him out for dinner last night (12th June). He being a real ale fan and us being CAMRA members, we consulted the Good Beer Guide 2008 in search of a pub that had good beer and good food.

PM decided on The Bull in Horton Kirby, Kent. The brilliance of living where we do, the Kent countryside is only a brief drive away. PM rang, booked a table and was delighted to find out that there was not only 4 real ales on from small breweries but also that there were three different types of cider.

Once there, we were welcomed by a warm friendly atmosphere. To start the evening I had a pint of the Dark Star Summer Meltdown, Dad had the Red Squirrel Prohibition Beer and PM had a pint of Heck's Portwine of Glastonbury Cider (fermented in red wine barrels which gave it an orangey red glow). All three were exceptional and very well kept.

We then moved round to take our seats for dinner. I had Lamb Curry, PM had Faggots and Mash and Dad had Liver and Bacon. My curry was amazing. The pieces of lamb in my curry just melted in my mouth. PM faggots were huge (my only experience of faggots are Brains Faggots that my Nan always had from the supermarket and they were never that big and didn't look that appetising) and were incredibly nice too. And Dad enjoyed his so much it was the first time I have seen him clear his plate in years (although I think he did slip a couple of bits of his to Chole the resident Staffordshire Bull Terrier).

All the meat came from 'The Longfield Butcher' on the High Street, Longfield I later found out and I think I will be heading down there soon.

The second round of drinks saw me switch to diet coke (the curse of being the designated driver), Dad sticking to the prohibition and PM trying the Kingston Black cider (which was loopy juice - very drinkable but very strong).

For dessert, Dad and I had Rhubarb Fool and PM had Strawberries in Balsamic with Cream. Despite all of us feeling stuffed from our main, all the desserts were polished off pretty quickly!

The place is great and somewhere we will certainly be returning to. Apparently, Lynne the Chef's roasts are legendary so we will be going back one Sunday to find out how good they are! If anyone else fancies a nice pub to go to (they have a great beer garden too), I highly recommend it!


And lastly, big thanks to Garrett the Landlord, for providing me with the pictures and answering all my questions about the pub!