On The Road: Kent's North-East Coast

This once-gritty corner of the county has undergone a revival, especially where food is concerned. These days you’re as likely to find slip sole in foraged-seaweed butter, and chicken paired with Asian-style slaw as you are fish ’n’ chips and candyfloss

- Clare Hargreaves

I’m heading for a place in Seasalter, a few miles west of Whitstable, that’s described in the owner’s Twitter bio as a “grotty rundown pub by the sea”. Not, you’d think, an obvious destination for a foodie. As I pass the holiday parks that sprawl like sea cabbage along the bleak shingle coastline and spot the boozer’s ramshackle exterior, I see what he means. Inside, though, it’s a different story. This is The Sportsman, owned by self-taught (and self-deprecating) chef Stephen Harris, whose flawless British cooking makes it one of the most hungered-after gastropubs in the country – expect to wait four or five months for a table (thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk). 

Treading a clever line between casual and classy, the pub’s wooden floors, scrubbed pine tables and pumps of Shepherd Neame beer (brewed in nearby Faversham) maintain the feel of a rural pub (just). Likewise, when it comes to the food, there’s no pretension, just locally sourced seasonal ingredients cooked simply but with an expert understanding of flavour combinations.