The Fordwich Arms

The Fordwich Arms occupies a Grade II-listed pub in Fordwich — officially the smallest town in Britain (population 313) — a fifteen-minute drive north-east of Canterbury along the River Great Stour. Chef Daniel Smith and his wife Natasha took over in 2017 from the pub's long previous tenure, and were awarded a Michelin star in 2019 (the fastest-starred UK gastropub in two decades).

The cooking is confidently modern British. A pressed-terrine of pig's head and ham hock with house-pickled vegetables has been a menu fixture. A brown-butter-poached halibut with brown-shrimp beurre blanc and sea greens is a summer mainstay; the slow-cooked Kentish lamb shoulder with Anya potatoes and rosemary jus runs in autumn. The cheese trolley — exclusively British, served with house chutneys — is one of the best-curated in the south of England.

The wine list is strong on English sparkling and Loire whites, competent on Burgundy, and keeps bottle prices deliberately broad so that the meal runs at a civilised total. Pairings for the five-course tasting menu are £95. The coffee programme is single-origin from Volcano Coffee Works in London.

The main dining room is oak-panelled and low-ceilinged, with an open-plan bar servicing walk-in regulars. A conservatory dining area runs off the back — brightest at Sunday lunch — and the Great Stour riverside terrace is the high-summer service. Fordwich itself is a two-street town; after dinner, a short walk to the riverbank makes the reservation feel like a destination.

The Fordwich Arms is Canterbury's best room for a serious business dinner. The twenty-minute drive from central Canterbury is a feature rather than a bug — the journey and the medieval setting announce the occasion — and the Michelin-level kitchen paced to a reasonable-priced wine list makes the meal easy to host.