The Dering Arms is our answer whenever guests ask where to eat that feels properly local. It’s a handsome, Grade II listed former hunting lodge right by Pluckley station, a few minutes’ drive from the barn, and it’s known across Kent for its seafood — fresh, simply cooked, and about as far from a standard pub menu as you can get. The building itself is worth the visit alone, all gables and mullioned windows, with a fire going in cooler months and a garden for warmer ones.
Pluckley has a reputation as the most haunted village in England, and there’s something fittingly atmospheric about the Dering Arms after dark, though the food is the real draw rather than the ghost stories. Expect proper fish dishes alongside a well-kept range of ales and a wine list that leans into Kent producers, including a bottle or two from Westwell just up the road.
Book ahead for dinner, especially at weekends, as it’s a popular spot with locals as well as visitors. It suits a relaxed evening out after a day on the Downs, or a long lunch if you’d rather make the most of the daylight. Either way, leave room for pudding.
