Smarden is one of the villages we point guests toward most often, and The Chequers Inn is why. It’s a genuinely old coaching inn — parts of the building date back to the 14th century — with a warm, low-beamed bar, individually designed bedrooms upstairs if you’re tempted to make a night of it, and a mature garden overlooking the village church and its pond. It has the kind of unhurried, properly local feel we try to bring to the barn itself.
The kitchen leans on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, with a menu that changes often enough to be worth a repeat visit. Sit in the bar for something simple, or book the dining room for a proper meal — either way, it’s the kind of place you settle into rather than rush through.
Smarden itself is worth wandering before or after, a cluster of timber-framed houses and quiet lanes that rarely sees a crowd. Go for a late Sunday lunch if you can, when the garden by the pond is at its best in warmer months, or claim a spot by the fire on a colder evening. It pairs naturally with a walk from the barn if you’re up for the drive back after.
