The Dog at Wingham

Every Dog has its day, and Marc Bridgen’s canine-friendly gastropub-with-rooms has been garnering awards since his family took it on in 2016. The ancient building stands shoulder-on to the Canterbury–Sandwich road in a pretty village. The bedrooms, styled by Marc’s mother, Marilyn, are ‘attractively decorated, with plain-coloured walls, glam touches and statement headboards’. All have a Hypnos bed and a bathroom with walk-in shower. A suite has an antique four-poster. Our inspectors had a room at the rear, and noted the singing of pipes in a room above in the afternoon, but at night all was quiet. Chef Samuel McClurkin works with local suppliers to source the best ingredients, but reaches out as far as the Isle of Lewis for smoked salmon and black pudding. A ‘comfortable lounge bar’ has walls hung with doggy artwork, and a checked carpet (houndstooth, naturally). In the restaurant, ‘the service matches the wonderful food’, readers write. To give you a flavour, maybe roast hogget loin and pressed breast with rosemary and red wine sauce. Our verdict: ‘Winning value for money.’ (JC, VC, and others)