The Queens Head, Ashford

Quiet pub on a busy main road through the village of Kingsnorth. Indeed, we were the only customers on our weekday afternoon visit. I guess it must get busier late in the evening. There did seem to be a lot of staff in the kitchen area. So they were possibly expecting a few diners. Maybe they attract passing trade in warmer months. The interior is quite large with a large main bar area and a slightly smaller TV and games room. A patio at the rear with astroturf provides outdoor drinking options. It may be in Kent, but Yorkshire's Timothy Taylor Landlord is the regular beer here. The 2 much more local guest beers were Romney Marsh Romney Best Bitter & Gale's HSB. Watch out for the step up from the wooden flooring to the carpeted bar area when you come back from the toilets. We wondered how many had fallen foul of this trip hazard in recent times.

Very traditional village pub, both inside and out. The elongated and partly opened-out interior may be quite dark in normal times, but looks quite a picture over the holiday period with the festive decorations. After a long walk, I was pleased to find it open before a brief break before the ticketed New Year's Eve celebrations start. Three real ales were available on handpump: Landlord, Betty Stogs and the 6.0% Breakfast Stout from Old Dairy (£4.50, and an excellent final pub beer for 2021).

Official site of The Queens Head - www.queenshead-kingsnorth.co.uk

Official site of The Queens Head - www.queenshead-kingsnorth.co.uk

It's an odd pub – the old boys at one end, the youth club at the other. The place looks shoddy - it needs a lick of paint. It's (quite frankly) a poor pub, but its saving grace is that it is in an area well equipped with worse pubs.