Nevill Crest & Gun, Tunbridge Wells

Very upmarket Brunning & Price dining pub with a substantial but in-keeping extension at the back. Although partly opened-out, all parts look very traditional with plenty of exposed timberwork and a variety of old pictures and advertisements. Extensive beer garden to one side and at the back. With a total of six handpumps on the L-shaped bar, I found the inevitable Harvey's, Long Man's Rising Giant, the Hazy Pale from Three Acre Brewery and a splendid Just Right oatmeal stout from 360° (£4.60).

Official site of Nevill Crest & Gun - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

Official site of Nevill Crest & Gun - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

Set back from the main A26 not far from Tunbridge Wells this is a good looking pub and is part of the Brunning and Price chain. As such it functions more as a restaurant than a traditional pub and we had searched it out for a lunch stop on the way down to the South Coast. You enter into the main bar which is full of dark wood and beams with large stone fireplaces, a stone flagged area around the main serving bar and wooden flooring elsewhere, giving it some character and old worlde charm. And then round to the left and behind is a much more modern large glass conservatory added on that then opens out to the outside spacious patio and garden area. The bar has four ale handpumps but in these covid times only two were in operation with Adnams Ghostship and a decent 360degree brewing session IPA available although a third had been Harveys Sussex Best before it had gone off. We were primarily here to eat and couldn’t complain about the fish pie and the fish cakes we went for. We ate in the characterful original bar area but for a Monday lunchtime there were plenty of people utilising the more modern conservatory and in the garden out back, which was good to see. Certainly wouldn’t hesitate to search this one again if needing a lunch stop in the area.