The Castle Inn, Edenbridge

Located next to an entrance to Chiddingstone Castle in a pleasant village with plenty of good walking around, the Castle Inn is a fine traditional rural pub which has apparently existed in this location since 1420. There are two main bars, with the entrance taking you into a particularly attractive tile floored public bar with the servery on the rear wall and the most welcome sight of a lit wood burning stove on the left hand wall. The walls are all painted white, contrasting the numerous dark wood beams and pillars that feature throughout. Some barrels have been converted into tables with standard chairs around them and there was a good row of bar stools along the counter. A cheery collection of locals were gathered in here on a bitterly cold December afternoon and they gave us a friendly welcome as we shuffled through a small space with a seat built into the front window, and on into a second bar. This room is bare boarded and sees the servery lined with a collection of pewter tankards. Benches and casks with padded tops comprise the majority of seating options here and there is a huge fireplace on the right hand side with a relatively modern stove inside. Old pictures of village life line the walls here and in the slightly lower seating area beyond and are worth a quick browse through. I also noticed an interesting old village magazine displayed on one wall and, in true Kent fashion, the walls were lined with bountiful amounts of hops. We stopped off here for a bite to eat and the friendly landlord rustled up some decent, if rather pricey, sandwiches for us. There were three ales available on our visit - Harvey's Best and two from the local Larkins Brewery - Traditional and Porter. I gave the Porter a try and was really impressed with their classic interpretation of the style, whist the Traditional was a hit with my companion. The young barman who served our food was a comedy of errors (clearly new to the role, but beyond clueless nonetheless), but the landlord made us feel very welcome and clearly had a good rapport with his regulars. This is a great little pub that, as the previous reviewer remarks, is an integral part of this rural community. We found the place very welcoming to newcomers and enjoyed some good food and beer in a warm, comfortable environment. This was a good find and one that is worth seeking out.

Very attractive old pub in the quaint village of Chiddingstone. Beer on the pricey side but has a beautifully kept garden in which to enjoy it. Food available in the bar and there is also a more up-market restaurant.