The Malling Jug, West Malling

Facebook page of The Malling Jug - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Malling Jug - www.facebook.com

This side-alley micro-pub turns out to have a L-shaped arrangement of two separate rooms, with a compact patio beer garden in the angle, so there is more seating than I was expecting. Decorated with various displays, including pump clips, beer bottles and the history of the town's former T. Phillips & Co Ltd brewery. Good selection of six real ales from Youngs, Kent, Northern Monk, Bad Seed, Surrey Hills and Rudgate's Hop Spin (£4.50), with plenty more coming soon.

Hidden away down an almost imperceptible narrow alleyway off of the main road through the centre of West Malling, this is a smart micropub with a pleasant patio garden. The pub’s interior suggests that the venture is still in its early days, having something of a pristine feel to it that makes it look very presentable and yet also cosy and appealing. New floorboards, grey tongue and groove panelled walls and benches and walls painted in pastel shades hardly sound like a recipe for an inviting interior, yet combine well in the front room to create a traditional lounge bar feel. Seating is of course fairly limited but sturdy benches arranged into booths, high tables and stools and some regular tables and chairs in the centre. Beer boards on the side wall detail the full draught range, whilst elsewhere, the walls have been decorated with pump clips and various other bits of breweriana. The bar is accessed down a passageway of sorts which takes you through to a rear room with limited high stool seating in a split-level space which felt a bit like a public bar thanks to the more spartan furnishings and décor. Most customers had opted to sit outside in the compact but well-appointed beer garden where hard benches have been arranged down either side, most of them under one form of cover or another, supplemented by casks with wooden tops fitted to them to make them into decent low stools. A nice raised flower bed runs along the rear wall adding some welcome colour, whilst a trellis above showed the first shoots of climbing plants starting to make their way across it. There was a good crowd in on our Saturday afternoon visit and the friendly landlady was everywhere at once, taking orders at tables, thoroughly cleaning tables after customers left, sorting out track and trace and greeting newcomers at the front door. Paper beer lists were handed out on arrival, detailing the pub’s extensive cask ale range which on this visit comprised Kent Session, Black Gold and Prohibition, St Austell Cornish Best, Thornbridge Sequoia, Goachers Fine Light, Saltaire Citra and Marble Pint. I enjoyed a very nice pint of the latter whilst my other half opted for an excellent cider from Turner’s. I thought this was a great little micropub that benefits from a well put-together interior, a two-bar set-up, a varied and well-kept ale selection and perhaps most notably of all, excellent customer service. We were very happy here and had I not been driving I would have most certainly stayed longer to sample a few more of their beers.