Tiger Inn, Ashford

A white rendered double fronted pub, proudly emblazoned with a slogan advertising Mackeson’s Hythe Ales in a small village at the foot of the North Downs between Wye and Hythe. It has been on my radar for some while, but I hadn’t visited until November 2014, apart from a brief instance one evening several years back, when Wye College was still happily functioning as an agricultural university. In those days, a rare outlet for Everard’s Tiger appropriately. While Harveys and Sheps are evident today, I’ve enjoyed beers from Hop Fuzz, Pig and Porter and Goody: Old Dairy provide a House Beer-Tiger Top. We’ve visited the Tiger several times over the past winter and spring:informal and welcoming, with perhaps inevitably an emphasis on (good) locally sourced food and drink. An impression of wood panelling, with logburners at either end, a central bar, and behind a more formal dining area, into which we have not ventured. Intriguingly, on one visit, a number of babies made their way there:perhaps a good omen for the long term continuity of the pub’s trade. As is often the case, the Tiger faced closure, but fortunately was bought by a collective of villagers and well wishers, and is run by a young and enthusiastic team.The pub now has a good buzz about it:dogs are welcome, though not perhaps by the cat. One word of warning: the pub doesn’t open on Mondays or Tuesdays.Yes, I’m very fond of the place.