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Poll for date of Halifax crawl. with ROBCamra
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Image posted by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Submitted on Saturday, 10th July 2021
With picture contributions to 9888 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (13 more images)
Detail Pages
The Five Bells Inn, Ashford
East Brabourne
Postal town: Ashford
TN25 5LP
Served areas
Reviews of The Five Bells Inn (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Five Bells Inn
The Five Bells is quite a remote pub in an area of Kent surrounded by hills. It is part of the Pickled Egg chain and was the second of the chain we visited on this crawl of the county. There were many similarities with the Woolpack at Warehorne that we had visited earlier.
It was quiet when we arrived. But most of the lunch crowd had clearly gone home, whilst the dinner crowd were yet to arrive. Staff were busy getting ready for the evening session with a pizza oven in the kitchen up and running and staff fetching in copious amounts of wood for the fires.
The interior is cosy and welcoming, with plenty of pillars creating separate dining and drinking areas. Toilets were rather strange, with 4 cubicles in a unisex space and a sink that took several laps to discover how to get any water out!
The 3 ales on were Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, Watsum Fortitude & Old Dairy Red Top. Dudda's Tun Spiced Cider was also on handpull.
On 20th January 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Five Bells Inn
Upmarket gastro-pub, away from it all in the shadow of the hills to the north. Very traditional interior with various seating / dining areas around the staple-shaped counter, all sadly out of use for a few more days until the coronavirus restrictions are relaxed. However, the temporary restaurant area under a marquee was doing very good business on a Friday lunchtime, and the newly enhanced rear patio beer garden was starting to fill up too as I stopped for a pint on my walk. I found the 'house' Pale (brewery unknown), Old Dairy's Red Top (£4.20) and Hop Fuzz English bitter on offer from three of the six handpumps.
On 16th May 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
. Wittenden left this review about The Five Bells
Away from Smeeth and Brabourne Lees, across some open country at the foot of the North Downs. A whitewashed corner pub at the entrance of the straggling hamlet,it has been on the edge of my awareness for ages, knowing that there are some grand pubs over that way-The Tiger or the Bowl.
We visited on a rare sunny May Saturday lunchtime, some marquee or gazebo was set up in the garden, together with the impedimenta of a forthcoming barbeque.Entering, we were met by the laid back atmosphere of a slightly bohemian mid seventies pub refurbishment:bare (old) brick, exposed studwork,open fire and a wealth of cushions on the bench. To one side was a little shop, selling artisanal fare:this also doubled as a dining area.Moving on, the pub narrowed in front of the bar, before widening into an area largely laid up for dining.
I was very excited to see that the house beer, Brabourne Velvet Stout, appeared to be Goacher’s Crown Imperial Stout:in any case I’ve never seen a stout as house beer, and it was delicious.This was followed by a spring wheat beer from Kent Brewery. My beloved Golden Braid from Hopdaemon was listed as coming next. The food was not too fiddley-decent helpings and sourced locally:as I recall, I enjoyed a smoked mackerel from Hythe.
The staff were charming and jolly, seeming unphased by our group or a large party at the other end of the bar. One word of warning:one needs a degree in higher plumbing to work the taps in the bogs. An excellent pub which is set to become the hub of its community.
On 6th July 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 283 recommendations about 282 pubs]
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- Official site of The Five Bells Inn - www.fivebellsbrabourne.co.uk
- Facebook - Five Bells Inn Brabourne
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Five Bells Inn - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : Yes last updated 30 June 2015 by . Wittenden
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 30 June 2015 by . Wittenden
- Car Park : Yes last updated 30 June 2015 by . Wittenden
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 30 June 2015 by . Wittenden
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 30 June 2015 by . Wittenden
- Live Music : Yes last updated 30 June 2015 by . Wittenden
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 06 July 2012 by Moby Duck
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 20 January 2022 by Blue Scrumpy
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 30 June 2015 by . Wittenden
