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The Little Gem, Aylesford
Aylesford
ME20 7AX
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Little Gem
The Little Gem is appropriately named. Whilst it sounds like it should be a micropub, it's actually a quaint and very old (12th century) village local, nicely restored and re-opened by Goacher's.
We sat at the bar and enjoyed good conversation with the locals, despite us already having consumed more than our fair share of beer and cider throughout the day.
Beers were all from Goacher's. Their Fine Light Ale is a regular. They also had their Mild & Imperial Stout. Ciders from Turner's were Medium, Elderflower Cider, Rhubarb Cider & Apple Pie. My Mild was enjoyable.
Watch out for the low ceilings and doorways here. I nearly took my head off on the way to the toilets! If you can keep your head, this pub is well worth seeking out, being just one stop from Maidstone Barracks station and 2 from Maidstone West and then a 15-minute walk from the station eventually crossing the village's medieval bridge.
On 17th May 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Little Gem
How wonderful that this iconic pub is open again, and that I was able to go in and enjoy it some 40 years after my previous visit. It’s also one of the first pubs where I ever binged, when Old Peculiar was 33p a pint, and the alternative was Young’s Special at 28p a pint. It’s certainly been cleaned up since I last came in, and I have to admit that the trip down memory lane was marginally devalued by the new, clean tiles in the gents’ which replaced the old graffiti – which if the legend is true is where the old saw about Old Peculiar was first recorded: ‘I used to think the bottom was dropping out of my world, then I drank 4 pints of Old Peculiar, and now the world’s dropping out of my bottom’. Now a Goacher’s pub, there were 2 on draft and 3 on gravity. All the beers were predictably excellent, the staff were welcoming, and there was good chat to be had with the regulars (I can no longer consider myself a local). I shall certainly be coming back now whenever I come to Kent.
On 28th September 2021
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3285 recommendations about 3250 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Little Gem
I'll admit that I never thought this place would reopen, but now taken on by Goachers, the Maidstone micro-brewery. As you would expect from a building of this size, there isn't a lot of seating in the bar, although there are several more tables up on a low mezzanine and a few seats out front. I found the Fine Light on handpump, with both Best Dark (£3.30) and Silver Star available on gravity from casks perched on the bar-back. Overall, great to see this 'little gem' back.
On 7th July 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Robert READ left this review about The Little Gem
What a shame this pub went down hill and shut. I used to really like this pub
On 10th April 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 84 recommendations about 63 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Little Gem
CLOSED & EMPTY (17/08/09)
On 18th August 2009
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Little Gem
Situated in a picturesque and interesting village, the Little Gem claims to be the smallest pub in Kent (probably true). It is certainly one of the oldest buildings that currently houses a pub, supposedly dating from 1106. It was originally either a monk's shelter or a market house depending on where you get your information. From the outside, the pub looks decidedly unsteady on its foundations and likely to collapse at the slightest gust of wind. The door is so small and wonky that only a dwarf contortionist would even think about entering. For those who do get inside without bruising themselves, the first impressions are almost jaw-dropping. The pub is basically one room although given the position of the windows etc I get the impression that there were originally 2 floors and has been shelled at some time. The walls are wattle and daub and there is not a straight wall, door or window in the whole place. There are fascinating pictures of the village as it was in medieval days (hasn't changed much – many of the surrounding buildings are still intact today). The bar is squeezed in at the back and whilst small, manages to supply a good range of beers. There is a small low staircase (mind your head) that leads to a small minstrel's gallery that barely has room for half a dozen people. The main pub area is comfortable if somewhat obviously cramped and you will probably spend the first pint just gazing in awe at the surroundings. I have not been here when it is busy and I guess it could get uncomfortable and smoky if too crowded. This is definitely one of those pubs that once visited, never forgotten, but wear a crash helmet if you are over 5ft 6!
On 26th October 2005
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]