The Dove

Wonderful hosts at the Linen Shed, Vickie and Graham, sent us along to The Dove for dinner and what a treat it was. It’s been a traditional country pub with good food for some time, but has recently been taken over by Chris and Dee and his son cooks — to great effect. The main room is a simply decorated part of the bar, warmed by a wood burning stove, but there are candles on the scrubbed wood tables and the atmosphere is inviting. Dogs are welcomed too, which is a great bonus as Dargate is a superlative walking area.
We had wild mushroom risotto that had evidently been cooked from scratch, accompanied by delicious New Zealand ‘Waverider’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The risotto was one of the best we have ever tasted, with the wild mushrooms coming through strongly and truffle oil giving it an extra unctuous flavour. Rump of lamb was thick and delicious, and accompanied by fondant potatoes, pea and mint purée and cavolo nero and leeks. Lemon panna cotta with lime curd and mixed berry compote washed down with ‘Harvest’ dessert wine made a perfect ending. The bill was a very reasonable £54 for two.
Country pubs with excellent food are one of this country’s great joys, and The Dove more than adds to this tradition.