"The kitchen garden does the talking"
The Pig group has a formula, and it works: take a beautiful old house, fill it with mismatched furniture and interesting plants, build a kitchen garden, and let the food do the rest. Bridge Place is the newest addition, and it's settled in with the easy confidence of somewhere that's been there for decades.
The rooms are spread across the main house and a series of outbuildings — I had a Snug in the old stable block, which sounds modest but was anything but. Exposed beams, a freestanding bath, and a view of the walled garden. The kind of room you photograph before you've even put your bag down.
Dinner is the main event. The menu changes daily based on what the garden and local suppliers have available — on my visit, a starter of heritage tomatoes with whipped goat's curd was the best thing I ate all summer. The dining room has the relaxed hum of somewhere people are genuinely enjoying themselves.
Canterbury is twenty minutes away by taxi, which is worth knowing if you want to explore the cathedral or the city. But honestly, the grounds here are reason enough to stay put — there's a kitchen garden tour on weekend mornings that's quietly one of the best things on offer.
Worth knowing
- Rooms are beautifully designed without feeling designed
- Food is the best argument for staying in for dinner
- Grounds and kitchen garden are genuinely lovely
- Staff are warm and unpretentious
Bear in mind
- Some rooms are on the small side — worth specifying when booking
- No pool, which matters in summer
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