The Fordwich Arms

The name suggests a pub, but the Fordwich Arms is more like a restaurant with a bar attached (drinkers are welcome) and is viewed locally as a place to go for a treat. Its setting beside the river Stour is particular attractive and the fine, brick-built 1930s building delivers an atmospheric interior of wood floors, dark panelling and open fires. Daniel Smith’s kitchen has strong credentials, a nose for sharp seasonal partnerships and there are some very good things to eat – although a few items, such as the claggy apple tart with hazelnuts and Calvados, we would rather not sample again. The menu covers all bases, with a no-choice set lunch, a fixed-price carte and, for those with cash to splash, an eight-course taster – plus a roast on Sundays. It’s all rather tweezered and tasteful, but there is much to enjoy: the home-baked bread is excellent, and our early winter lunch delivered a brace of strong starters ranging from a rich duck liver parfait draped with a translucent sheet of Brännland ice cider jelly and accompanied by a pair of warm mini-doughnuts (something of a signature dish) to nuggets of corn-fed chicken in a chicken consommé with a dollop of chestnut purée. Forthright flavours were evident in the mains, too – from a spin on Middle White pork with dabs of black garlic, cubes of nashi pear and kale to a beautiful piece of line-caught turbot. While service shows a general air of warm-heartedness, the food is delivered with stiff-necked formality – it would be nice to see it lighten up. When it comes to wine, a weighty all-embracing list offers good choice by the glass.