SO
FOOD
By George, they’ve got it WITH A HISTORY THAT STRETCHES BACK SEVERAL CENTURIES, THE GEORGE HOTEL IN CRANBROOK BRINGS A WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION TO EACH OWNER. ERIK BROWN POPS IN TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE FOOD ON OFFER IS STILL FIT FOR ROYALTY
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n 1299, the George Hotel at Cranbrook played host to the Plantaganet King Edward I. It was the year he married Margaret of France, the daughter of the French King Philip III. Just take a moment or two to savour that little fact: King Edward I – old Longshanks himself – dropped into the George more than seven centuries ago. Another monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, visited the George 274 years later. That was in 1573, at which point the inn was already getting on for 300 years old. Shakespeare would have been just a lad of nine at the time (and, presumably, in some poor teacher’s English class). So, the very first thing that hits you about the George is that it is not just old, it is seriously old.
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It’s so old, in fact, that the Virgin Queen – she who had the heart and stomach of a King – would have thought of it as ancient when she stayed there more than 400 years ago. Now owned by Shepherd Neame and admirably run by General Manager Dan Tornbom, the George these days is a comfortable hotel in the heart of Cranbrook with a splendid dining room and a dozen guest bedrooms – including The Crimson, which is the one Queen Elizabeth I laid herself down in. The Brasserie at the George offers classics like sausage and mash (£9.95) with a little
gastronomic flair that hints at something superior to the normal pub grub; the sausages are venison and the sauce is a juniper berry and thyme jus, served with roasted parsnip. The buzzy Brasserie also serves chunky shepherd’s pie (£9.95), Spitfire beer battered cod with hand cut chips and creamed peas (£12.50) and one or two slightly more off the wall items, including rosemary baked Camembert (with grape and apple compote and caramelised onion and walnut bread) as a starter for £10.95 and tagliatelle with piquillo peppers, basil pesto and grilled vegetables with cashew nuts for £9.50.
2014
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22/09/2014 14:34