East meets west at the George & Dragon, Speldhurst

You would have thought that my colleagues and I would have had our fill of meetings and liaisons, following five quite intense days in Cologne, at the International Dental Show, but with our imminent return to the UK due at the end of the week, we knew that there would be one final meeting to contend with. This was down to a visit to the company from our Japanese Managing Director, scheduled for our first Monday back at work.

It was long overdue, as the last time we received a delegation from Japan was in December 2019, less than three months before COVID 19 brought the entire world to a grinding halt. So, with a large group of personnel from our parent company already in Germany, it made perfect sense for some of them to fly across to Britain, to see what we’d been up to over the past three years.

 

Whilst in Cologne we found out a little more about our MD’s intentions, but more importantly came a request for an evening meal with as many members as possible, of our management in attendance. The other part of the request was the evening dinner should be held in a traditional English pub, offering traditional English food. So far, so good, and not being a person to turn down the chance of a free meal, I put my name down. Our General Manager, who was with us in Cologne, asked our Office Supervisor, who incidentally is Japanese, to arrange something along the lines requested, but attempting to find a pub open on a Monday evening was never going to be easy. Even harder, was finding a traditional “Olde World” hostelry that would meet our visitors’ expectations.  Our intrepid colleague checked various websites and made a number of phone calls, and just when her quest seemed at an end, she discovered that despite fitting the bill in respect of cosy and traditional, the otherwise very pleasant Spotted Dog, just outside Penshurst operated a "Curry Night” on Monday evenings.

Eventually her search turned up the George & Dragon, at Speldhurst, a lovely old pub which dates back to 1212, and is reputed to be one of the oldest Inns in England. The building was originally a manor house of some importance, and according to legend, a group of Kentish Archers were treated to a banquet in the Great Hall on their return from the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Today’s visitors are welcomed with warm hospitality, first class dining in an inviting atmosphere of low ceilings, open fires, and a cosy bar.

I’ve known the George & Dragon over many years, in fact ever since I first move to the Tonbridge area, in the 1980’s. As the above description so neatly puts it, with its low, beamed ceilings, stone-flagged floors and open fires, this ancient inn oozes medieval character. It seems to have had a succession of owners over the past few years, and was even closed for a while, but now, in keeping with its former reputation for good food and fine dining, it seems to have settled well and truly into the gastro-pub mold.

Still, any port in a storm, and as it appeared to be the only local, traditional, old inn, offering proper English food on a Monday night, it fitted the bill. So, just over a week ago seven members of our UK management team, met up with our four Japanese colleagues for a rather enjoyable meal, in the comfortable surroundings of this centuries old English inn. Despite its relative proximity to Tunbridge Wells, Speldhurst is poorly served by public transport, so combined with a spot of car sharing, where possible, it was necessary to drive there.  Our Office Supervisor picked the guests up from the Rose & Crown Tonbridge – another olde world building that they insist on staying at whilst here in the UK. I’m not sure how she squeezed them all into her car, but they were already seated in one of the pub’s dining rooms, when I arrived.

I ended up driving, but after having a surfeit of Kölsch in Cologne, I wasn’t that fussed about limiting my alcohol intake. The car park was surprisingly full, and I had difficulty in finding a space, but I suppose as one of the few pubs open on a Monday evening in mid-March, word had got round. The interior of the George & Dragon looked quite different from what I remember, with rather too much white paint having been sploshed about, for my liking. Trying to “brighten up” the interior of these old buildings is a fairly recent trend that seems to continue without thought or consideration of the heritage or original character of the building, but fortunately the owners of the G&D had left the beams painted their original black colour.

The large number of vehicles in the car park, equated to a healthy amount of customers, most of whom were dining. The G&D’s menu is best described as British with a modern twist, but with old favourites, such as cod and chips, sausage and mash, roast belly pork, and venison & Guinness pie, there was plenty of solid fayre to satisfy our overseas visitors. There were also three cask ales for our guests to try (Brakspear’s, Harvey’s, and Larkin's). These were dutifully sampled, although Guinness ended up as the all-round favourite. I enjoyed a well-kept pint of Sussex Best with my rather large beef burger, a choice dictated by thought that the venison might be a touch too "gamey" for my liking.

The aspect of the G&D that really stood out, was the service. The two young men taking the orders, and bringing the food to the table, were first-rate. Nothing was too much trouble, and the thing that impressed me was the way the entire tables’ order, was all delivered at once. There was none of the waiting for certain dishes to appear, so everyone was served together and on time. The quality of the food was top notch as well, so much so that I think the pub will get further business from the company, the next time they wish to entertain visitors. The moral of the story then, is get things right, and people will want to come back.

A quick word about the photos – most of the interior shots were taken on the night, but the exterior ones were taken several summers ago, and well before the pandemic. I also haven’t included any pics of the assembled company, for professional reasons - although I’m sure no one really would have minded,