No bull at the Bullfinch

Back in April 2023, I wrote a piece about a McMullen’s pub that is a short drive from my home. McMullen & Sons Ltd are a long-established family brewer, based in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. Against the odds, the company has survived into the first quarter of the 21^st century and is about to enter the second one. Like many family breweries of a similar age and heritage, the McMullen’s tied estate is quite a tight-knit affair, based mainly in Hertfordshire, whilst touching a few neighbouring counties, such as Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and London (mainly north of the Thames).

There are a couple of lone “outposts” further afield in Surrey and Kent, and seeing as my home is in the latter county, it is the McMullen’s pub that I want to write about today, albeit for the second time in 18 months. The Bullfinch  is situated in the village of Riverhead, which today forms part of Sevenoaks. It is an attractive looking pub which is just a short hop from the massive Tesco superstore, just off the London Road. Formerly owned by Grand Metropolitan and listed in a 1993 CAMRA Guide to Kent Pubs as stocking Websters Yorkshire Bitter and Ruddles County, it has been a McMullen’s pub since 2009. Today the Bullfinch advertises itself as a Kent country retreat, offering relaxed country dining, with a roaring log fire in winter, and a spacious beer garden, for the summer months.

I’m not sure why this family-owned brewery from Hertfordshire decided to purchase a pub in Kent, but Mac’s has certainly proved a welcome addition to the local beer scene, despite the disdain shown to the company by a former West Kent CAMRA branch chairman. I shan’t say too much more, as the gentleman in question is no longer with us, and it doesn’t do to speak ill of the dead. We suspect the antipathy expressed by Scottish Iain dated back to when he lived in Hertfordshire, although strangely enough he wasn’t the only person I’ve known who wasn’t keen on the company’s beers.

So, what exactly is Kent’s lone McMullen’s outlet like? Surprisingly spacious, is the answer, and judging by the number of vehicles in the car park, popular too. Following a couple of earlier visits, I called in at the Bullfinch a few days after Christmas 2024, whilst Mrs PBT’s picked up some groceries from the nearby Tesco Superstore. The store was packed with shoppers presumably stocking up with goodies ahead of the following day’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, but I knew a crowded store would work to my advantage, as it would take Eileen much longer to navigate her way around the store.

“You’ll be grabbing yourself a coffee?” she said. “Probably”, was my resply, although the Costa Coffee outlet, that forms an integral part of the store, looked as busy as the shop itself. So, after a quickly nodded goodbye, I headed off to the Bullfinch, situated on the far side of the Tesco’s carpark. As with Tesco’s, the Bullfinch was busy, but not so busy that there were no free tables or seats available. I had already noticed a clip on one of the hand pulls for Boot Warmer Winter Ale, a 5.2% seasonal beer, described as dark, smooth bodied & rich – another one for Untappd! McMullen’s IPA and Country Best Bitter were the cask ales available, along with a beer called Harlequin, from the company’s Rivertown Brewing subsidiary. 

In summary, the Bullfinch is a proper pub, with a cosy lounge bar, a modern and spacious restaurant, with a varied and interesting food offering, plus McMullen’s beer. It looks a good bet for a reasonably priced meal, as well as somewhere for meeting up with friends and family. Definitely worth calling in, if you are in the area, and as an added bonus, the Bullfinch is an entrant in the 2025 Good Beer Guide, thereby finally burying the undeserved prejudice of an ex-CAMRA branch chairman.