Breakfast catch-up, at the Chaser

After last Friday’s day out, and the drama of the journey home, here is a quick, stop-gap post before we return to the picturesque town of Topsham, and its legendary heritage pub, the Bridge Inn. The day before my trip, son Matthew and I enjoyed a bit of father-son bonding over a cooked, pub breakfast. 

With the not quite so recent now, arrival of a girlfriend in Matthew’s life, it’s been a long time since we spent some time together, and with Mrs PBT’s working, and the pair of us free that morning, what better way to spend it than in a local pub, enjoying a spot of breakfast. The first meal of the day seems to feature quite regularly amongst local pubs, and whilst this is largely confined to weekends, a small, but growing number of West Kent hostelries, are now offering a cooked breakfast on every day of the year.

One such establishment is the Chaser Inn, at Shipbourne, an attractive and well laid out village to the north of Tonbridge, situated at the base of the Greensand Ridge. The Chaser is owned by pub-group Whiting & Hammond, whose portfolio includes the Little Brown Jug in Chiddingstone Causeway, close to where I work. It is a large and impressive building with a tile hung exterior and a white veranda at the front. There is an attractive conservatory at the rear, plus a wood panelled and timber roofed dining area at the rear. If you haven’t twigged already, the Chaser is an unashamed, food-led pub with plenty of seating intermingled with unsegregated drinking areas and open fires.

Parking at the Chaser, has always been an issue, especially at weekends, and with the nearby common a popular spot for dog walkers, and people setting out on rambles, it can often be a case of no room at the inn. I knew the pub used to do breakfast on a Sunday morning, and a few years ago, before the advent of the pandemic, and Matthew and I had tried, and failed to get ourselves a breakfast there. We arrived rather too late that particular day, and whilst I wasn't expecting to be able to park at the pub itself, I thought there would be spaces on the large green opposite. Unfortunately, there was no such luck that day, as Shipbourne Common can be very popular.

Thursday was a bright, sunny and rather cold day, where the term “crisp” springs to mind, especially when there’s a frost on the ground, as there was that day. We were given a choice of several tables, but chose one which benefited from the fire, blazing away in the grate. I restricted myself to a couple of poached eggs on toast, but Matthew went steaming ahead, and ordered a full English. The bacon, sausage, tomato, and black pudding stacked up on his plate appeared to be cooked to perfection, and served on top of two slices of thick, nicely done toast, seemed the perfect combination.

My poached eggs were good as well, although I couldn’t help thinking that some nice crispy bacon would have gone down well with them too. As I’ve mentioned before, it is obvious from the taste of the bacon and the sausage that they were quality items. Locally sourced too, according to the menu, proof that it really does make a difference paying that little bit extra, and backing up what Mrs PBT's is always saying, about getting what you pay for!

We had a large pot of tea between us, which was sufficient to keep us going throughout breakfast, with several cups each. The pub dining area wasn’t packed, but then again, we’d arrived rather late, only narrowly beating the 11am cut-off time. 

With its bright and sunny outlook across the common, coupled with the chance to catch up on things, it was a good place to start the day. With a 6am start looming, for the following morning, this pleasant interlude acted as the perfect foil for what I knew would be a hectic end to the week.