A surprising lunch at The Poet, Matfield

Within a 16th-century building nestled in the Kentish countryside sits the charming gastropub, The Poet at Matfield. Walking through its doors, the atmosphere was friendly, low-key and laid-back – typical traits of a decent place for a pub lunch. What came out of the kitchen led by head chef and co-owner, Petrus Madutlela, though, were bold and brilliant flavours which took me by pleasant suprise.

To start was some soft-as-a-cloud home-baked bread with moreish balsamic reduction butter, as well as a complimentary appetiser from the kitchen. Arancini with gochujang – a sign of things to come.

After spending a few minutes studying the menu, I was more intrigued by the choice of starters than mains, so I found myself ordering two smaller plates.

First up from my two starters came the heritage beetroot, labneh, peanut satay and grapefruit dish. Not only was it beautifully presented, but its interesting, well-paired flavours left me wanting to order another one. Next came the Isle of Gigha halibut crudo, yuzu, wild ginger, aubergine and miso… with a side of triple cooked chips (no judging). Unfortunately the crudo dish didn’t 100% work for me. Perhaps there were too many bold flavours at play, translating into too many contrasts and complexities. Dare I say the triple cooked chips were excellent, though.

Although we resisted the temptation of dessert, I was drawn to the sight of several heading over to the table behind us – what I presumed to be the chocolate fondant in particular. Instead, we had coffees which came with petit fours – a bite-sized chocolate truffle and a white chocolate miso cookie each, both of which were delicious.

All in all, The Poet at Matfield was a pleasant surprise. I expected a nice albeit unmemorable pub lunch. What I got instead was indeed an incredibly refined lunch that I was raving about for days afterwards.