Top Dog

DOVER CASTLE is one of the most impressive in the UK, ‘the key to England’ and a magnificent building founded in the 11th century on a site that may once have been an Iron Age fort. But it wasn’t the castle that got to me so much as a first century AD Roman lighthouse (or Pharos), perched on top of a hillside blanketed in yellow-green Alexanders.

This lighthouse (above) is said to be Britain’s oldest standing building. It survived because it was converted into a belfry for the Saxon church next door more than a thousand years ago, had a new layer added in 1430 and was then partially renovated in 1913-15. The result is a five-level, eight-sided tower that would once have guided heavily laden Roman galleys into Portus Dubris, which is what the Romans called Dover around 2000 years ago. Amazingly, the building is still accessible and you can step inside and look straight up into the sky.

The fact that it tops a bank of Alexanders is ever so slightly spooky since it was the Romans who introduced Alexanders to England in the first place (along with pears and pheasants and vines, and lots of other things). Some say that the plant is named after Alexander the Great, although this is disputed. It was once widely grown as a pot herb, but now it has escaped into the hedgerows and wasteland, and it thrives on the coast. Foragers like it - they say it tastes slightly of celery and myrrh (whatever myrrh tastes like). Anyway, it was strange to find a Roman lighthouse surrounded by living Roman vegetables in the age of ChatGPT.

It was our wedding anniversary, and despite the fact that Dover is only an hour and a half’s drive from where we live, we had never been to the castle. So, to turn a castle visit into a celebration, we booked a couple of nights at the The Dog at Wingham, an inn that dates back to the 13th century, but which is notable for its modern cuisine and excellent rooms.

Wingham - which stands on the ancient Roman road known as Watling Street - is a pretty good place to base yourself if you’re keen to explore East Kent. It is ten minutes by car from Sandwich, arguably Britain’s best preserved medieval town; 20 minutes from Canterbury (or Durovernum Cantiacorum as the Romans knew it for 340 years), and about the same from increasingly hip Deal; it is also within easy striking distance of nature reserves at Stodmarsh and Blean Woods (where bison have been released as part of a rewilding initiative). If you want your big beasts just a little closer, Wingham Wildlife Park is on the outskirts of town half a mile away.

I won’t trouble you with the details of our trips to Dover, Deal and Canterbury, except to say that it was sunny, cold and very windy for the first two, and cold and damp for the third (it was April, after all). But I do think it’s worth saying something about The Dog.

I didn’t know about The Dog, or indeed Wingham, until I read a paragraph in an i Newspaper feature on pubs with rooms. I did what we old hacks always do: clipped it and kept it safe. When I next saw The Dog in print, it was offering a two-night dinner, bed and breakfast deal, which seemed to me rather good value.

The first thing you notice is that the pub is not merely dog friendly, it may actually be a little dog obsessed - from the pictures on the walls right down to the cute, dog-shaped paper clip attaching the wine list to the menu. There are even rooms - in ‘the doghouse’ - where owners can sleep in the same place as their pets.

Now, the Mrs B is not what you would call a dog lover, so the fact that she gave The Dog an unexpectedly high nine out of ten tells you all you need to know about the peaceable nature of the dogs that were visiting the same time as us. There may have been the odd woof or yap of recognition - the canine version of ‘hi’ - but the dogs and their owners were all well trained.

So, too, were the staff - from the very first greeting to the fondest of farewells. One young woman serving front of house moved so fast that I simply had to comment on it. “Got to keep my steps up,” she said, grinning and pumping her arms in a rapid walking motion. But, really, all of the staff were quick, attentive and caring. 

The Dog has built its reputation on the excellence of its food, and you can see at first glance that it’s a long way from humble pub grub. On the first night, I had a hake Scotch egg in warm tartare sauce (£12) and Kentish lamb, goat’s cheese mash, purple sprouting broccoli, chimichurri and crispy sweetbreads (£34). The lamb was so perfectly cooked that I had it again the following night - and I have made a note of the goat’s cheese mash, a clever little touch just like the drizzle of truffle oil on a breakfast Portobello mushroom. Head chef Rob Mantegna is to be congratulated.

The room was gorgeous, with a super high ceiling and exposed beams (a reminder that the current building dates from 1661), two armchairs and a sofa. The shower took a little getting used to - the pump that drains the water away makes a sound like the Tardis taking off in a nearby village - but we did get used to it fairly quickly, and the room was comfortable and beautifully decorated. 

I read somewhere that this is a first venture into hospitality for the owner Marc Bridgen and his family. It is a huge success and he has certainly put Wingham on the map. We’ll be back.

The Dog at Wingham, Canterbury Road, Kent, CT3 1BB. 01227 720339