The story
The Fordwich Arms, at King Street, Fordwich, CT2 0DB, is a Modern British restaurant in the Canterbury area that holds a Michelin 1 Star (2026). Daniel and Natasha Smith have run it since 2017, and the kitchen builds its seasonal menus around produce from farms and suppliers across Kent.
Daniel Smith's cooking is refined but unfussy, and the menus change with the seasons. Guests can choose a no-choice set lunch, a fixed-price à la carte, or an eight-course tasting menu, with a roast on Sundays. The bread is baked in house, and the kitchen plays well with sharp, seasonal pairings.
The duck liver parfait arrives under a translucent sheet of ice cider jelly, with warm mini doughnuts alongside. The Good Food Guide calls it something of a signature. Middle White pork comes with black garlic, nashi pear and kale, and line-caught turbot is a regular highlight. For dessert, the warm chocolate tart is served with salted sea buckthorn caramel and pistachio ice cream.
The brick-built 1930s building sits beside the River Stour and has wood floors, dark panelling and open fires. The oak-panelled dining room has three fireplaces, and in summer meals move to the riverside terrace. Service is warm, though the Good Food Guide found the formality a little stiff. The wine list is broad, with plenty of choice by the glass.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
High quality cooking
The name suggests a pub, but the Fordwich Arms is more like a restaurant with a bar attached (drinkers are welcome) and is viewed locally as a place to go for a treat. Its setting beside the river Stour is particular attractive and the fine, brick-built 1930s building delivers an atmospheric interior of wood floors, dark panelling and open fires. Daniel Smith’s kitchen has strong credentials, a nose for sharp seasonal partnerships and there are some very good things to eat – although a few items, such as the claggy apple tart with hazelnuts and Calvados, we would rather not sample again. The menu covers all bases, with a no-choice set lunch, a fixed-price carte and, for those with cash to splash, an eight-course taster – plus a roast on Sundays. It’s all rather tweezered and tasteful, but there is much to enjoy: the home-baked bread is excellent, and our early winter lunch delivered a brace of strong starters ranging from a rich duck liver parfait draped with a translucent sheet of Brännland ice cider jelly and accompanied by a pair of warm mini-doughnuts (something of a signature dish) to nuggets of corn-fed chicken in a chicken consommé with a dollop of chestnut purée. Forthright flavours were evident in the mains, too – from a spin on Middle White pork with dabs of black garlic, cubes of nashi pear and kale to a beautiful piece of line-caught turbot. While service shows a general air of warm-heartedness, the food is delivered with stiff-necked formality – it would be nice to see it lighten up. When it comes to wine, a weighty all-embracing list offers good choice by the glass.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
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