The Dove Inn

The story

The Dove Inn, Canterbury: Modern British Gastropub Cooking in Dargate, Kent

The Dove Inn sits at Plum Pudding Lane, Dargate, Kent ME13 9HB, serving modern British gastropub food to visitors from Canterbury and the surrounding villages. The kitchen holds 2 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence (2026), and the menus change with the seasons.

Seasonal cooking from the kitchen

Will Shenow-Brady leads the kitchen as head chef and co-owner, making almost everything from scratch with homegrown and local produce. Some of the vegetables come from an allotment that Will's mum Liz planted. Lunch and evening menus rotate often, so the dishes follow what is in season.

Dishes on the plate

A sample Sunday menu has listed blowtorched mackerel with samphire and tomato, heritage tomato gazpacho, and treacle sirloin of beef served with Yorkshire pudding. Dessert options have included pistachio crème brûlée with fresh raspberries and a warm chocolate and Guinness cake with clotted cream. Reporters for The Good Food Guide, which lists the pub as a Local Gem for 2026, have singled out Shetland mussels in a cider and mustard broth and slow-cooked ox cheek with clotted cream potatoes.

The room and the team

Sophie Webb runs front of house, and the pair opened the pub in 2018 after years working at a well-regarded fine dining restaurant in Kent. A log burning fire warms the front dining room in winter, and the garden has outdoor seating for summer. Ask for a table in the front room when booking, since the side room is less cosy. The bar pours Shepherd Neame beers and the wine list opens at £24.