Author Archives: ether

Goudhurst Inn gets a beautiful new image

The Goudhurst Inn has opened following a major refurbishment.  Located on the Cranbrook Road, it is a 5minute drive to the restaurant which has a wonderful new menu to go with the incredible redecoration project.  The Goudhurst Inn is a free house promising to serve the best wines, ciders, ales, craft beers and spirits the industry has to offer. The food will be seasonal, British and locally sourced.  The pub is one of a suite of establishments in the area and is part of Hush Heath Estate and Winery, their English Wines are award winning. For more details about the winery click here

Local owners Richard & Leslie Balfour-Lynn have devised a mouth-watering menu to reflect the location in the heart of Kent.  For guests staying in the self-catering unit the new menu includes a variety of breakfast choices from the ‘full english’ to kippers and toasted sourdough with herb & chilli butter.

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Lunch is served between 12 noon and 4pm and there is a large selection of Bar Food available.  The evening menu is constantly being reviewed by Head Chef Dominic Knight.

and the more formal dining is provided for in The Hush Heath Room, which will have both an a la carte menu and a “Table d’hôte” set menu where each course is cleverly paired with one of Hush Heath’s wines or ciders.

13th May 2015 Read the full post

Local Theatre Production

Part of the charm of Britain is our relationship with theatre.  Going back to before the mighty Shakespeare, theatre is part of our heritage, we are lucky at Little Dodges that the Cranbrook Operatic and Dramatic Society are right on our doorstep.  The next production is Graeme Green’s Wind in the Willows and will be directed by Alison Withey-Harrison.

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The Society was formed in 1919 and their first production was Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Mikado”. Over the years the players come and go but the enthusiasm and professionalism has been maintained.

Performances for Wind in the Willows will take place 16th to 18th April 2015 with four performances including a matinee.

Rehearsals started last month and the good news was that everyone that auditioned was given a role.  For more information you can log on to their website – click here

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6th February 2015 Read the full post

Stunning first class accommodation in Kent

A Happy New Year to all our past guests and those that are yet to book!

Here at Little Dodges we are starting to get geared up for the 2015 Season.  If you are looking for friendly, stunning self catering accommodation or bed and breakfast then we are looking forward to hearing from you.

If you need an excuse to visit the Weald of Kent in Winter then look no further than a wonderful visit to Sissinghurst Castle.  Even in January and February the tour is well worth taking. The garden created by The Hon Victoria Mary Sackville-West, Lady Nicolson, is magnificent and maintains the immaculate vision she had for the landscaping with her husband Sir Harrold.

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In January Sissinghurst Castle is open for tours at 11am, 1, 2 and 3pm weekends only, Garden – closed, Coffee shop – Open daily 10am – dusk, Plant shop – open daily 10am – dusk, Restaurant – closed.

More details can be found on the National Trust website.

9th January 2015 Read the full post

Fine Dining is closer than you think!

We are very lucky to be based near to a couple of truly wonderful restaurants that have both won themselves a coveted michelin star. The nearest is Apicius, an outstanding restaurant run by chef Tim Johnson who used to cook for John Paul Getty Junior! The restaurant is in the centre of the picturesque village of Cranbrook.  Tim’s menu highlights the best of Kent’s larder with Partridge, Venison, Rabbit and Monkfish currently on the Winter menu.  Priced at £40 head for a three course dinner, we recommend the eatery to all our guests.  The Caramalised Apple Tart is to die for and coming in a close second is Tim’s Dark Chocolate Mousse!

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Not to be outdone, the second restaurant in the area sporting a michelin star is the West House in Biddenden, run by Graham Garrett the restaurants reputation has established it as one of the best places to eat in the County.  One of Graham’s sous chefs reached the heady heights of quarter-finalist in the recent series of Masterchef the Professionals.

Like Apicius the menu is based on local, seasonal produce and the restaurant, which is set in a 16th Century Weaver’s Cottage, has an stunning and imaginative menu.  The menu’s are updated regularly but currently boast Kentish Lamb, Hare and Wild Halibut.  The cost for a three course dinner is £40 per head and lunch is priced at £25 per head.

Distance to Apicius from Little Dodges is 6miles and to the West House 10 miles.  We would be delighted to give you directions or book you a taxi from a local firm.

17th December 2014 Read the full post

Autumn in Kent

Here we are again.  Its 2015 and mild with spectacular colours. We are finally experiencing Winter in the county, the leaves have almost all fallen after a mild and beautiful Autumn.  Little Dodges is situated close to some of the most beautiful countryside in the South East and if you enjoy the brisk air then a ‘walk in the weald’ is not to be missed.  The stunning, Bedgebury Pinetum, is a short drive from the B & B and Self Catering accommodation, in fact at a mere 5mile distance it is practically walking distance for the ardent rambler.

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The Forestry Commission manage the National Pinetum for the nation. They have a mix of conifers and broadleaved specimens contained in 350 acres.  The collection was started in the 1840’s by the Beresford Hope family and was greatly improved following its acquisition by the Forestry Commission in 1925.

In addition to the wonderful collection of tress and shrubs there is a wonderful bike trail, children’s play area, cafe, bird watching opportunities and a Go Ape tree top activity centre – Pre booking required.

10th December 2014 Read the full post

A Tuscan Adventure

We were so excited to take our first holiday in 17 years and it was really thanks to some of our guests!

Running a Holiday Cottage and Bed and Breakfast is a very rewarding job but the opportunity to take a holiday yourself is a little challenging.  We always make sure that our guests are put first and over the years we have tried to find the perfect week to go away but then a lovely booking comes in and it is postponed for another year.

Little Dodges has a wonderful family who come every year and in fact have become such good friends that we believed they could be left quite happily and would be more than delighted to be self-sufficient while we took a break.

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So the 17-year hiatus was broken, the fear of flying was conquered and we found ourselves jetting off for a whole week.  Our Isle of Wight guests managed perfectly, they always come for two weeks and our disappearing act pretty much went without them even noticing.

Hopefully we will experience another holiday ourselves and perhaps not wait another 17 years. Our IOW family are eager to book their next trip; they love the shopping particularly in Royal Tunbridge Wells, a unique town, with a wonderful modern shopping centre, plenty of High Street retailers and the beautiful and specialist Pantiles.  www.pantilestraders.co.uk

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Little Dodges accommodation and Bed & Breakfast is perfectly situated for retail therapy, whether in some of Kent’s towns or some of the stunning and historic villages in the Weald of Kent.  Please take a look at our Local Attractions pages for inspiration.

Joanna & Paul

25th November 2014 Read the full post

A little pond dipping?

Having spent the entire summer removing the vicious weed from our pond, we are delighted to announce that it appears to be completely weed free and full of clean rainwater.  The pond was originally formed due to ancient iron-ore workings and therefore a naturally-made one which attracts moorhens, geese and herons.  Our garden is rather popular with pheasants too!

Please see the photo on the Bed and breakfast page.

6th November 2013 Read the full post

Kent's Finest Orchards

We are lucky enough in Kent to have some of the finest orchards in the country.  Many of which surround our lovely property.  The Weald of Kent is known historically for its Hop Gardens, which unfortunately have declined over the past few decades.  Our Bed and Breakfast accommodation is within a traditional Oast House which at one time would have dried the aromatic hops grown on hop bines right outside the door.  Today the Hop Gardens have been replaced with Orchards or Strawberry fields.  Visitors to the property during the summer and autumn months will be able to see the wonderful array of produce growing right on the doorstep.

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25th October 2013 Read the full post

The hero's who keep our footpaths

Did you know that we have just over 40 miles of public rights of way in Goudhurst parish? Walking should be easy and enjoyable in and around the area. To achieve this the local footpaths need to be kept clear of overgrown hedges and brambles, and wobbly stiles and marker posts need to be repaired. Roger Coles has, for many years, organised volunteers to walk the paths to report on their condition so that the Parish Council can arrange the necessary maintenance work, sometimes in conjunction with Kent County Council.

The volunteers are known as Hon Footpaths Officers and they have made an enormous contribution to raising and maintaining the standards of our paths. However, some of the volunteers have now retired and replacements are needed. If you would like to become involved, even on a very occasional basis, please contact Cllr David Boniface on 01580 211430 or the Clerk to the Parish Council, Anthony Farnfield 01580 212552 or

31st May 2013 Read the full post