Gaze across the Straits of Dover from this spectacularly situated hostelry, which claims to be 'the closest English pub to France'. The views are certainly worth the trip, but the Coastguard also has a great deal more going for it.

The Swan always seeks to purchase locally sourced, seasonal produce. The classic English menu comprises Venison from Chart Farm, Lamb from Alan West and day catch from the boats coming into port at Rye and Whitstable.

This Grade II-listed, thirteenth-century village inn is a real Kentish charmer

Chef Alan Irwin learned his trade with John Burton-Race

Following a spectacular transformation, the old Marquis of Granby pub has morphed into the Marquis at Alkham

One of the most impressive looking pubs in the south east originally constructed as a hunting lodge in the 1840s

The latest incarnation of this well-liked Kentish pub ushers in a new era, with cosmopolitan, contemporary design, a highly desirable fine-weather patio and a renewed emphasis on top-quality food and wine