Review on Wife of Bath
After a closure of nine months in 2016, The Wife of Bath was reopened by highly accomplished chef Mark Sargeant, who has already established Kent restaurants Rocksalt and The Smokehouse in Folkestone and The Duke of William in Ickham. Set in the historic and quintessential village of Wye, The Wife of Bath is said to takes its name from one of the characters in Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', who supposedly visited the area.
It first opened as a restaurant in 1962 and over the years has built up a fine reputation as a must visit dining destination. Inside it has been tastefully done out in chic neutral colours, with exposed beams and lots of original features and is both fashionable and rustic, integrating modern design into the buildings 500 year history. As well as the main dining room with an exposed brick fireplace and pale wood furnishings, there's a tapas bar featuring a chunky oak top bar and counter seating set on pretty Spanish tiling.
The kitchen looks to Northern Spain for its menus, showcasing dishes that emphasis the best of seasonal local produce, as well as sourcing authentic ingredients directly from Spain. There's an excellent selection of menus available, the main menu, a tasting menu including a separate vegetarian one, lunch, Spanish Sundays offering excellent value for three courses and every Tuesday there's a special menu celebrating Galician beef.
A good starting point might be a selection of tapas designed for sharing or otherwise opt for the beetroot cured salmon, fennel, goats cheese and lemon or rabbit, chorizo, Savoy cabbage and Romesco sauce. Main courses embrace pork collar, parsnip, morcilla, charred onion and watercress or from the sea there's lemon sole, shellfish and saffron broth and aioli. Close the show with a bitter chocolate tart, Sevillano olive oil and Folkestone salt or rice pudding gratin and Seville marmalade.
To accompany the food there's a well thought out wine list including sherries, vermouths and Tinto's a cold wine-based drink similar to Sangria. The Wife of Bath has five stylish rooms available should you wish to extend your stay and explore this lovely area at your leisure.
Wife of Bath is also featured in: Michelin Guide, Hardens
Rate this RestaurantCuisine
Spanish / British
Chef
Mark Sargeant and Adam Ashley
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 - 2.30pm Wed-Sat (12.00 - 3.00pm Sun)
Dinner: 6.00 - 9.00pm Wed-Sat
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card, American Express