Timber Batts is a lovely old country pub between Ashford and Canterbury on the road out of Wye. It's tucked away in the tiny village of Bodsham (no, I'd never heard of it before either!) and it's well worth the effort of finding it for yourself. There is plenty of seating inside at an eclectic mix of tables, but if the weather permits you might want to sit outside and enjoy the rural views from the quiet garden to the side of the pub. Froggies is, as you might expect from the name, run by a French father and son who have done well to retain the traditional English pub feel while adding their own Gallic charm to the place. There are a number of wine case lids from some of the grand estates decorating the beams, and every shelf and sill is covered in empty wine bottles that span generations and vineyards of the world, mostly having been drunk by the owner!
We stopped in for a quick lunch (and maybe a swift half!) on the way home and were genuinely delighted with the food. Although the lunch menu is short, it is full of good options including a home made burger (more on that later), various baguettes and sandwiches, moule frites, or simply ham egg and chips. Something for everyone then!
I was feeling pretty hungry, so I went for the homemade burger, which comes with french fries and a small green salad on the side. It's a good job I was hungry, because there was plenty of it and it was delicious. The difficulty with very thick burgers is cooking them right through without letting them dry out, something the chef managed very nicely indeed. There was a generous side order of the thinnest fries, and the salad had a light drizzle of house dressing that just helped cut through the big flavours in the burger. The ham and chips looked very good too, the ham was lightly smoked and thinly cut, while the baguettes were big enough to feed even the hungriest mouth.
One of my favourite things to finish a meal is a café gourmand, usually a shot of espresso with two or three mini deserts just intended to give you something sweet to finish your meal, so I was delighted to find it on the menu. It came with a couple of home made macaroons and a glass of café liegeois (espresso coffee poured over coffee ice-cream and topped with whipped cream served in this case in a shot glass). A close second choice for me was the trio of deserts, which included an apricot tatin, panna cotta, and a raspberry melba. The desert for people unable to decide what to have, but delicious none the less.
Easy to find? No.
Worth the effort? Certainly.
Worth the price? Yes, I think so.
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