Last weekend Ralph came to visit in London, so we took the opportunity to go on a reccy to a fantastic pub in Tonbridge called the Nelson Arms.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the journey from South East London to the green hills of Kent was a joyous one.
We had a limited time out so we arrived at the pub at their opening hour of noon - or fifteen minutes before if you need the specifics... Matthew the landlord was happy to greet us (despite our over-enthusiasm) and drew us two pints of Arbor Breakfast Stout - a chocolately, smokey and altogether delicious cask beer.
This was the first time Ralph had been to The Nelson Arms and he was understandably blown away by the massive range of cask, keg and ciders available - all on constant rotation and of the highest quality. We took a seat in the snug and nursed our pints as we admired the incredible original features of the pub.
After the stouts Ralph ordered a Good Chemistry Glowing Embers Ruby Ale and I ordered a Gadds No. 3 Pale - keen to try a beer from this legendary brewery, local to the Nelson. Both beers were going down a storm as our two plates of lamb shanks, creamy mashed potato, vegetables and delicious red wine gravy came to our tables.
When we finished we headed through to the bar and ordered two more drinks - a Münchner Hells for me and a much more punchy Hammerton Made in the Dark Imperial Chocolate Stout for Ralph. The pub began to get busy around 2pm - a mix of locals and those visiting the area specifically to see the Nelson, just as we were.
Afterwards we sat in the sun and enjoyed two halves of Turners Rhubarb cider and took in the beauty of the Victorian building, made all the more stunning by the colourful hanging flower baskets scattered along the walls.
We made it back to South East London within an hour, full of beer and lamb, our little reccy complete. If you're ever looking for a day trip to a stunning area and a world class pub, we'd highly recommend putting this at the top of your list :)
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