This tiny village in Kent has so much going for it including a carvery which is wowing customers with its roast dinners. Kennington has a population of under 11,000 and for those who don't want to slave in a kitchen making roasts with all the trimmings, then they know where to go.
Kennington is about one mile north of Ashford, has three primary schools and is served by secondary schools, Towers School and Sixth Form Centre along with Kennington CE Academy, both in Ashford. The village has a lovely nature reserve with lakes where dogs can be taken, but on a lead.
And there are restaurants and pubs in and around the village including Carters in Kennington, which is open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and run by catering students studying at Towers School; the Old Mill pub and restaurant; and Stubbs Restaurant, a steak, sea grill and oyster house.
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The Kennington Carvery and Restaurant is raved about by people on TripAdvisor, with four stars out of a possible five from 419 reviews. Judging by the reviews, staff there are experts at dealing with large groups of diners.
Meanwhile, customers describe the roast potatoes as "amazing" and "massive Yorkshires", while others rave about the "incredible food". There are scores of pictures of the roasts posted by happy customers, and the extras and variety of vegetables are there to see, from cranberry or apple sauce, to stuffing, cauliflower cheese and mashed swede.
Another customer, who visited this month, raved about there being "four choices of meat, nine choices of freshly-prepared veg and you're welcome to go back for seconds". And the joy is you don't have to wait for a Sunday for your 'Sunday roast' as the carvery is open on Wednesdays too, each day from noon to 9pm, and there's Christmas carvery every Wednesday in December.
One of this month's happy customers wrote: "We’ve been coming to The Kennington Carvery for many years. The food is amazing, the staff are brilliant, the atmosphere is friendly and inviting. Our waitress was Maisey, bless her, we were a huge party of 28 people and she was not fazed at all.
"Fabulous service. Thank you. We’ve had birthday parties, and get togethers, along with my Mum’s wake - and they always come up trumps. Can’t praise the staff here enough."
Even the restaurant says "you can always go up for seconds - yes!". The meats are roast beef, roast turkey, honey roast gammon and Kentish pork. The £17.50 includes eight vegetables, and cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, along with gluten free gravy.
Kennington also has a beautiful 12th century church, St Mary's. Kent Archaeological Society describes the church and church yard here: "A fine, largely 14th and 15th century, church with a later 13th century chancel. It is a long narrow building culminating on the west in a 15th century tower."
Kennington's stunning - more than 34 hectare - nature reserve, Conningbrook Lakes Country Park, is managed by Kent Wildlife Trust. It has three lakes, ponds, a river along with grassland and woods. It's a perfect place for a riverside stroll and there are toilets, a picnic area, baby changing facilities and an electric car charging point.
The A28 Canterbury Road and the A251 Faversham Road pass through the village, meaning there is easy access to the M20 at Junction 9. If you were thinking of moving to Kennington, the average price of a home there last year was £336,967, according to RightMove.
Most of the houses sold last year were semi-detached, with an average price of £328,778. But, overall, sold prices last year had fallen 11 per cent on the previous year.
Kennington is also just 12 miles from The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden. A rescue home to dozens of big cats including lions and tigers, there are guided tours and overnight cabins available.
Kennington has a First World War walking trail, which was part of the 100 Miles 100 Years WW1 in Kent project, which aimed to reveal the history of local people, places and events. It was Heritage Lottery funded and was developed in association with Robin Britcher.
There is a fascinating booklet which you can download, which shows the route and gives marvellous information about the village and its people, with photographs. You can download it here.
How to get to Kennington
By train:
The nearest railway station is Ashford International, which is around two miles from Kennington.
Parking: There is on-street parking throughout the village but be considerate to those who live there.
Kennington Carvery and Restaurant is in Ulley Road, Kennington, Ashford, TN24 9HX. You can see the menu and book here. If you want to eat at Carters Restaurant, you can find out more and see a sample menu here, with prices. Or, if you would like to book a table please call 01233 634171 ext 545.
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