Anke: Royal Tunbridge Wells

Name That Beer

The competition is now closed. Thank you for the 50+ entries! The lucky winner is Lucy with "Penshurst Pleasure". Congratulations Lucy and enjoy your beer.

Want a chance to win a crate of a new local brewery's range of beers?

The current line-up of Moodley's beers, will yours be next?

We are proud to be running a fantastic competition to name Moodley's Brewery's upcoming new beer, the prize being your chosen winning name emblazoned across the label and a whole crate of beer to drink!

All of the beers have local names such as Toad Rock Bitter and Pantiles Porter so it's up to you to come up with a new name on a local slant. The new beer is going to be an Indian Pale Ale so get your thinking caps on and leave me a comment below with your name suggestions.

If you'd like to learn more about the new brewery and their beer, then head on over to Mrs Anke's blog to read more. Don't forget to come back to enter though.

If you'd like to sample the beers to get you in the mood to think of a good name then head on down to The Bitter End on Camden Road and pick some up.

Lunch in Tunbridge Wells?

Sorry about the lack of updates this week but it was my Birthday and the wife and I had lots of nice things to do. If you're interested, yes all my presents from my wife were Tunbridge Wells related but more on them soon. What a tease.

In the meantime whilst you are all patiently waiting for me to write something new you'd better go and eat something, I don't want you all dropping off on me. Question is where? The answer is to visit our restaurant reviews and read our thoughts so that you can pick somewhere nice. Tell them we sent you.

Sankey's

I've noticed how many people have visited my blog on the back of google searches for Fire Belly's or Spice Club, well if you are up on Mounth Ephraim and are going to visit one of these restaurants then I recommend a nice drink in Sankeys beforehand.

Sankeys, who proudly boast of never stocking a beer brewed under license have more beers than you could possibly get through on a night out, including one white beer that has only ten taps in the UK. Of the 49 pubs listed in the Tunbridge Wells area, this is one of the ones that stands out as somewhere different from the usual public house to drink. Plus, as it's a seafood bar they do fantastically fresh fishy things so you'll probably end up staying for dinner too. I recommend the Moules Mariniere with three servings of crusty bread to mop up the juices, mmmmmmmmm.

Amouse Bouchesmmmmmm

Thought we'd get dressed up nice and smart and visit our favourite restaurant, the Michelin-starred Thackerays. Its our fourth visit to the wonderful old home of William Thackeray on Mount Ephraim, and we plumped for the chef's taster menu with his choice of wine between each course.

Utterly fabulous food as usual although one has to think that either there has been a change of chef or he was possibly having an off day, as the Pommes Anna had the texture of being left on the hot-plate for just that minute too long. That's definitely our only gripe though as its impossible to fault the rest of the food, presentation or the staff in the any way, shape or form, and the cocktail menu is always a lovely way to round off the food before the walk home. So if you have a really special occasion or just want to impress friends from out of town then leave your credit card with the Thackerays maitre d' and throw all sense of abandon to the wind.

Mmmm I'll have seven courses of those fig amouse-bouche's please!!