{"id":26656,"date":"2015-12-16T18:29:13","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T18:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/noexpert.co.uk\/?p=26656"},"modified":"2016-07-31T20:11:40","modified_gmt":"2016-07-31T19:11:40","slug":"the-sportsman-always-a-treat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.noexpert.co.uk\/food\/?p=26656","title":{"rendered":"The Sportsman – Always a treat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having a birthday near Christmas is a bit of a pain to say the least. However I have found a sort of solution. Arrange to get treated to lunch at the world famous destination (at least with foodies) that is The Sportsman<\/a> – the self styled “Grotty pub by the Sea” located in bleak Seasalter on the outskirts of \u00a0Whitstable. (15 mins by cab from Whitstable train station).<\/p>\n

We went for a short stroll along the sea defense path and then down to the stark but photogenic beach to work up our appetite before lunch. Muddy boots and jeans are more at home in The Sportsman<\/a> than party frocks and stilettos<\/p>\n

It cheered me up to see that 10 days before Christmas there was no over the top Christmas tat dominating the room nor were you forced to order from a double the price (because it’s Xmas) boring Turkey and Christmas pud menu.<\/p>\n

The Sportsman<\/a> is a pub, albeit one with a long standing Michelin Star. Locals do pop in for a pint, but on the whole it’s all about the simple, tasty, locally sourced food. The wine list is good too, with a nice selection of reasonably prices bottles and several decent wines by the glass at a fraction of the price you’d pay in London. They are well known for their tasting menus of which they have two, the smaller one that you can order on the day and the eight course one that has to be pre booked. Visits to The Sportsman<\/a> always have to be planned well in advance (6-8 weeks typically) if you want a table.<\/p>\n