We both love our food and couldn’t wait to visit the Bull Hotel because it has an a la carte menu and is Michelin guide listed.

That was all we knew about the place, plus the fact it is a very historic building dating back to the 14th century.

We love staying in old places and as it was a cold night and we’d had a long week, we couldn’t wait to get there.

We hoped it was somewhere we could just relax and eat delicious food, as it has been awarded two AA Rosettes, and we like drinking good wine.

Well, that’s exactly what we got.

As soon as we walked through the door, the staff greeted us with friendly smiles and welcomed us in as we entered the bar.

We were shown to our room, and we loved it.

It had oak beams, creaky floorboards and a welcoming bed and was clean, with warm inviting decor. The only really modern thing about it was the television and the luxury en-suite bathroom which had one of those shower heads as big as a steering wheel.

We were soon back down to the bar to see what was on the menu.

It was a nice touch from the staff to bring us to our table just minutes before our starters came out and they sat us at a delightful spot near the window and a roaring fire.

I picked the ham hock terrine with pineapple pickle for my starter and Daniel had the crab cakes.

We polished off both of those delights and my mouth was watering for my second course.

My partner is probably like most men, always wanting a steak, he usually asks for it to be cremated and I just despair as I know what he’s missing out on.

However, I’m now delighted he’s been converted to a medium rare pink steak, thanks to Martin Deadman, the hotel’s owner,who recommended he have it like that.

He tucked in to his US hanger steak as if he’d always eaten it like that. I had the pork belly, kale and creamy mash, even the black pudding, something I’m not usually so keen on, was mouthwatering.

Too stuffed to eat a dessert at that point – we were given the option to eat it later if we wanted – we made our way back to the bar just in time for the jazz duo to start, now joined by more diners.

We’ve been to restaurants before where staff are all too quick to rush you through the experience so they can get more covers in one sitting.

This never happened here, we were allowed to take it at our own pace and we did.

Later when we tired we just had to walk up the few stairs to our warm room and welcoming bed.

In the morning we just walked down to the restaurant and were served hot fresh coffee and we chose salmon and scrambled eggs which were fresh, hot and delicious.

The Bull Hotel is a delightful place for couples to relax, eat and stay, the staff work hard to cater to your every need.

It sure is one of the top places to stay and eat I’ve been to and it is right here on our doorstep in Kent.

For more information visit www.thebullhotel.com