Secret Drinker reviews Shepherd Neame’s Dog & Bear Hotel in Lenham Square

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Published: 17:20, 09 November 2023 | Updated: 08:10, 15 November 2023

Sitting pretty on Lenham’s village square, I was sure this 17th century hotel, with as many beams as I’ve ever seen in a pub, would have customers to match – some tweed, a wire-haired dog in front of the fire and elderly ladies in sensible shoes.

Instead the Dog & Bear had vapers outside the door, beanies at the bar and shots being downed before half-time in the footie.

The Dog & Bear Hotel on Lenham Square can trace its roots back to 1602 and was visited by Queen Anne just over a century later in 1704

The big screen was showing Leicester v Leeds in the Championship and the vast majority of punters in were young fellas, a few with a passing interest in the match, the majority concentrating on downing a good few Friday night pints.

This being a Shep’s establishment I could have taken the hint from the barman’s T-shirt and ordered a Bear Island but, in a brief moment of concern for my exes claim, I chose a pint of Spitfire, assuming it would be the cheap option.

A fiver lighter, I took a seat at a table just in front of a pile of board games with four young guys on cocktails and shots between me and the football.

As far a real ale went, the choice was Master Brew or Spitfire

You won’t find many pubs with more ceiling beams than this one

This example of Shepherd Neame’s classic beer, with its usual amber colour and a decent creamy head, might not be at the top of my ‘go-to’ list, but this was a decent enough pint.

Having settled in and sipped half a pint I was disturbed by a deafening explosion at the bar when one beanie wearer went berserk, leaping up and down and screaming into the faces of all those around him. The outburst came from a highly emotional punter, who apparently had £20 on Leeds to win and celebrated Rutter’s 58th minute goal like a nutcase.

He then proceeded to push his mug into the face of anyone near him and demand to know whether they were a Leicester City fan?

Served in the right glass, my pint of Shepherd Neame’s Spitfire was a powerful amber colour with a decent creamy head

I’m not a Foxes fan, but even if I was, the last thing in the world I would have done is admit.

Once things calmed down I took the opportunity to take a brief tour of this sprawling establishment that’s just a five-minute walk from Lenham station and see what else it had to offer.

At the back, right-hand side of the pub there’s an alcove dedicated to darts with an electronic scoreboard, a notice saying no-one under 16 can play and some very colourful Sheps wallpaper.

Beyond a small, but effective, real fire there was a large dining room on the left, with the vast majority of tables already set for the hotel guests planning to enjoy breakfast.

A colourful homage to some of Shepherd Neame’s most popular brews, this wallpaper brightened up the back of the pub

There aren’t many pubs which can boast a history that dates back further than the start of Shepherd Neame’s brewing career, which began in 1698

Through the back door there is a large outside courtyard with about half a dozen round picnic tables and a similar number of decent-sized olive trees. A sign on the facing room marks the hotel’s function room and it’s clear this is a sizable business venue for a smallish village.

A brief visit to the gents revealed a compact, but fully tiled room that was fresh-smelling and well-maintained. My only word of caution would be to anyone using urinal No.1, make sure you duck at the critical moment.

On the walls of the hallway between the main reception area and the bar I discovered a number of interesting black and white photographs showing the Dog & Bear in centuries past.

Not massive, but the open fire was still giving off a fair bit of heat and added to the atmosphere by producing the odd whiff of wood smoke

With Friday night football showing and the pub full of lads sinking pints, among other drinks, I wasn’t surprised no-one was playing board games

Back in the bar I spotted a blackboard menu but couldn’t justify spending £14.50 on nachos and decided instead to invest £6.30 in a pint of Birra Moretti.

The chat at the bar had moved away from footie to bikes and one motorcyclist was explaining to the frenzied footie fan, that, given his number of high-speed crashes, he was lucky to have survived to his 48th year.

Following this, for some inexplicable reason, our lucky punter started fiercely slapping the legs of his friends and only stopped after the biker managed to land a well-placed retaliatory strike.

With such a long, proud history, it’s good to see the walls decorated with a number of black and white photographs celebrating times gone by

This section of the dining room, on the left-hand side of the pub, had already been set out ready for breakfast the following morning

Then, almost on the stroke of 10, the pub pretty much emptied and even one regular, who been threatening to leave for an hour, fell out of the door.

There was talk of several folk ‘heading to the club’ (wherever/whatever that is?) but the village seemed quiet and by the time I departed at 10.15pm and a young fellow, by the name of Russell, was helping to sweep up out front on the pub.

For the record, the football game ended 1-0 and, although it wasn’t quite the Friday night pub visit I was expecting, I quite enjoyed my brief time sharing the Dog & Bear with the lads in the bar.

The Dog & Bear sits alongside the Red Lion, a pub Secret Drinker visited back in 2109. Read the review here

I know they come with chilli, but I’m not sure I could justify spending £14.50 on some nachos

The courtyard area at the rear has half a dozen round picnic tables and at least as many good-sized olive trees

Taking clearing up at the end of the night seriously, regular Russell could be found out front sweeping up at 10.15pm

THE DOG & BEAR HOTEL, THE SQUARE, LENHAM ME17 2PG

Decor: More beams than I’ve ever seen in a pub, and the wonderful history of this great building is displayed wherever you look. It’s a good blend of traditional village inn and stylish pub with a large restaurant. ****

Drink: Faced with a decision between Master Brew and Spitfire I’d usually choose lager, but I decided to re-try the latter option and ended up being served a decent pint of amber-coloured Spitfire. The Moretti was exactly as you would expect. ***

Price: At one time, not that long ago, a pint of bitter for a fiver and £6.30 for a lager would seem steep, but from what I see this is now the norm. In future weeks I can see these prices becoming a three-star score. **

Staff: There were two barmen covering the shift, which was plenty of manpower for a reasonably steady Friday evening. They were both pleasant enough and made themselves busy when not actually serving. ****