A village pub may soon be brought back to life after being closed for the past five years.

The Oak and Ivy in Rye Road, Hawkhurst, was once the headquarters of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang, a large band of smugglers who operated across Kent in the mid-1700s.

The Grade II-listed pub is actually much older than that, having its origins as a Kentish hall house in the 15th century.

The pub closed in 2019 and stood derelict for two years before being bought by Antidote Projects, a company run by Scott and Maria Hunter from Benenden.

The couple have many years’ experience in the licensing trade and own The Pig’s Head in Clapham, London.

They have a unique “pro-planet” concept for the Oak and Ivy, which they have been working on since September 2021.

Mrs Hunter explained: “There is a large field beside the pub of about 3.5 acres, and in January last year we started planting a kitchen garden across half an acre. We also have a polytunnel.

“Our aim is to grow the vegetables that we will serve in the restaurant at both the Oak and Ivy and in the Pig’s Head.”

This year they have planted kale, cabbage, potatoes, peas, mangetout, squashes, cucumbers and many, many herbs.

She said: “We have already begun taking our vegetables to the Pig’s Head, and by the time we reopen the Oak and Ivy next year, we hope to have a big enough harvest to supply both pubs.

“If not, we’ll just plant more land. There’s plenty of room.”

They are not relying on their own efforts as amateur gardeners but have hired the services of a professional grower, Tom Nicholls.

Mrs Hunter said: “We’ve plenty of experience running pubs but we are first-time growers, so we needed the help of someone who knew what he was doing.

“Tom does all the important stuff, while I tend to move the manure around.

“We are growing everything organically and have applied for accreditation by the Soil Association.”

The plants are being grown with regenerative, no-dig farming methods, and they are also planning to have a zero-waste farm store on the site to sell any excess produce.

The couple have just received a huge boost to their project, having last Friday, June 30, won planning permission from Tunbridge Wells council for their refurbishment plans and a large extension to the Grade II-listed building.

Mrs Hunter said: “Before it closed, the pub had been let on a repairing lease, and no-one seems to have bothered to keep up the maintenance.

“The building is really in quite a poor state of repair.”

It has also unfortunately been broken into three times, which has led to the Hunters having to board up all the windows.

Mrs Hunter said: “There are some quite serious problems with the building that need addressing, but on top of that, we need an extension to make the restaurant viable.

“The pub only had 35 covers before. With the extension we will have an extra 90 covers, so 125 in total.

“We want to be as self-sufficient with produce as possible. We won’t be able to be 100%, but what we have to buy in, we will source from local producers to cut down on food miles and ensure quality.”

Their other pub, the Pig’s Head, is already carbon-neutral certified and the Hunters plan to seek the certification process for the Oak and Ivy too.

The couple will not be able to supply their own meat products but are looking to farmers nearby, as they will for the wine list.

Mrs Hunter said: “We all know we should eat less meat but when people go out for meal, they want to treat themselves.

“There’s nothing wrong with that as long as the animals are reared regeneratively.”

“Of course we will have vegetarian meals on the menu – our chef at The Pig’s Head does a marvellous ‘Shepherdless Pie’ made out of mushrooms and lentils – it’s delicious!

“As for wine, Kent has some of the best vineyards in the country – and I’m looking forward to sampling them all!”

The Hunters say they are not aiming to become Michelin-starred.

Mrs Hunter said: “We are going to be a good local pub that serves good honest food grown in the field next door.”

The couple have two sons aged five and seven. They are not going to live at the Oak and Ivy.

We hoped to reveal some tunnels from the smugglers’ days

Mrs Hunter said: “There will be staff accommodation, but we have lived over the pub before, and although there are some advantages, it also means you’re never off duty.

“We’ve been in Benenden since 2020 and we’re very happy there.”

So far, the couple have had only one disappointment.

Mrs Hunter said: “Before submitting our planning application, we had to have a number of geo-surveys done.

“I was really hoping it would reveal some tunnels from the smugglers’ days, but sadly nothing!”

The couple hope to reopen the Oak and Ivy in spring next year.

Details of the planning application can be found here.

Application number 23/00291 refers.