There’s no dreading going to work when it’s in one of the most tranquil settings in Kent. We met Andre Woodward of Bewl Water’s newly-opened Boathouse Bistro.

Some people have all the luck. While many of us are fighting roadworks on the daily commute to grey, dreary offices, some people get to work at in the most beautiful corners of the Kent countryside.

The team at the recently opened Boathouse Bistro at Bewl Water for example.

The country park, near Lamberhurst, has recently opened for the spring, along with its refurbished bistro. In its previous life, it was the sailing club canteen but is now a stylish restaurant. It opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering everything from a simple coffee and cake to a gastro-pub menu, with views over the lake.

Head chef Andre Woodward came to the Boathouse from the St Julian’s Club in Sevenoaks and now works with three chefs and four front of house staff.

The menu ranges from 12-hour cooked pork belly with caramelised shallots, apple and honey puree, gratin potatoes, green vegetables and crackling for £15.50, to beer battered hake with pea puree, caper and gherkin remoulade and big chips for £10.95.

One of the stars of the show is the pan fried Bewl Water rainbow trout fillet. Surely food can’t get much more local than that? It comes with citrus butter, smoked bacon praline, gratin potato and crisp dressed leaves for £12.50.

There’s also the Bewl burger – 100% ground beef, prosciutto, and applewood smoked cheddar in brioche with big chips for £10.95.

“If I was ordering off the menu the dish I would pick, just from a personal point of view, would probably be the crab and crayfish risotto,” said Andre.

“But when it comes to preparing a dish, I would say my favourite is ice honeycomb parfait.”

The bistro can cater for 60, with a further 40 covers on the terrace, weather permitting. It’s the perfect pitstop for families spending the day at the site, which now has an improved children’s adventure play area. What’s more, parking charges at Bewl have recently been reduced from £8 to £2.

Visitors can also picnic at Bewl, before rounding off their day with tea and cake at the bistro.

So what would Andre recommend for visitors heading to Bewl?

“You can hire bikes for a trek around the reservoir, then pick up our water taxi from either of the three jetties. They’ll return you to the bistro in time for lunch or an early supper on the terrace,” he said.

“One of the best things at Bewl is taking in the beautiful scenery with a stunning sunset!”

DETAILS

The Boathouse Bistro is open from 10am to 11pm. Bewl Water can be found at Bewlbridge Lane, Lamberhurst, TN3 8JH.