Disclaimer: We received this family meal at The Waterside Restaurant, Bar & Terrace at Hever Castle Golf from the restaurant marketing team to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine.
As lockdown has started to ease and pubs and restaurants have been allowed to re-open for the past month, it’s fair to say we’ve made the most of it so far.
As a family who have always loved eating out, since the 4th July we have made a few trips a week to local eateries. Some have been really lovely and relaxing, other places maybe still have some learning points to make the whole experience feel safer and more enjoyable, but overall it has been lovely not to cook and to enjoy time as a family like we used to.
And I have no plans to stop just yet, as today marks the start of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, making food and (non alcoholic) drink in participating restaurants, pubs and cafes half price (up to £10 off per person) to encourage people to start spending again in the hospitality sector.
We were invited along to Hever Castle Golf Course’s Waterside Restaurant, Bar and Terrace in Edenbridge for a family meal this weekend.
Although we are big fans of Hever Castle we weren’t even aware that the restaurant was there, tucked away with the entrance around a mile before the entrance to the Castle and Gardens.
The Waterside restaurant unsurprisingly caters primarily to members of the golf course, but it open to all visitors for food and/or drinks.
We followed the signage into the bar area of the building via the one way system, where there was sanitiser available and markings to indicate social distancing should be adhered to, and were lead to a table outside overlooking the pond (complete with ducks) and golf course.
The area is well landscaped and is a pleasant spot to spend a sunny afternoon with lunch, afternoon tea, or dinner in the evening. There is a lawn where I believe games take place although when we visited it was empty, and the kids used this to run around, out of the way of other customers.
The menu at Hever Golf Course’s ‘The Waterside’ Restaurant, Bar and Terrace
The lunchtime menu at The Waterside has a small selection of mains (including vegetarian and vegan options) all priced at around £11. There are a few sharing starters and you can buy ice creams inside, but there is no starter or dessert menu.
There is also a selection of burgers, hot and cold sandwiches under £10, and four children’s options which are £6.95 each. You can find the current menu on their website here.
The kids opted for ham, chips and beans and spaghetti bolognese, and Doug and I both went for a cheeseburger as I wasn’t really sold on the other main meals and wanted something a bit more substantial than a sandwich.
What was the food at The Waterside like?
The burgers were actually really blinking good. I love burgers but I wasn’t expecting a lot to be honest. I’ve pretty much given up having them in restaurants as often I am disappointed when they are dry and tasteless, but these were clearly homemade and just delicious. The chips and coleslaw were also good!
The kids enjoyed their food too, and they were really substantial portions – they would easily be enough for older kids.
The service was good; everything was brought to the table by staff wearing masks and at no point did we feel unsafe or crowded, even though there was a golf event on and it was, apparently, busier than usual.
Overall it was a pleasant spot for a family lunch, and I was quite surprised that it it wasn’t badly priced either. I’d love to go back to try out the afternoon tea which offers sandwiches and pastry for £11.95 per person.
Annual Hever Castle members receive a 10% discount at The Waterside restaurant.
Better still, The Waterside Restaurant, Bar and Terrace are taking part in the Eat Out To Help Out scheme so food and non-alcoholic drinks will be half price on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays this month!
