The Sportsman, once a run-down pub just outside Faversham on the windy Kent coast, opened all the way back in 1999 when the term “gastropub” hadn’t yet become passe and hardly anyone knew about slip sole. Chef-patron Stephen Harris and his brother Phil were ahead of the curve then and remain en vogue today. To visit the Sportsman is a culinary pilgrimage, a memorable event for anyone who loves good food and wine.
As for me, I was slow off the mark, first visiting in 2019, a decade after the pub was awarded its Michelin star. It was a memorable lunch, if hazy towards the end. First came native oysters, then under £3 each, before a mussel and bacon chowder, a pork terrine, smoked mackerel on soda bread, and the famous slip sole, long touted as the Sportsman’s signature dish, served simply on a pristine white plate.
