Novell’s restaurant, Polehill Garden Centre

This image depicts a ploughman’s lunch served on a white plate, showcasing a variety of traditional components arranged neatly. A large, crusty baguette occupies the center of the plate, with two blocks of salted butter placed near it, wrapped in Lakeland-branded foil. To the left of the baguette are two thick slices of brie cheese, creamy and soft, alongside the butter. Below the bread is a pair of savory pastries, which are sausage rolls, topped with caraway seeds. To the right, several fresh salad items are presented, including sliced cucumber, crisp lettuce leaves, and halved cherry tomatoes. There are three small white dishes placed along the top of the plate. One dish contains pickled onions and small gherkins, another holds a serving of coleslaw with visible cabbage and carrots, and the third dish features a dark caramelized red onion chutney. In the upper left corner of the image, there is a white teapot with a tea bag string hanging out, and a small jug of milk rests nearby, adding to the cozy, rustic dining setup. The background is a wooden table, enhancing the overall warm and inviting atmosphere of this classic British meal. A fork and knife are neatly placed above the plate, ready for the meal to be enjoyed

Ploughman’s Lunch at Novell’s restaurant, Polehill Garden Centre reviewed

Location – 

Novell’s Restaurant
Polehill Garden Centre
London Road (A224)
Badgers Mount
Sevenoaks
Kent 
TN14 7AD

Website – https://www.polhill.co.uk/

Date of Visit –  22/06/2024

The Food

Novell’s Ploughman’s Lunch

6 – Pickled Onion.
Some tiny pickled onions lurked in a little pot, with some tiny little gherkins. They were OK, but just that. OK.

10 – Pickle.
It’s not Ploughman’s pickle, but it’s no problem. It was a caramelized red onion chutney and entirely delicious and appropriate.

The image shows a close-up view of two small ramekins on a plate, each containing classic ploughman's accompaniments. The ramekin on the left holds a few tiny pickled onions and small gherkins (cornichons), offering a crunchy and tangy bite. The ramekin on the right contains a creamy serving of freshly made coleslaw, with visible strands of cabbage and carrot coated in mayonnaise. In the background, part of a crusty baguette and halved cherry tomatoes are also visible, along with cutlery, suggesting a traditional British ploughman's lunch setting. The textures and colors emphasize the variety of flavors on the plate.
pickles and coleslaw

9 – Cheese / Ham.

Cheese.
Cheddar – It was OK. A tad on the mild side, I prefer my cheddar to have more West Country oomph about it. This just seemed like a bit of OK mousetrap. A bit small too, but you should know by now I’m cheese greedy, probably a perfectly sensible size for most people.

Brie – Delicious. Good. Creamy and soft with a very light rind.

The Not Cheese.
This is often represented by ham, but today was a sausage roll. Bravo to this, I would have this any day. Soft on the inside and moist, not fatty. Good meatiness and fennel seeds give a nice twist of flavor. Pastry delightful. It’s solid and satisfying without being too much.

The image shows a close-up of a savory sausage roll, cut in half to reveal its seasoned meat filling. The sausage roll is wrapped in flaky golden pastry and topped with caraway seeds, which add a subtle aromatic crunch. Next to it, there are slices of creamy Brie cheese and blocks of butter, providing a rich and smooth contrast to the sausage roll. In the background, part of a crusty baguette and fresh salad greens, including lettuce and cherry tomatoes, are visible, completing a traditional British ploughman’s lunch. The textures, from the crispy pastry to the soft cheese, create a visually appealing and appetizing dish
Sausage Roll and Cheese

Minus 2!!! – Bread.
This was a WTF moment. I do not know what travesty had befallen this bread, but if it were thinner, it would have made reasonable knicker elastic. I think it might have spent 5 minutes in a microwave, it should not be possible to mess up par-baked baguettes, but this was achieved.

3 – Spread
Butter. Standard packets. whatever… Still, it was butter and it wasn’t frozen solid, shame the bread was so terrible. Have I mentioned the bread…….

3 – Presentation
The presentation was OK, nothing wrong with it, but nothing that made me go “I’m going to enjoy this”, and isn’t that the point about eating out?

3 – Salad, etc.
Nothing particularly wrong with it, and it would have been sorely missed. However, well, just look at it. a few lettuce leaves, a few slices of cucumber (that looked like they might have been hanging about a bit) and a mangled cherry tom. No dressing (not that it is necessary).

3 – Originality

The Coleslaw was lovely. I presume made on the premises fresh as it was creamy, tasty, and crunchy. A bit more would have been lovely, as it was such a treat.

Food Total: 36

Beverages

5 – Drinks.
Tea. The Tea was OK, but the teapot was not tested for its primary function of delivering a delightful infusion to the cup. The teapot’s main function was one of table irrigation and user irritation.

Politicians should wake up to the national crisis and bring forth legislation making such travesties illegal. It’s just not right.

Drinks Total: 5

The Venue

7 – Service
The service was good. The staff were very helpful and all was rather excellent. Food and drink were delivered promptly and efficiently, and we were made to feel welcome.

However, ordering the food was a bit of a trial. Three options: App, Terminal, or a person.

There was no mobile signal nor obvious WiFi, so I looked for a person, and the person had a queue of customer-persons waiting upon their services to take the order (presumably due to the technological issues highlighted above). So I opted for the terminal. This was OK once I had worked out the illogical quirk of the interface. The terminal was actually quite good, but it took a while of me prodding and poking it when I wished a person had done it.

8 – Atmosphere
Considering it’s a garden center, and you are sat inside something similar to an industrial unit, the atmosphere is rather nice. The outlook is nice gardens and seating area.

3 – Location.
Nowhere in particular, just next to the A224 in a remarkably plain area of the countryside. It might, however, make a nice break if you are on the M25, as it’s only 5 minutes from Junction 4 of the M25 (between the M20 & M22).

4 – Toilets.
Standard, good.

Venue Total: 22

Score: 63

Editor’s Note

As hinted at above – a great place to stop if on a longer journey. If only a tiny percentage of people diverted from the motorway services to local facilities so many pubs, village shops, and garages would not only be saved but reopened.

The score seems very low, however, it’s because you really shouldn’t treat bread like that. As a note, I have eaten there before and it was great, and all the other dishes that came out were tip-top. Also, sort your teapots out, there is no need for a pouring failure. Overall, I would rate the place as worth a visit for food – so do not let my ploughman’s review put you off.

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