The George Inn, Trottiscliffe

A flatlay image of a Ploughman's lunch served on a round plate. The meal includes a slice of crusty bread resting on cheddar cheese and ham, with a variety of fresh and pickled items. The plate also contains coleslaw, mixed salad greens with sliced cucumber, red onion, bell peppers, green olives, and sliced tomatoes. In the center of the plate is a dish with mustard relish, chutney, and pickle. The table setting includes silverware, a red napkin, and a drink in the background

Ploughman’s lunch at the George Inn, Trotiscliffe reviewed

Location –
The George Inn,
Taylors Lane,
Trottiscliffe,
Kent, ME19 5DR

01732 822462

Website – https://www.thegeorgekent.co.uk/

Date of Visit – 10/08/2024

Disclosure: This is the second attempt at writing Ploughman’s lunch at the George Inn, Trotiscliffe reviewed. I had previously completed it, whence Blogger deleted all but the title. I was upset, so the review was a week late.

The Food

6 – Pickled Onion. Seems like the standard onion from a large catering jar. Nothing bad, nothing great.

9 – Pickle. Three pickles arrived. Well, two pickles and one chutney. The Piccalilli was nice, a great addition. The Ploughman’s too was good—I suspect the large catering jar again, but one of the large catering suppliers is absolutely perfecting this stuff, so good. The mango chutney was a nice addition: this one has little seeds giving a wonderful depth of flavour. It would be lovely with a great cheese (see below). Dropped a point because the quantities were a bit mean.


The image appears to depict a trio of condiments on a tray, likely used as accompaniments for a traditional ploughman's lunch. The condiments include what looks like piccalilli (a yellow, mustard-based pickle with cauliflower or similar vegetables), mango chutney (a sweet and tangy orange sauce), and ploughman’s pickle (a dark, thick chutney with visible vegetable chunks). They are placed on a plate with slices of ham, cheese, and some fresh vegetables like lettuce and tomato.
Piccalilli, Mango Chutney, and Ploughman’s Pickle

4 – Cheese / Ham.

Cheese: The cheese was an insult. I’m not sure what it was, but it tasted like the mildest, most rubbery supermarket value-brand cheese that you could imagine. For the first time ever, I was glad the portion was on the small side!

For a Ploughman’s lunch, the cheese is centre stage. The lead role, the hero of the dish, its raison d’être. Ham is a nice addition, but it should be about the cheese. The revival of the dish was a cheese marketing ploy, and this was not cheese. Half the amount of stuff on the plate and improve the cheese. Increase the price if required, but seriously. ARGH.

Ham: The ham was nice enough. It’s responsible for 3 of the 4 points. The only way the cheese could have scored lower would be its absence.

7 – Bread: A slice lightly toasted. It was quite nice, to be honest, far from bad. Nice flavour and reasonable texture.

3 – Spread Butter, at the perfect temperature. Standard packets again. Does anyone else make little butter packets, or is it only the one type available?

3 – Presentation: Nicely presented but cramped. A larger plate and/or less stuff might be better. Actually, less stuff—there was too much, especially that crappy cheese. Seriously, that cheese has made me cross. I was looking forward to a nice large chunk of mature cheddar.

4 – Salad, etc.: Fresh, tasty, good signs of a well-run kitchen with a big turnover. However, no dressing. The coleslaw was good, but about half the quantity would have been better—it was too much and quite rich for a fresh coleslaw.

0 – Originality: OK, this might seem harsh, but in other reviews, I use this to randomly take points away again. Look, you do a review and submit it, and then you can be judge of the points. So why zero? Olives. I like olives, but not on a Ploughman’s.

I know that grapes do not seem to be an issue for me, well, that’s because we grow grapes here, so as a seasonal addition, all OK. But unpitted olives—get off my plate. The plate was crowded, so when wrangling the bread, there was nowhere to put it other than on the table or on top of the food—one is unhygienic, and the other inconvenient. Let’s have side plates!

Did I mention the cheese? I’m tempted to award minus points…

Food Total: 36

A plate of Ploughman's lunch featuring a slice of crusty bread, thick cheddar cheese, ham, sliced tomatoes, green olives, mixed salad greens, pickled onions, and coleslaw. The plate also includes a small portion of chutney and two wrapped butter portions. The meal is served on a dark plate set on a wooden table with a red napkin and condiments nearby.
generic ploughmans lunch featured

Beverages

10 – Drinks: A good range of drinks, including tea, coffee, etc.

Drinks Total: 10


The Venue

10 – Service: The service was excellent. The staff were hard-working, friendly, and efficient. They were all absolute stars.

8 – Atmosphere: A gloriously ancient pub with all sorts of interesting nooks and alcoves, fireplaces, beams, and all that jazz. It has been substantially extended in a very fitting and complementary fashion providing a lot of inside area. The garden is quite large too. It seems very much a destination pub and the car park is a testament to this. However, there also seems to be a contingent of locals, and I hope and imagine that it has value to the community too beside employment.

4 – Location: The area is quite beautiful at the foot of the North Downs. It’s only a few miles from the M20 & M26, but you wouldn’t know it. The pub itself is a picture postcard in a chocolate box village.

3 – Toilets: The loos are OK, a bit of a trek. I am very disappointed that in a venue of this size, there is not a fully accessible disabled toilet. In this day and age, it shouldn’t be such a task to give dignity to all.

Venue total: 25


Total Score: 71

Editor’s note: Whilst this Ploughman’s might not have scored the best, that is not an accurate representation of the food offerings by the George Inn, as their food is excellent.

I would highly recommend visiting for a meal, although they do tend to be oversized and the wastage does bother me.

A plate of crispy pork bites coated in a hoisin sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and served on a bed of colorful slaw made of red cabbage, carrots, and green onions. The dish is presented on a blue plate placed on a wooden table, with a pair of glasses and other table items visible in the background.
A lovely starter – Crispy pork in Hoisin sauce

Do you like a Ploughman’s?

Fancy doing a review? Drop me a line via Roaming the Paths – it’s quite easy. I will do the uploading. You can pretty much work out the scoring regime from this review. Drop me a few words and a couple of pictures. You will be fully credited.

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