Less than six months ago, Updown Farmhouse opened just outside Deal in Kent.
Updown Farmhouse: “We definitely didn’t want it to be too traditional,” say the proprietors. Some months later, they were able to open their kitchen on a more regular basis (though the restaurant is still, for now, under a temporary structure under a picturesque pergola).
“The old front of the house is at the rear of the property, hidden from the road, facing the garden,” explains Ruth.
One of the converted cottages in the grounds.
In the long drawing room, the walls are Pearl Color by The Little Greene Paint Company.
The walls in this bedroom are painted Verre de Terre by Farrow & Ball.
“Like the orange library, this bedroom get s a really visceral reaction.” says Ruth.
Seasonal offerings from the outdoor kitchen, where the chefs cook everything to order in a bakers oven built into the stable wall. The food, which is presided over by Oli, is Italian leaning and hyper-seasonal.
Oli’s family helped curate the artwork on display.
“There’s a real mix of pieces, with photography by Oli’s sister, artwork by Jamie, and works that Liz has been collecting over the years.”
The library walls and joinery are painted bespoke orange.
Work by Studio Lenca—an artist from El Salvador, whose studio is now based in Margate—hangs on the wall in the honesty bar.
The seven-acre garden was planted in the 1980s with a combination of beech hedging, raised borders, woodland, lawns, and wild meadow areas.
The raised border in late spring.
“It’s an amazing garden that has quite an effortless feel,” says Ruth.