COUPLE MAKE SURE EVERYTHING’S SHIPSHAPE AS THEY REOPEN SHEPHERD NEAME'S THE ANCHOR

A couple who have run pubs in and around Faversham for almost 30 years are finally running the one they always had their sights set on – The Anchor.

Jo and Patrick Coevoet reopened the 300-year-old Abbey Street pub yesterday (Thursday, November 16) to delighted locals after some feverish work behind the scenes getting it shipshape again.

Patrick said: “We always liked this pub and hoped it would come up.”

Jo said: “We have already had such a warm welcome. We are taking it back to being a traditional Kentish pub. We want it to be a community pub and we have a lot of locals who love to drink here, from all walks of life.

“This is special for us. The Anchor is like a big and cuddly grandparent who puts its arms around you when you walk in. Everyone who comes here feels it.”

Jo, who is Faversham born and bred, added: “It’s my favourite pub in Faversham. I used to play outside here when I was a child with my friend who lived in the adjoining cottage – which is now part of the pub!”

Patrick, who is also an experienced chef, and Jo have a fondness for Shepherd Neame as they met in one of the brewer’s pubs – The George at Newnham. They went on to run their first pub in the town 27 years ago, the Albion Taverna, for seven years and have also run the White Lion at Selling for five years and the Red Lion at Milstead for 14 years.

Three years ago the pair, who live in Faversham, decided to slow down and Jo semi-retired while Patrick continued work as a chef, but the pull of pubs was too great and when The Anchor became available again they jumped at the chance.

Since then they, along with daughter Estelle and their team, have scrubbed the pub from top to bottom, repainted with heritage colours inside and bought new furniture or refurbished and reupholstered existing items.

The historic bar is now gleaming, surrounded by comfortable seating areas, including a snug, and there are comfy leather seats in front of one of the open fireplaces, while the floors have been re-sanded and waxed. Even the toilets have had a fresh coat of paint.

The elegant dining room has been brought back to life with touches including table decorations displayed in historic Shepherd Neame bottles, salvaged from the cellar and The Anchor’s very own anchor has pride of place in the inglenook fireplace.

Jo said: “We are excited to be reopening and cannot wait for people to see the work we have put in.”

A new menu has been introduced with diners able to choose from starters such as homemade Scotch Egg wrapped in parma ham with lardons, croutons and farmhouse salad and Smoked Venison and Warm Pigeon Breast with celeriac remoulade and sweet blackberry and thyme dressing.

Chef’s Specials include dishes such as Citrus Crusted Cod Loin with confit new potatoes, wilted spinach and creamy prawn and white wine sauce and Ballotine of Guinea Fowl Supreme with celeriac and potato mash, seasonal vegetables and coq au vin sauce. 

There are also a range of tempting puddings as well as pub classics and sides and mouthwatering Sunday roasts.

Four-legged visitors have not been forgotten and visitors with their dogs can dine in the snug, where there is also a games cupboard and a memory wall of past customers and their dogs.

There will also be dog treats – which have been vetted by the family’s chocolate Labrador Bluebell – and even cloths for muddy dog paws!

The team also includes resident bar staff Paige Stubbington and Mark Revell, who have worked with Patrick before, and long-serving Megan Lyon, who previously worked at The Anchor for nine years and will be a familiar face to many. 

You can find The Anchor in Abbey Street, Faversham, ME13 7BP, call 01795 536471 or visit www.anchorfaversham.co.uk. Food will be served Monday to Friday noon to 3pm and 5.30pm to 8.30pm, and Saturdays noon to 8.30pm. Food is served on Sundays from noon to 4pm.