One Saturday early in February we found ourselves in the unusual position of being both childless for the day and without any weekend events to cook for. Wanting to make the most of this free time we went for a long walk along the seafront and headed back into Whitstable for a spot of lunch.
Salt Marsh has been open for a year or two but until now we’ve not had chance to try it out. Under the same ownership as Windy Stores round the corner it’s a lovely relaxed place for an informal meal, coffee or snack. From outside there is no indication of what is being served inside, in fact there was no sign of a menu anywhere. The aim seems to be to drop in and the staff will tell you what’s on offer. I can see the appeal of this informal, homely style and while we were there lots of locals popped in for coffee and cake. I do wonder, though, if they lose trade by not giving passers-by some hint of what they provide.
The decoration inside is fab: plain walls, trendy pictures and wooden tables adorned with big bowls of fresh fruit and earthenware jugs of tap water. They play music on an old turntable and there are piles of LPs everywhere, balanced on shelves, and stacked up on the floor and on the counter next to a selection of delicious-looking cakes.
The waitress explained what was on offer and I plumped for the chicken with butter beans. It was a huge portion of boneless, juicy chicken thighs, garlic, thyme and butter beans. John had an equally large portion beef bourgignon-style stew. Both were hearty and wholesome and came served with sautéed potatoes, green beans and roasted peppers.
The highlight of the visit, though, was the carrot cake we shared afterwards. It was dense and moist and at times tasted a bit like a rich fruit cake. All the cakes looked wonderful and it was a job to decide which one to try. We’ll have to make sure we go back to sample the others.
