Forestside

22/08/2024

“Events are a wonderful way to bring together friends, family and work colleagues, but they can be wasteful and leave a heavy environmental impact. At Forestside we are purpose-driven to achieve the highest standards of social and environmental practice. This reflects our unrelenting belief that as a society we must tread more lightly on the planet and to operate more sustainable business practices, while also recognising that we still have so much we can do.” - Will Devlin



Ashleigh Britten Media

06/08/2024

Launching today, we are excited and very proud to introduce you to the newest member of Acre, Forestside.

Adjacent to Birchwood at Flimwell Park, Forestside is a new events space focused on three pillars Community, Celebration, and Corporate. A beautiful and inspiring space, both visually and architecturally, Forestside welcomes guests with an immediate sense of calm, with an open expanse of space, striking wooden beams, smooth concrete floors, and to-the-ceiling windows overlooking the woods.

Events are a wonderful way to bring people together, but they can be wasteful and leave a heavy environmental impact. Within Acre, we strive to achieve the highest standards of social and environmental practice, and this reflects our unrelenting belief that as a society we must tread more lightly on the planet while also recognising that we still have so much we can do. At Forestside we are committed more than ever to doing our bit to drive change.

As a hub for the community, Forestside brings together a programme of seasonal events to enrich the local calendar, while also being available for private hire and celebration. As an eco-friendly venue with a capacity for 140 seated or 200 standing and fully licensed for weddings - events at Forestside are responsibly delivered, without compromising on style and quality. The natural environment of Flimwell Park means we are changing the landscape of corporate events. Just over an hour from London and with good transport links, combined with a flexible range of event spaces, recreation, wellness, and accommodation, we have the perfect setting for a more sustainable and mindful approach to any event.

We look forward to welcoming you to Forestside very soon. Stay tuned for our next Flimwell Park Open Evening to explore the space for yourself.

02/11/2022

27/10/2022

The most recent Curlew Feast is available now! 🍽️👊🔥 Along with our goat course, there’s ray wing with red pepper jam, miso aubergine with feta and lemon drop chilli, and a selection of snacks including short rib taco with green sauce, all of which are even better with the handpicked wines from our list. Don’t miss our latest set menu to share this weekend 😁🤙💥

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25/10/2022

Our Goatober celebrations are in full swing with a delicious G.O.A.T. sharer 🐐🙌😋 To showcase one of our favourite meats, we’ve got a roast loin with savoury sauce; Thai dumplings with soy and mooli salad; kid shoulder curry with cobnuts and squash; and neck, breast, and potato salad, all courtesy of Cabrito Goat Meat. Join is in making the most of an unsung hero on our menus until early November 💥💪👨‍🍳

Book now: bit.ly/3E0Bgi9

24/10/2022

Tasty Tenderstem and other farm greens among our most recent sharers 🌱👌🍽️ Served up with gratinated Pevensey Cheese and hazelnuts, this is a true taste of Sussex, and a deeply satisfying course to add to your next feast with family and friends at The Curlew 😁🤙💥

21/10/2022

For our second site, we went across the border from Kent into East Sussex, opening up The Curlew in February 2020 🙌 Trading for just one month before the first COVID-19 lockdown, we were forced to close our doors until July, but came back better than ever with our relaxed dining and sharing plates in Bodiam 🍽️

Set in a listed former coaching inn, our beautiful restaurant went on to be listed in Michelin Guide, Top 50 Gastropubs, Harden's, and The Good Food Guide’s Platinum List, with a glowing review by The Guardian’s Grace Dent 🗞️

Over two and a half years later, wines by the glass, seasonal small plates, and a laidback approach to gathering around the table, passing dishes, and coming together to celebrate with good food, family, and friends, and family continues to underpin everything we do here to this day 🍷

20/10/2022

We’re giving a shout-out to our incredible chefs on ! 👨‍🍳😁💥 We have some fantastic talent not only at The Curlew, but across The Acre Group, such as head chef Matty and the kitchen team here in Bodiam, who put no end of passion into each dish they produce on our menus. Join us to say thank you for all their hard work in the comments below 👇🔥🍽️

17/10/2022

We love taking our guests on a journey through the Curlew menu 🙌👨‍🍳😁 Starting off with a selection of our snacks and starters, we then move to fish and meat courses, finishing off with sweets to share at the end. Discover our goat, skate, pumpkin pie, and lots more, as we invite you to reach out, tuck in, and celebrate autumn in East Sussex with great food, family, and friends 🤙💥🍂

14/10/2022

Don’t miss Will Devlin at The Pantiles Food Festival this weekend! 🍂👨‍🍳👊 He’ll be cooking live on the bandstand tomorrow and Sunday, representing The Acre Group at this free-to-attend showcase of delicious local food and drink in Tunbridge Wells. Celebrate autumn at the historic heart of town 😁🍽️🤙

11/10/2022

For us, the ultimate sharers are the ones that you have to carve up and pass around at the table 🙌🦆👨‍🍳 The full Curlew experience is ready and waiting on our most recent menus, which are packed with plenty of delicious whole sharing plates to enjoy together with loved ones; just like you would at home, but without the worry of having to wash up! Book a table for the week ahead via our website now 🍽️💥😁

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10/10/2022

New season Ratte potatoes - a firm favourite and seasonal staple on our menu at The Curlew 🌱🥔🍽️ With a unique nutty flavour, smooth, buttery texture, and golden speckled skin, it’s a beautiful variety that’s said to have developed its taste from the types of soils it was once grown in by French farmers. It will often be found among our Full and Feast courses here in Bodiam, from THE POTATO SHOP 🙌👨‍🍳💥

08/10/2022

We’ve got a brand-new Kentish spirit for you to taste this weekend! 🍸😁🤟 White Cliffs Kent Dry Gin is from Pleasant Land Distillery, who share our ethos of being 100% renewable and sustainable in producing their house gin, with notes of wild foraged juniper, fresh samphire, elderflower, cherry bark, and sea buckthorn inspired by the flora and fauna of the iconic cliffs. See what Matt has to say 👊💥🤙

06/10/2022

Our brand-new menus are available now at The Curlew! 😁💥🤙 Keep an eye on our social, as we introduce a fresh selection of seasonal dishes throughout autumn, including a celebratory sharer to see in one of our favourite times of year - the one and only Goatober 2022! Make a reservation online, and we look forward to feeding you on your next visit 🐐👊👨‍🍳

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06/10/2022

It’s Birchwood’s first birthday! 🎉😁👊 We can’t believe it’s been a whole year since we opened our doors on Oct 6 2021 - it’s been an incredible journey as part of The Acre Group so far, and we’re thankful to our brilliant team, guests, suppliers, peers, friends, and family who’ve supported us from the very start. Come and celebrate this amazing milestone by joining us on your days off ahead 👨‍🍳🎊💥

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05/10/2022

See out your time in Bodiam with delicious coffees and treats to finish ☕🍮👊 An ever-changing selection of desserts provides the perfect ending to both our Full and Feast menus, following in the same vein for you and your dining companions to pass around and share together. Join us for an irresistable finale, and indulge your sweet tooth at lunch or dinnertime 😁🍽️👨‍🍳

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04/10/2022

With reservations for the Christmas season live, we’re excited for you to try our upcoming December Feast menu ❄️👊👨‍🍳 Book online for snacks such as our hot roasted chestnuts, pastrami cured salmon, crispy rock oysters, and ham croquettes, followed up by grilled Gigha Halibut, a celebration of turkey from The Pure Meat Company, and more to look forward to with friends and family over the festive period 😁🎄💥

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03/10/2022

Bookings for December and January are open now! 🙌🍽️💥 Head to our website to reserve your table for the coming months, when we’ll be celebrating autumn, Christmas, and winter at the restaurant, with the ever-changing seasonal sharing plates to look forward to on the menus. Get in early for a memorable meal at The Curlew 😁🤙🎄

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01/10/2022

Congratulations to Sugrue South Downs, who have been shortlisted as one of three finalists for BBC Food & Farming Awards’ Drinks Producer of the Year 🥂🏆💥 Not only that, but their Trouble With Dreams - which has been a favourite on our list since we opened - was recently selected as ‘Wine of the Week’ by Tamlyn Currin on Jancis Robinson. Try it for yourself at The Curlew, ahead of their 2022 harvest 💚👊🔥

26/09/2022

The Acre journey began at No/fixed/abode, as Will and Matt Devlin went out on their own to bring seasonal food to local pop-up venues in 2017, from gin distilleries to steam trains 🍽️👨‍🍳👊

The following year, the brothers found a permanent home in the village of Kilndown, converting the ‘Globe and Rainbow’ pub into The Small Holding, their one-acre farm and kitchen, with an ethos of hyperlocal, sustainable fine dining in Kent.

With their ever-changing tasting menu, guided by the seasons and produce on the farm, they started sowing the seeds for what would quickly become the lifelong dream of growing, cooking, and serving modern British cuisine to discerning guests, winning two AA Rosettes, a Michelin Green Star, and the hearts, minds, and appetites of contemporaries, critics, and customers alike.

Little did they know, that was only the beginning of their story 😁💥🤙

26/09/2022

It’s our final summer BBQ this Thursday! 🔥👨‍🍳👊 Join us for one last celebration of the season, as we grill up something special on our Big Green Egg UK, accompanied by great beers and wines in the restaurant. We’ll then be moving into autumn, showcasing our most recent seasonal sharers; make a booking on our website 😁💥🤟

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24/09/2022

You’ve got three weeks until the Harvest Food Festival on The Pantiles, sponsored by Sankey's! 🍽️ Don’t miss two days of fantastic food and drink on Oct 15 and 16, with bandstand cooking demos by The Beacon’s Scott Goss, The Acre Group’s Will Devlin, Kumquat Bar & Restaurant’s Alex Boyd, and many other talented local chefs 👨‍🍳 It’s set to be one seriously tasty weekend…

23/09/2022

Finish your feast with a selection of sweets this weekend 🧁👊💥 Here, we have carrot cake macaron, cola fruit pastel, hazelnut and honey flapjack, and citrus Turkish delight, which are beautifully presented together, as the perfect way to see out your dining experience with us 😁👨‍🍳🤙

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22/09/2022

Freshly baked bread to start your meal at The Curlew 🍞👊💥 We always begin with our delicious snacks to share, which also include some Curlew cured meats, marinated anchovies, Maldon rock oysters, and beef heart kebabs for you to enjoy with friends, family, and loved ones at our table 😁🙏🍽️

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20/09/2022

Catch Will Devlin at The Pantiles Harvest Food Festival on Oct 15 and 16 👨‍🍳👊💥 He’ll be cooking on the bandstand in Tunbridge Wells across both days, so don’t miss him on the Saturday and Sunday at 1.45pm, representing The Acre Group. There’s plenty of food, drink, music, and more for you to look forward to as well 😁🍽️🤙