The Sportsman

Sitting alone behind the sea wall between Whitstable and Faversham, The Sportsman looks like an unremarkable roadside boozer and is anything but. Chef Stephen Harris is famously self-taught, and his hyper-local approach, salt made from the sea outside, bread and butter churned in-house, lamb and seafood from the surrounding marshes and shore, has earned a long-held Michelin star and a reputation as one of the best places to eat in the UK. You can order a la carte, but the tasting menu (booked in advance) is the way to understand what the kitchen does. The room stays deliberately plain and pubby, which only sharpens the contrast with what arrives on the plate.