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The Bell Hotel and the AA-Rossetted Old Dining Room are some of those features in the life of a community that defines character and fills a significant niche in history, in this case since Tudor times when the Bell Inn, alongside the Barbican Gate and Toll, was a respected place of refreshment at the hub of the port's maritime activity.

Some 700 years later it stands proudly still, grown in stature and respect, overlooking the River Stour and serving a community that extends well beyond the thriving town of Sandwich. With 37 en-suite bedrooms, the Georgian Regency Room that will comfortably accommodate up to 100 guests, and the Stour Conference suite it is the place to which to turn when important events, be they personal or commercial, are afoot.

There is a choice of bedrooms consisting of single, twin, double rooms and suites. Some bedrooms have balconies and river views with others overlooking the roofscape of Sandwich. All have en-suite bathrooms, bespoke toiletries, hair dryers, coffee and tea-making facilities, digital radios and remote controlled televisions and telephones. There is Wi-Fi access throughout the hotel.

If the day ever comes that plaques are placed on the accommodations recommended by Paddy Burt, the Daily Telegraph's much respected hotel reviewer over 18 years, The Bell will have one! The seasonal menus look both to the sea and inland. Starters of beetroot cured salmon, lime and dill crème fraiche and watercress salad, or glazed smoked haddock with Montgomery cheddar omelette, roquette and chives set the scene and vegetarians will approve of a chilled gazpacho soup with tomato and olive bruschetta.

There's plenty of choice, with a rump of Romney Marsh lamb with niçoise, rosemary, garlic fondant and pesto, or local black sea bream roasted on the bone, Charlotte potatoes, sea spinach, baked fennel and herb dressing commanding a steady demand. Pursuing the classical trend a Valrhona dark chocolate tart with orange sorbet pops up for attention, but for sheer artistry local strawberry cheesecake, vanilla anglaise with honeycomb is recommended. There's a trend these days for cheese selections to become more than a little pricey, but here at The Bell a selection of artisan made cheeses accompanied by orchard fruit chutney and Bath Oliver biscuits is commendable in every way, not least as value for money.

A fixed lunch menu offers the sort of choices - four per course - that you know betokens culinary spontaneity. A three course lunch could consist of parfait of chicken livers, toasted brioche, port and red currant reduction followed by fish from South East coast day boats with seasonal accompaniments and finally by a local elderflower pannacotta, poached gooseberries and lemon balm, all at a price that, along with everything else, would justify the trip from the Midlands to Kent alone.

A wine list of over 50 bins amply provides for the needs of anyone but the most pedantic of oenophiles, with a sensible selection by the glass including a Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne house wine that is crying out for you to cast care aside and buy the bottle.

The Bell at Sandwich is one of those places that should be enshrined in our native consciousness, but having survived all those years one doubts if it needs such protection. Their Website, dignified, clear and friendly, like everything else about them, will keep you up to speed on what else they can offer, menu changes and the like.

Guests taking time out to dine at the Samphire Restaurant at the Blazing Donkey Country Hotel in Ham can look forward to being served modern British and European food created with locally sourced ingredients. Visitors can expect to sit back and relax in luxurious leather seating enjoying crackling log fires in winter and alfresco dining on the terrace in summer. 

Samphire takes its inspiration from the abundant high quality local produce including game, reared meats and fish. The menu could include starters of pan fried chorizo sausage with vine tomato on lamb's leaf, ham hock terrine with flageolet beans and whisky cured wild salmon with pickled quail's eggs. Now that the taste buds have been introduced to the fine fare on offer, proceed with abandon on belly of pork marinated in honey and loveage, calf's liver and streaky bacon with creamed potato, rump of Romney Marsh lamb with saffron risotto and yellow tail catfish, Nile perch and sea bass fried in fennel seed batter with chunky chips. Don?t miss taking a look at chef's daily blackboard specials. The extensive wine list admirably complements the menu.

How often does one see the typical slightly dishevelled American dock of the bay with the good 'ol boys holding up the weatherboarding and thought 'where's the restaurant'? Well, here it is - at last. Looking out over the River Stour you have a choice of venues in which to enjoy the very fine seafood and fresh fish dishes on offer here. Yes, unrepentant carnivores are catered for, and not grudgingly either. A delightful, atmospheric place which has taken the ideal location and maximised upon it.

In the spiritual home of the sandwich I think I might have expected to find a little more homage paid to this very English invention, but that is hardly the case at the Red Cow, though the steak sandwich is no bad effort, even though the modern tendency to submerge the real event in a welter of 'extras', including the dreaded 'garnish' is probably not what the Earl of Sandwich had in mind. However, other things make up for it and a relatively short but appetising menu starts with The Red Cow Prawn Salad, quite an event in itself, possibly potato skins, or take a chance on the soup of the day.

From main courses the steaks, 10oz sirloin or 14oz t-bone seem to offer good value, with a sauce of your choice for an extra pound. Dedicated offal addicts might lean towards the liver and bacon with a good creamy mustard mash, and onion gravy.

A blackboard of desserts completes the picture, though cheese buffs will be happy to hear that cheese and biscuits are offered at appreciably less than the outrageous price so often charged for this little eccentricity.