From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Angela Cole, 10 May 2016.

Food and drink: Dane Allchorne owner of The Milk House in Sissinghurst, formerly The Bull.

Taking on an empty pub and turning it into a thriving, village hub was the goal for Dane Allchorne – and he succeeded.

Just witnessing the number of regulars popping in for a drink in the bar of The Milk House on a Monday afternoon, it’s clear it’s the hub of the village.

But two years ago, it stood on The Street in Sissinghurst, empty and desolate.

It took Dane Allchorne and his wife Sarah to pump plenty of investment, enthusiasm and ideas back into the 16th-century building, formerly The Bull, to turn it around.

The result is a tastefully decorated pub, with four rooms above, a bar and restaurant, and outdoor terrace with a pizza oven in the summer, run with 58 full and part-time staff who are all local, including seven chefs.

For New Zealander Dane, who has worked for clients all around the world, it was a first business venture.

“We drove past the place and saw it was empty and thought ‘What’s going on there?’” said Dane.

Dane Allchorne from the Milk House in Sissinghurst.

“We could see it was in an ideal location. I’d done some pop-ups and consulting and it gave me the enthusiasm to start this business and take that leap of faith.”

There was a lot of hard graft to be done on the interior and exterior, before even starting on the menus, but eventually the endless hours of hard work paid off.

The food now also comes from a majority of local suppliers. There is, of course, classic pub fare, along with a light grazing menu and a seasonal dining menu.

Dane aims for good English food but with some international influences.

“I like to do things a bit differently,” he said.

“For instance, there was such a demand for cheesy chips. So we do chunky chips with a cheese fondue. We are a little bit quirky and a little bit different. We want to be leading rather than following.”

Dishes range from Primavera risotto balls with purple pesto cream or baby chorizo sausages with a white bean and lemon humus for £5 on the grazing menu to lemon-roasted spatchcock poussin with minted Jersey royals, purple sprouting broccoli and a porcini butter for £16. There’s also courgette, feta and freekah fritters with baby watercress and a sumac and tahini dressing for £14 on the dining menu.

The Milk House in The Street, Sissinghurst.

Kids aren’t forgotten and there’s plenty to tempt young taste buds, including their own pizza menu – presented in the shape of pizza.

There are also plans for a children’s play area.