From the https://www.kentlive.news By Matthew Devonport, 10 October 2018.

First look at The Yeoman in Bearsted's new menu before it reopens next month.

The village pub will serve steak, lobster and Prosecco as it targets foodies with its weekly specials.

A pub in the heart of a Kent village is just weeks away from revealing its new look after a £300,000 revamp.

The Yeoman has been part of the Bearsted community for more than 150 years but closed in August when Kent Pub Co took over.

Up until recently it was called the "Lion of Kent" - focusing on showing TV sport. Now the new owners - who run three other pubs in the county - want to ensure that the "Yeoman" is know more than anything for the quality of its food.

It is currently undergoing an extensive two-month refurbishment in preparation for its reopening next month. Once it opens its doors it will boast a new layout inside, beer garden outside and fully-refitted kitchen.

The Yeoman will have three different food sections:

Breakfast - which can be eaten in or taken away from 10am-noon daily.

Lunch - which will be served from Monday-Saturday 12-5pm. Any two courses cost £12.

Dinner - the A La Carte menu will be offered from 12-9pm on weekdays and 10pm at weekends.

The menu caters for vegans, vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. It features everything from salads and sandwiches to heartier dishes such as meatballs and pan-fried Sea Bass.

A highlight must surely be The Yeoman Club Sandwich. Forget your traditional BLT - this one features chicken breast and a fried egg.

To say the dinner menu is extensive in an understatement. Again vegans and vegetarians are widely cater for plus there is plenty of locally-sourced food.

Stand-outs include: Starters

Ham Hock Terrine - served with shoestring chips, beetroot piccalilli and pea puree

Garlic and Kentish Blue Cheese Mushrooms served on toasted rustic breads

Advocado, Mint, Roasted Cashew Nut and Cucumber Salad
 

Main courses

Star Anise-Rubbed Pork Belly with a burnt orange and fennel stir-fry

Butcher of Brogdale Rump of Lamb served with fondant potato, soubise sauce-cooked cabbage and leek and pan jus

Veal Stroganoff served with a Dijon Mustard and sour cream, parsley-buttered tagliatelle

And what's more if you become a bit peckish while you wait for your food The Yeoman offers a selection of nibbles including pan-fried chorizo, shell-on prawns and calamari rings. It makes a bit of a change from the usual selection of nuts.

There is plenty of locally-sourced food on The Yeoman in Bearsted's A La Carte menu

The Yeoman offers specials six nights a week where you can make great savings on a range of food and drink. Whether you are a fan of homemade pie, pizza or roast dinners there is a deal for you.

On steak night you receive a bottle of wine and on pizza night a bottle of beer is included as part of the deal. As everyone knows, Fridays are for celebrating so why not take advantage of their 25% off a bottle of Prosecco deal?

The Yeoman in Bearsted will offer specials six nights a week

The bar will stock a wide selection of beers, wines and spirits. These will include continental lagers and beers such as Peroni, Amstel and Blue Moon plus real and craft ales from local breweries.

The team at The Yeoman will be led by General Manager Kevin Dixon.

General Manager Kevin Dixon will give you a warn welcome when you visit The Yeoman in Bearsted

Jonathon Mclean, from Kent Pub Co, said: "We think it is a great site. Talking to the community there is nothing this side of Bearsted Green for them.

"We want to bring something new and exciting to the area and be a bit of a hub for the Bearsted community. We hope we will become known for the quality of our food and the welcome we offer."

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Secret Drinker, 14 June 2019.

Secret Drinker at The Yeoman pub, Bearsted, Maidstone.

I was after a pint in the "White Horse" or the "Oak on The Green" in Bearsted, but a total lack of parking on a Saturday evening made it impossible so I reluctantly headed away from the traditional heart of the village.

The first pub I came to was The Yeoman on Ashford Road – stacks of parking and it looked newly renovated. Surely this was fate?

Prior to last November it was the "Lion of Kent" and such a major facelift, complete with name change, might make you wonder what its reputation was like previously?

But it’s not for me to judge a pub’s past, I simply comment on a snapshot in time.

At first I was reminded of a roadside diner, but the staff behind the bar at the back were welcoming and friendly, if a little confused and inexperienced.

The young fellow, with rosy cheeks, gave me a good measure of Tribute Cornish pale ale, 4.2%, to try. The measure was so good it was more than half a pint – so generous I felt compelled to go for it. It wasn’t overly tasty but acceptable and refreshing, I reckon you could definitely down a few of these.

I avoided the section which looked like a breakout area with leather wing backed chairs and a green sofa and settled myself next to a large fireplace filled with a pile of logs. From here I had a clear view of both the conservatory, with its Christmas-style decorations, and the kitchen via the side door, with its used tea towels covering the floor.

The pub also has seating available at the front.

I might have been persuaded to stay put but the music was absurdly lift-like (Eduardo Braga performing Falling in Love With You and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) so I headed out back to try the garden.

Unfortunately it wasn’t completed during the refurb and whilst the scaffold planks on the trunks matched the tables inside, the path looks like it’s been made with cat litter and I fear the rest of the work may never be completed.

I can report that the toilets are clean and fresh but there’s something of a mobile home about them – there is a camera in the gents but not directly above the urinals.

Part of the pub's outside space is still work in progress.

The pub is just three miles from Maidstone.

A dog bowl and a jar of free treats indicated four-legged friends are welcome and we were even presented with a pile of cards to receive 40 per cent off our food bill during future visits.

There are some nice touches, flowers in vases on each table, some chunky furniture and pleasant checked curtains, but overall it just didn’t feel very pub-like.

And finally, a warning, mind the step as you leave or you could end up leaving even more swiftly than you intended.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Secret Drinker, 6 April 2020.

Secret Drinker looks back at his 10 worst pubs across Kent.

It’s almost a year since I landed the best job in the world and I’ve been travelling around Kent ever since discovering the very best, and worst, pubs right around the county.

Fortunately the majority of boozers I’ve been lucky enough to visit have been great, but some, sadly, have been found wanting.

I can only ever report exactly what I find at a given moment in time and I realise a fly-on-the-wall review can’t possibly take into account everything going on in a pub. - and many of these pubs may well have improved since my visit.

But, I was tasked with discovering the good, the bad and the ugly – and, in my humble opinion on the day, these are the 10 worst boozers I’ve visited...

7. The Yeoman in Bearsted had recently been refurbed, but I still had to include it at No. 7. Firstly, it doesn’t look or feel anything like a pub – if you didn’t know better you’d think you were in a roadside diner and the staff, whilst friendly, were clearly new and hadn’t got a clue. Some areas outside had avoided the makeover although the gents had been overhauled and reminded me a toilet from a mobile home – the owners obviously felt the loos deserved monitoring on the CCTV! Make sure you mind that step on the way out or you’ll end up leaving even faster than you intended.

Since Secret Drinker wrote this review The Yeoman is now under new management.