Best known for its eleventh century castle, Tonbridge (pronounced Tunbridge), is a market town on the river Medway recorded in the Domesday Book in 1087. It is also home to the famous public school Tonbridge School established in 1552, which makes up a considerable part of the north of the town.
Tonbridge boasts Kent’s largest farmers’ market in Kent, which takes place on the second Sunday of every month on Sovereign Way, and brings together everything from meat, fish, oils and noodles to cakes, chilli, tea and fresh fruit and veg from the surrounding countryside. Also on offer is the Market Eatery, a chance to watch cooking demos, enjoy live music and taste some of the tasty dishes including noodles, toasted sandwiches, crepes, Indian food, burgers, sausages in rolls, cakes, tea and coffee.
With good railway links to London, the town is home to thousands of commuters and has a thriving high street and a large number of cafés, pubs and restaurants. Traditional favourites such as the Rose & Crown Hotel, a sixteenth century Tudor coaching inn serving locally sourced food, sit alongside newcomers such as Basil café, which sources fresh fruit and veg daily, free-range meat from a local butcher’s, and freshly baked bread delivered straight from a local bakery.
