Wine, food and other pleasures: The Goods Shed, Canterbury

Heading to the Kent coast for Easter, we stopped off at The Goods Shed in Canterbury for lunch and, as we were self-catering, to stock up on some food. The Goods Shed, situated next to Canterbury West station (and helpfully the high speed link to St Pancras), is a comprehensive farmers market featuring an array of local produce. It also houses Clive Barlow MW's Press Wine Services and beer specialist, The Bottle Shop. As it was Easter, there was also an eye-catching and groovy selection from local chocolate maker Kate-Beth March, but there were goodies at every turn. We stocked up on local vegetables and some excellent steak, and on our return journey picked up some beautifully fresh fish for supper back home in London.

You can also eat well at The Goods Shed Restaurant or at Patrick's Kitchen where we had our lunch, encouraging us to buy our drinks elsewhere to bring back to the table. All very communal. A generous glass of Cherverny for just £3 (from Press Wine Services) was delicious with my fish soup and its gutsy rouille sauce (plenty of garlic and saffron). And it was here that daughter Alice discovered her favourite Kentish tipple, Biddenden pear juice. Apparently, only food available at The Goods Shed is cooked here. Forget disappointing department store food halls, this is what food shopping should be all about and makes Canterbury and this corner of Kent an even more tempting day trip from London.