Independent cafes and restaurants

You can’t travel far around here without stumbling on a gorgeous place for a cuppa and a slice of cake, whether you’re out for a country stroll or some retail therapy.

Sevenoaks’s café culture runs the gamut, from award-winning French patisserie at Dulce’s Patisserie to the home roasted coffee served by Life on High. For a brew with a view, try Kingdom, a café in a fantastical wood-and-glass structure on a hillside overlooking the northern edge of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The restaurants around here are just as remarkable. There are atmospheric pubs aplenty, highly rated restaurants run by passionate chefs and more family-friendly places to eat than you can shake a spoon at. In Weald, family-run Giacomo’s serves up authentic, homemade Italian dishes. At The George & Dragon in Chipstead, you can feast on fine dining in a 16th-century building that creaks with character.