News
Some of you may be familiar with our #365daysonourfarm project that we started at the beginning of this year. Many people set new year’s resolutions when the year is almost over, however we wanted to do something a little different! This year’s challenge has been to post a picture each day to Facebook, Pinterest Instagram and Twitter, showing everyday life on our family farm in the beautiful Alkham Valley on the Kent Downs. We are in our 25th week now and have had some great feedback from our posts! We hope to capture the changing seasons from lambing in the spring, haymaking in the summer, to the gorgeous colours of autumn all on our farm as well as the antics of ‘Buddy’ and all our pets. If you aren’t following us already, please ‘Like’ us on Facebook and follow us … Continue reading
We are very lucky to have a number of local farmers markets near to ‘Alkham Court’ which I have listed below, some are held weekly such as Capel-le-Ferne and Whitfield markets, both only 5 minutes drive from our farmhouse and should not be missed during your stay! At Capel Farmers Market: This market is held every Tuesday morning and the stall holders are always happy to give samples and explanations about their local produce. Some of my favourite stalls are local meat from Romney Marsh Produce who also supply milk and local cheeses. We also recommend Mike’s stall of artisan bread, which offers lots of other tempting goodies (we love their sausage rolls and fantastic savory pastries which sell out very quickly). To go with Mike’s superb bread are ‘Pots of Nom’ who make small batches of artisan preserves and … Continue reading
We are thrilled to announce that we have won the Bed & Breakfast of the year category at the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2018 ceremony. Celebrating excellence across the industry, we were presented with a ‘Gold’ award by Kirstie Allsopp during the ceremony at the Bath Assembly Rooms on 23rd April 2018. Commenting on the award, Sally Balcombe, CEO of VisitBritain and VisitEngland said: “The standard of the hundreds of applications we received this year was extremely high and that’s why Alkham Court’s accolade is a testament to their excellent work. These awards shine a spotlight on our fantastic tourism industry, with the winners showcasing the quality, innovation and excellence on offer throughout England and I warmly congratulate them on their impressive contribution to the tourism industry.” We are absolutely delighted to be recognised by VisitEngland among so many … Continue reading
We’ve won 2 gold awards for our accommodation properties! First up our 5* star bed and breakfast Alkham Court Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast has won Bed and Breakfast of the Year. Plus Greenhill Glamping won “Glamping Business of the Year”. We are so pleased. The following is a statement from Tourism South East. We are pleased to announce a Kent based family farming business have won 2 Golds in Tourism South East’s ‘Beautiful South Awards’ for Glamping Business of the Year and Bed & Breakfast of the Year for 2017/2018. These prestigious awards are ran by Tourism South East to recognise and celebrate excellence in the south east tourism industry. The awards evening was held on 29th November at The Grand Brighton and were presented by TV and Heart radio presenter Toby Anstis. For more information please see http://www.beautifulsouthawards.co.uk Alkham Court … Continue reading
We are thrilled to announce that Alkham Court is one of the finalists in the best ‘Bed and Breakfast’ at the Beautiful South Tourism Awards for the South East of England. The awards night is being held at The Grand in Brighton on 29th November so keep your fingers crossed for us! UPDATE We’re very excited to say that since this post was written, we attended and won not 1 but two awards. Find out more.
Come and enjoy some refreshing spring walks in our beautiful Kent countryside. Alkham Court is the perfect place for hunting out the snowdrops in our hedgerows and enjoying the fresh air returning back to relax in our hot tub. There are plenty of other places to hunt for snowdrops. Two of our favourites are Doddington Place Gardens (in Kent) or Goodnestone Park Gardens (in Canterbury). If you liked to come and visit our snowdrops, why not book your bed and breakfast accommodation in Kent today by calling us today +44 (0) 1303 892056 or booking online
We are very proud to be one of the top 100 accommodation providers chosen from all over the country in recognition of ‘Excellent Service’. VisitEngland described Alkham Court Farmhouse as set in an idyllic location in Kent, offering great hospitality, luxury bedrooms and tasty farmhouse breakfasts. They have lots of lovely reviews: “We arrived at Alkham Court a little bit earlier than expected. The weather was great so we decided to sit in the garden and enjoy the wonderful view. Wendy offered us a Pimm’s and ice cream with local strawberries! How could it start better!” and “speaking of breakfast, I enjoyed Wendy’s homemade muesli so much she sent me home with a container – now that’s 5* service!” Find out more about our award-winning farmhouse bed and breakfast accommodation
Our Shepherd’s hut is finally ready after it’s winter restoration and looking good in situ! Our Greenhill glamping site is ready to go. Our unique vintage shepherd’s wagon made in the 1890’s by Marshalls of Gainsborough, makers of steam engines and agricultural equipment. The large shepherd’s hut has been converted by Neil into a fully self-contained living wagon with its handmade kingsize bed, en-suite shower room, kitchen area and log burning stove. This glamping experience is set in its own grass meadow overlooking the Kent Downs. Outside there is a firepit to enjoy the glorious summer sunsets. If you’d like to know more about Greenhill Glamping you can look at Greenhill glamping page or check out the Greenhill glamping website. We’ve set up a Greenhill Glamping facebook page too, please ‘like’ our page for updates and special offers: GreenhillGlamping
Come and enjoy our country lanes, they are so pretty at the moment! There are banks of primroses and Snowdrops in Meggett Lane leading up to Alkham Court and are a joy not to be missed. From May onwards you are very likely to start seeing the badgers especially the youngsters appearing from their setts. We have a sett just below our driveway and guests often see them during the evenings!
On the doorstep of the Continent and 45 minutes from London, the county of Kent has many highlights, here’s some top 10 reasons to visit Kent.
So what’s is there to see in Alkham? We are situated between Folkestone and Dover and on the edge of the North Downs. You can enjoy our network of footpaths from our farmhouse and spend all day out walking the beautiful Alkham Valley. We can lend you maps and send you off with one of our lovely picnics all made from locally sourced food and when you return sink into our lovely hot tub and enjoy our views too! The famous White Cliffs of Dover is just a 10-minute drive to reach the National Trust car park with a great visitor centre where you can enjoy tasty soup or great cup of coffee. Sound good? Call us on +44 1303 892056 to book your accommodation and enjoy the stunning Kent countryside or book online today.
Enjoying our sauna at our bed and breakfast is easy. Our bed and breakfast’s sauna is housed in our oak barn and has views overlooking the garden and Kent Downs! The sauna at our bed and breakfast has a heater with hot rocks that are doused with cold water to create steam that heats up the space and you can just relax and enjoy the views! So what are the benefits of using our sauna? Saunas’ are known to help nourish your skin, increase blood circulation and helps wounds and injuries heal quickly. Another benefit is that it burns calories! Saunas are said to relieve stress and even help strengthen the immune system. We also have a hot tub for our bed and breakfast guests as well. Come and enjoy our bed and breakfast’s sauna which is complimentary during your … Continue reading
Spring is a lovely time to enjoy our Kentish countryside especially now the days lengthen. There seems to be more colour in the verges and the fields are looking greener.
Local lambing days during the Easter Holiday near to Dover Castle! http://www.broadleesfarm.com/lambing-open-days.html
Don’t miss our mid-week offer this week from Tuesday, 7th April – Thursday, 9th April 2015.
Weekend treat for Mother’s Day Weekend with tea and homemade cake on arrival. Relax in our hot tub and sauna enjoying the views across the Kent Downs www.alkhamcourt.co.uk
Enjoy our hot tub and sauna this Valentine’s weekend with a bottle of local sparkling wine with our ‘Valentines Special Offer‘ with a Snowdrop Walk in the Alkham Valley on Sunday, 15th February from Kearsney Abbey to St Radigand’s Abbey
http://www.foodytraveller.com/features/uk/656-produced-in-kent Alkham Court Farmhouse: It was dark when we drove up the country lane and turned into the courtyard of Alkham Court Farmhouse. The lane was obviously winding its way through deep countryside. However, it wasn’t until the next morning when walking the few yards across the courtyard from my room to the main building and the lovely Oak room, with its exposed beams and big windows, for breakfast that I realised just how glorious is its location. The view was idyllic –obviously great walking or horse riding country – yet the coast is only a couple or so miles away.
Folkestone Triennial One of the UK’s most ambitious art exhibitions, Folkestone Triennial. Internationally-recognised artists will create a collection of new artworks in Folkestone’s public spaces under the title “Lookout”. Some commissions will rejuvenate existing sites, others will create new environments in the town, involve and collaborate with the local communities, and address aspects of our daily lives, such as climate change, environment, sustainability, technology and communication. If you are looking for a bed and breakfast near Folkestone to attend the event then please call us or book online
Tourism South East announces the shortlisted businesses for the national awards and we are delighted to be one of five representing the South East: The Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year category recognises the huge contribution that small accommodation businesses make to the tourism industry and this year’s representative for the South East is a shining example. Alkham Court Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast in Kent exemplifies excellence and as previous winners they are hoping for success in 2013.
Couldn’t resist taking a photo of our sunset this evening! As the saying goes “red sky at night shepherd’s delight” so definately expecting a sunny weekend after a cold, white Easter!
We’ve been featured in this month’s Kent Life magazine in their Travel Life section ‘Down on the farm’ as part of celebrating Farm Stay UK’s 30th anniversary this year. Luxury B&B We’ve been members of Farm Stay for 10 years now, with Neil being chairman of our local Kent Group and now Director for South East. Farm Stay is a national co-operative organisation where we all help to promote each others accommodation from B&B, self catering etc across the UK with a very popular brochure and website: www.farmstay.co.uk Kent Life quotes Alkham Court as holding the highest quality in tourism rating, with a five-star award, plus a Visit England Gold Award and a Breakfast Award. In 2012 it won Gold in the Tourism South East Beautiful South Awards, which recognise businesses and destinations across the tourism industry for their exceptional … Continue reading
Snowdrops at Goodnestone Park Gardens A really lovely setting to enjoy the snowdrops open on every Sunday from 24th February 2013 to 24th March. Goodnestone Park Gardens, Goodnestone, Wingham, near Canterbury www.goodnestoneparkgardens.co.uk
February 2013 Kent Life Magazine: Alkham Court is mentioned in Kent Life’s County News! ‘Tops in Tourism’ ‘Alkham Court Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast were among 17 south-east tourism businesses awarded Gold at the Beautiful South’s Awards for Excellence 2012-2013. Now in their 22nd year, the awards recognise businesses and destinations across the tourism industry for their exceptional levels of customer service and dedication to raising standards.’
We now have a page on Pinterest! I am adding boards with pictures of our bed and breakfast, interesting websites, my favourite things and local produce and crafts (so far). I’m always looking for more great ideas, so hope you can follow and repin some of my pictures!
This week we celebrated Farmhouse Breakfast Week ’20th – 26th January 2013′ at Brenley Farmhouse with our Kent Farm Stay Group and to raise money for our local childrens’ hospice. We welcomed 25 guests including James Beresford CEO from Visit England, Andy Woodward CEO from Farm Stay, Barbara Sleep National Chairman from Farm Stay, local press including Kent Life. www.shakeupyourwakeup.com Benefits of Breakfast Benefits of a great farmhouse breakfast: Gives you energy Breakfast gives your brain a boost Breakfast makes you happier It’s good for your waistline! Breakfast provides important nutrients
Golden views and a Gold Award for Alkham Court Farm Stay UK member, Alkham Court has won a gold award in the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2012-13. The five-star bed and breakfast, based in the heart of the Alkham Valley near Dover, was presented with the top award in the Bed and Breakfast category and will now go forward to the finals of the Visit England Awards for Excellence. Neil Burrows, owner of Alkham Court and South East Regional Director of Farm Stay UK said: “We diversified our working farm to offer bed and breakfast accommodation more than 10 years ago and work hard to give our guests an experience they won’t forget. Our guests enjoy stunning views of the Kent countryside and we pride ourselves on the level of hospitality we provide. The Beautiful South Awards … Continue reading
Good luck and fingers crossed Congratulations to two of our members who have been short-listed for the Beautiful South Awards, an accolade given to tourism’s highest achievers from across the South East. Reaching the final in the best Bed & Breakfast category is Alkham Court and in the newly introduced category Pub of the Year is The Woolpack in Chilham. Best of luck to both of you and hoping you have a fantastic evening on November 28th when the winners are announced.
Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2012-13 Alkham Court Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast We are delighted to announce that after the final judging for the 2012/2013 Beautiful South Tourism Awards is one of the finalists in the Bed and Breakfast category. This means that we will be awarded a Gold, Silver or Highly Commended award at this year’s Awards Ceremony at Denbies English Vineyard near Dorking on 28th November. The Gold winner will then enter the national VisitEngland awards and represent the South East of England. The judging took account of our entry form, along with web searches, emails, telephone calls and overnight stay. To be amongst the winners, the judging panel were looking at all elements of our business, which needed to be excellent or outstanding!
Our autumn offer ‘10% off 2 or more nights this week! and until 30th November! Enjoy our sunsets, relax in our hot tub and snuggle in front of our fire with a glass of wine. Are you tempted? Give me a call and I’ll book you in!! Tel: 01303 892056 This offer has now ended. To find more offers for farmhouse bed and breakfast accommodation click on our booking page.
Canterbury Food & Drink Festival from Friday, 28th September – 30th September, Dane John Gardens, Canterbury, International Festival in the heart of Canterbury
Welcome to our latest new luxury bedroom at Alkham Court. This spacious room has a modern, contemporary feel with a stylish ensuite bathroom boasting a large granite sink area and stunning walk-in shower. Perfect for a relaxing weekend or short break away. To help you relax even more, the super kingsize bed is hand crafted in England and individually spring, with high quality bedding and goosedown pillows and duvet. We’ve called our new room ‘Pheasant Room’. It’s beautifully furnished with all your needs catered for: fridge, Nespresso machine, I-Phone dock and a large flat screen television. We hope you will come and stay and love our new room as much as we do! Click on the link below to see photos of Pheasant Room! http://www.flickr.com/photos/41999350@N05/7552128990/
Last Minute Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast Offer! Badger Room 6 nights for price of 5! With complimentary use of the hot tub and sauna. From 6th June – 10th June inclusive. Strawberries and Cream on arrival! This offer has expired. For more farmhouse bed and breakfast offers you can look on our online booking page.
Stop Press You and your guests are invited to join the Folkestone, Hythe and Dover Group of Kent Wildlife Trust on Saturday 5th May 2012 from 2pm to 3.30pm at Samphire Hoe. Paul Holt of White Cliffs Countryside Partnership will take us on a gentle walk around the Hoe to discover the fascinating life story of the Hoe early spider orchids. Dogs are welcome on leads. There is no charge, but a suggested donation of £2 would be appreciated. Meet at the Site Management Office at Samphire Hoe, where there is a pay and display car park. The Hoe is signposted off the A20 from Dover to Folkestone, at Map ref: TR294391. Telephone 01304 853503 for further details. We hope to see you there. Regards Pauline Bateson on behalf of the Folkestone, Hythe and Dover Group ________________________________________
Local Lambing Open Day: Easter Holidays 2013 1.30 pm – 4.00 pm Broadlees Farm, Deal Road, Dover, CT15 5DL (near to Dover Castle) Tel: 01304 209693 www.whitecliffslamb.co.uk
Alkham Court 2012 February Offers: 3 nights for price of 2 (Sunday – Thursday nights for only £240.00) *Including complimentary use of the hot tub and sauna* Weekend Break of 2 nights (Friday – Sunday for only £230.00) *Including complimentary use of the hot tub and sauna* This offer has now ended. For up to date farmhouse bed and breakfast accommodation offers look on our booking page.
5th February 2012 and our first arrival of snow on the Kent Downs!
**Special Offers for farmhouse bed and breakfast accommodation** JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2012 Midweek Offer: 3 nights for price of 2 (from Sunday night – Thursday night excluding Valentines Weekend). Weekend Offer: Minimum 2 nights at £115.00 per night (Friday night – Sunday night) This offer has now ended. If you are looking for more farmhouse bed and breakfast accommodation offers look no further than our booking page
Late availability this weekend! From Sunday we have 2 Rooms available for a short break up to 4 nights bed and breakfast from 19th June. Fresh raspberries & strawberries, freshly squeezed orange juice and strawberry fruit smoothies for breakfast! Are you tempted??
We have just heard that Alkham Court Farmhouse B&B has again achieved a GOLD award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme. www.green-business.co.uk
Pearl has decided if she really has to lay her daily egg she must have comfort and now clucks outside the kitchen door until we let her in – Tilly’s duvet is the best!
We’ve just received our 3 new certificates for 2010 gaining 100% for breakfast and hospitality! This is the second time we have won a ‘breakfast award’ and the Gold Award is given for exceptional quality of accommodation and customer service.
Just had some great picture taken this Spring – our cherry tree has been an absolute star in the garden during May.
We couldn’t resist taking a photo of our new hot tub. All our bed and breakfast guests get complimentary use of the hot tub when they stay with us. If your looking for a bed and breakfast with a hot tub, look no further. Call us on +44 (0)1303 892056 or book online today.
The Hot Tub has arrived and is ready to be enjoyed at any time of the year! Relax and let your stresses just melt away. The views from the hot tub are amazing and will catch the last of the day’s sun and sunsets in the evening. So if you are looking for bed and breakfast accommodation with a hot tub call us today on +44 (0)1303 892056 or book online today.
The Alkham Valley is just bursting out with wild flowers and bird song with this glorious sunny weather we’ve been having. The Primroses on our chalky banks are just a beautfiul mass of yellow. The buds on the trees are slowly opening and soon the whole landscape will be looking a lot greener. Our horses are enjoying the warm weather without their winter rugs and we seem to be endlessly grooming them to get rid of their winter coats! Neil and Henry got the sheep in at the weekend to give them a checkover and to see if they needed ‘dagging up’ before shearing next month, and because of the dry weather we’ve been having they were amazingly clean!
We have been busy during December refurbishing our bedrooms. All our rooms are now ensuite with beautiful new carpets and each room has its own private entrance. Wisteria Room has changed amazingly! We’ve knocked a wall out to considerably enlarge this room and it’s now ensuite. We will soon have a new superking/twin bed (delivery promised for end of January). Badger Room now has a lovely new Wilton carpet and comfy sofa, we’ve taken out the single bed and this makes this room so much more spacious! We still have a superking bed/twin bed in this room. Garden Room has a completely new separate entrance into this room. It has a new kingsize bed and lovely carpet. I’ve just finished making the curtains which are interlined and have made this room so cosy! Garden Room and Wisteria Room can now … Continue reading
We have been awarded the new ‘Breakfast Award’ which has just been launched for the first time in this country – and we’re one of the first to receive it. I was lucky enough to be presented this award at the national 2009 Farmstay Conference this week by Pam Foden from VisitEngland (who’s the Operations & Industry Engagement Manager) and Andy Woodward Farmstay Chief Executive! This is just brilliant as it recognises the care and attention we give when preparing breakfast, the quality and choice of food and service (good old neil!)
We’re so excited to announce our ‘ Silver Award’ in the South East Regional Tourism Excellence Awards in the best ‘Bed & Breakfast’ category! This very prestigious event was held at the Wentworth golf club, near Windsor and organised by Tourism South East. The presenter of the awards was the well known speaker and frequent BBC ‘The One Show’ guest Giles Brandreth. This has been awarded for our outstanding level of service & comfort to guests, attention to detail and commitment to the environment. The judges said to reach the finals this year was exceptional with the high number of entries and so we feel very proud to say ‘We’re the best in Kent’.
