Yahoo News The vibrant Kent village on a busy A-road with a country pub that's the 'perfect place to unwind'
The residents of this village in Kent are a "resilient lot" said one as, despite the historic feel given by the spectacular and varied olde worlde buildings, they deal with a very modern problem: traffic. But though Brasted has the busy A25 running through it, where increasing levels of traffic including lorries are "thundering through", it remains a vibrant hub for those who live there.
And, as it's in the Kent Downs area of outstanding natural beauty, you will see breathtaking scenery all around, with bluebells in the spring, golden fields with straw bales, and a patchwork of hedges and woodland. There's stunning and varied architecture in Brasted, with cosy cottages, grand properties, and the High Street has lovely wide, tree-lined pavements.
The village has surely a contender for one of the best teashops in Kent, where people rave about the afternoon tea and everything else. But more on that later.
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It has many things one would wish for in a village including The Teashop, a church called St Martin's, pubs, a green with a proper 'village sign', a red telephone box, and a rare thing these days, a family-run village shop. The latter, Brasted Village Stores, is a lifeline for many, particularly those who can no longer head out to larger places, such as Sevenoaks, a town around five miles away which frequently makes the 'best places to live in Kent' lists.
Brasted has antique shops to explore, a homeware shop, an interior design company, a hair and beauty salon, a shabby chic shop and a window company among others. The downside is when the M25 comes to a standstill, the A25 is used as a "relief road", said resident Kerstin Olszowska, who runs a superb bed and breakfast at her 15th century The Old Manor House, and despite the traffic, loves where she lives.
And those who stay at Kerstin's place, certainly love it, as it has the full five stars on Tripadvisor from 63 reviews. It's a classic village house which combines olde worlde charm with "all the present day comforts".
One review says: "Greatly enjoyed my two-night stay. House full of character and Kerstin was a perfect hostess.
"Room very comfortable and offered all the amenities one could require. Within easy striking distance of many attractions, particularly liked Chiddingstone and Penshurst as well as Chartwell which greatly improved with timed entry."
It adds: "Easy free parking across the green at The White Hart - highly recommended. An enormous conker tree and village pump on the green. Breakfast delightfully enjoyable. Would highly recommend and will be back."
Kerstin also makes tote bags at home, selling them under the label The Swedish Baglady and sold in the teashop, "all made from upcycled materials saving the world from even more landfills". She told KentLive: "Here in the village we have a number of traders, mainly independents, that contribute to Brasted being a vibrant hub for residents and visitors alike.
"Starting from one end there is the fantastic, newly refurbished White Hart with its history going back to The Battle of Britain when the pilots arrived there after their courageous missions in the Second World War." And another hit with visitors is The Teashop in the High Street, which serves breakfast, lunch and the increasingly popular afternoon tea, and by the looks of the latter, you're in for a real treat if you have one.
Elegant finger sandwiches (crusts off), meringues, cakes, gorgeous-looking scones with jam and clotted cream, cake, other little treats, all of these home-made, and of course, tea in a teapot.
A must visit
People not only rave about the food - The Teashop also has the full five stars on Tripadvisor - they love the crockery, the "delightful and courteous staff", the value for money, and even the little lantern light in the roof. A review from this month says: "We stopped here to break our journey between the Sussex/Kent coast and Hertfordshire.
"The building is very bright and fresh, with a lantern light in the roof. The tea and coffee were good, served in charming clean vintage crockery.
"We hadn’t long had breakfast, so asked to share toasted sandwiches and panini, which were delicious, and the staff cheerful cut them in half and served them on separate plates with lovely fresh salad garnish. Would recommend, please visit them."
If you're after pubs, there is the lovely "tucked away" country pub The Stanhope Arms in Church Road, again with five stars on Tripadvisor, where customers describe the food as excellent, the ambience welcoming, and the staff friendly. And the Sunday roasts are "delicious".
There is also the refurbished The White Hart, which is stylish and relaxed for drinking and dining. There's a welcoming and warm atmosphere here too, and it's described by one customer as the "perfect place to unwind". Expect "top notch" staff and dedicated children's menu which promises empty plates after the little ones have eaten.
House prices in Brasted
If you were looking to move to Brasted, the average price of homes sold in the past year was £660,750, according to Rightmove. And the majority of the homes sold in that time were detached, fetching an average price of £1,171,667.
Those semi-detached properties sold for an average of £530,000, with terraced homes fetching £345,000. The price of sold homes during the past year had fallen by 13 per cent on the year before and 10 per cent down on the 2017 peak of £732,300.
