The Cider Works Team

About

Serving the Community of Waldershare Since 1794

At Your Service

The Cider Works was originally built in the Georgian era and enjoys the unique status as the only bar and restaurant in the village of Waldershare. It has been a well-loved venue and we are delighted to have restored it to its former glory. We bought it back in 2019 when it had suffered fire damage and had been out of action for some time and started our extensive renovations. As a family we have re-instated the bar on the ground floor, the restaurant and function room and the external event space we call the Apple Barn and now we are excited to offer this unique family-run venue for dining, events and weddings for all to enjoy.

Jodie & Guy

The Owners

Jodie and Guy South took a risk and invested in this amazing property with a desire to offer something unique to the local community. Jodie has a background in hospitality, and she and Guy felt that, having observed how others worked they felt they could offer a really bespoke service with much higher standards of customer care and product offering. Their desire to champion local produce is part of that and all their suppliers are Kent based and high quality to offer a real point of difference and quality.

John

Head Chef

At The Cider Works, Chef John Young curates tasting menus that showcase his commitment to freshness and local sourcing. His dishes often feature ingredients gathered from the surrounding countryside, offering diners a unique and authentic taste of Kent. John’s culinary style is characterised by a harmonious balance of flavours, where the natural essence of each ingredient is allowed to shine.

John’s dedication to his craft extends beyond the kitchen. He actively engages with the local community, sharing insights into his cooking philosophy and the importance of sustainable practices. Through his work at The Cider Works, John continues to push the boundaries of traditional pub fare, delivering memorable dining experiences that celebrate the best of what Kent has to offer.

The Cider Works Timeline

1794
in the beginning

A public notice when the pub was bought said ‘The above Inn is again open for their accommodation; and having stored a large quantity of the choicest wines, and other liquors, flatters himself, by attention and civility, to merit their warmest patronage and support’

1800
THE ROYAL GEORGE

The Royal George dates back as far as 1800. In the 1960s it was well known for its skittle alley in the garden! Perhaps something that should be re-instated…watch this space!

1974
The High and Dry

Many legends exist concerning the naming of this pub but many believe that it was as a result of the mining shafts directly under the pub being high and dry enough not to flood as often as other around Tilmanstone. So over time the mining fraternity called the pub The High and Dry

2010
The Cider Works

Planning application was accepted for extensions to be made The High and Dry. The owners having their own orchard wanted to install a cider press to make and sell their own cider and a small museum to tell the story of cider making in Kent

2018
Disaster strikes!

The Cider Works suffers a devastating fire and ceased trading

2019
Restoration starts

Jodie and Guy buy The Cider Works and set about the necessary renovations including the upstairs accommodations where the family currently reside.

2021
We are licenced!

Premise is licenced for food, drink, entertainment and wedding ceremonies and the grounds are renovated with the addition of 5 individually styled shepherds huts

today
Open for Business

On 8th July 2021, The Cider Works opened its doors for the community to enjoy

Book an event or make a reservation

whether you’re looking for a great place to have a dinner or you want to celebrate an event, we are the perfect place.
Book an Event
Book a Table
20 of us went for Sunday lunch, yesterday for my dad's 87th birthday, food and service were brilliant, highly recommend a visit.
R.H.
R.H.
Lovely place with a great aesthetic and amazing customer service! Shoutout to Jodie who got us through our trip with her eggs on toast.
E.M.
E.M.
Absolutely beautiful place!! The food and service was amazing. The pub, restaurant and surrounding gardens are simply stunning. We would strongly recommend and we will definitely be coming back. Thank you x
Y.W.
Y.W.
We booked and went to the Cider Works for a quiet family lunch and came away extremely satisfied. Much of the footprint and character of the original pub has been retained yet there is a clean, quiet ambience to the place, inside and out, which is both pleasant and relaxing. The staff are very polite and extremely helpful and there is a well-stocked bar serving drinks at very reasonable prices. For Covid reasons we chose to sit and eat outside on the veranda although there is plenty of spacious table space inside if the weather is unpleasant. The menu is not vast but everything we had was fresh and tasty and plenty of it, again at very reasonable prices. The prawn and avocado salad was particularly delightful, but all our meals were very good. The chips are different and very tasty too! This is early days for the Cider Works, but all was great for us. This is a fine place for weddings and functions or to stay in one of their shepherd’s huts for hire in their large garden area. Good value in nice surroundings...would highly recommend.
P.C.
P.C.
The meal was delicious and such a great friendly environment.
L.W.
L.W.
8 of us had an amazing Sunday lunch here on Sunday. They even accommodated my extremely fussy daughter with no hesitation, and she absolutely loved what she had. We can't wait to go back. In Eliza’s words "best cooks ever". Can't recommend the Cider Works enough.
J.B.
J.B.
Bougie Nights at the Cider Works was a fantastic night, great food followed by lots of dancing.
S.L.
S.L.
Bougie Nights at the Cider Works – We all had a brilliant night beautiful food and great 70s dancing Thank you!!!
L.L.
L.L.
Thank you for an amazing Sunday roast, we will be back again soon x
N.C.
N.C.
Thank you all - lovely meal and good service from friendly staff - see you soon!
S.H.
S.H.
Had an amazing day at Tim and Sally’s wedding. Thank you for the amazing food and atmosphere.
S.W.
S.W.
It was a fabulous day thank you!
S.H.Bride
S.H.
George Michael tribute night - Best night I’ve had In ages!
K.K.
K.K.
George Michael tribute night - Had a great night thank you x
A.K.
A.K.
What a fantastic night!! Food was excellent and “George” was so much fun and a great singer, looking forward to your next event!
L.I.
L.I.
60th Birthday Celebration - Lovely venue, lovely party, lovely people, and mostly lovely host. Thank you Mandy for the invite. We had a lovely evening. Enjoy your birthday. XXX
L.C.K
L.C.K
Thank you to Jodie & the team for a fabulous evening. Beautiful venue, amazing staff, nothing was too much trouble. I had a wonderful night. Would highly recommend!
M.J.KBirthday Girl
M.J.K
Apple Croft Shepherd Hut - We stayed in this beautiful hut, was comparable to any 5* hotel and one of the comfiest beds I have ever slept it. Hut had absolutely everything you would need and was so spacious and light. Will definitely stay again, thank you for such a welcoming stay x
J.H.
J.H.
Today 6 of us came to The Cider Works for Sunday Lunch. We enjoyed a delicious meal with a choice of gammon, chicken or beef as well as beautifully presented and very tasty puddings. All staff members were polite, efficient and exemplary in every way. We were made very welcome from the moment we arrived. Your restaurant is smart, well decorated and spotless…as were the facilities. Value for money was better than anywhere else that I have eaten in a long while. My guests are in full agreement with my comments. Thanks to you all for an excellent afternoon. We shall return very soon.
D.H.
D.H.
Jodie, a very big thank you for your hospitality yesterday. Everything was perfect. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to get our family together at the Ciderworks. Everyone, quite rightly, spoke most highly of the location, meal and service. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, I hope we weren't too boisterous. Well done to all. See you again soon.
T&P
T&P
A wonderful birthday lunch. Nothing was too much trouble for the lovely staff. Food delicious and surroundings lovely. We will be returning again soon.
C.G.
C.G.
We would like to say a massive thank you to Jodie ,Guy and their team for hosting the most fantastic day for our beautiful niece E and L's wedding yesterday, beautiful venue and fantastic staff, highly recommend, and the food was delicious we couldn't have asked for it to be any better and delicious breakfast this morning after our night camping thank you from S and B x
S & B
S & B
Me and my wife got married here on the 26th of July 2023, it was the most perfect day from start to finish. Jodie is amazing and couldn’t do enough for us and her team are second to none. Thank u again for making our day amazing. I would definitely recommend this venue its out of this world.xxx
Absolutely stunning venue. I’ve been privileged to attend 2 events here recently, both were fantastic. The staff are a true credit to the place. The food is wonderful and so reasonably priced. The grounds are lovely too. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to others.
Absolutely wonderful venue - Jodie and Guy are amazing, and the team work so hard to provide the best experience. Food was gorgeous with a fabulous atmosphere that made our Party so special. Can’t recommend enough!!!!!
What can I say… my daughter had her wedding here and it was so beautiful the memory will stay with me forever. Tables were dressed beautifully and the outside space was made just perfect.
The venue was absolutely amazing & beautifully decorated for a wedding, all the staff were very friendly & cheerful looking at all times, the meals were so lovely too not only look at but also to eat. Your prices were very good for the drinks. Every effort had been made to make sure everyone had what they needed or asked for, so thank you so much for making a special day even more special

12 – 2.30 pm
Thursday to Saturday

12 – 3 pm
Sunday

Scroll to Top