Taking inspiration from the old pumphouse and new distillery, head chef Will Freeman pays homage to historic foundations with a seasonal menu
The location for the Pumproom restaurant at the Copper Rivet Distillery is the newly developed Chatham Dockyard in Kent, where head chef Will Freeman and his team are making the most of the beautifully restored and historic pumproom as a backdrop for some creative cooking.
Pumphouse number five, in which the Pumproom restaurant is housed, sat empty from March 1984, when the dockyard closed. Now in the hands of the Russell family, the Copper Rivet Distillery and the Pumproom form an historic and attractive addition to the site.
Here Freeman incorporates the ingredients used in the distillery to make marmite from yeast slurry, a byproduct of gin production, and the spent grain (normally used as cattle feed) is sent to a local baker, who ferments this into a starter to make the restaurant's spent grain loaf.
The barrel-smoked salmon, Masthouse whisky, pickled kolrabhi and barley miso dish (£10) is based on each stage of the production of the Copper Rivet Distillery's Masthouse whisky.
The salmon, green apple, rosemary and citrus are lightly smoked using chips from Masthouse barrels and are then served alongside a barley koji, used as a base for the miso.
Freeman previously worked for Scott Goss at the Swan in West Malling in Kent, and fosters an environment of collaboration at the Pumproom, where he says the Russells have allowed him the freedom to "cook what he enjoys, without a template to follow."
He feels fortunate to be able to "adapt the business rather than adapting to the business," and is relishing the opportunity to create dishes such as the bone marrow fondue, chicken crackling, smoked eel and pickled cockles (£12), which evokes memories of visits to Whitstable as a child. He describes "walking on the beach, getting a pot of cockles, with the smell of smoky beef dripping from the chip shop fogging the air. My dish is served in a bowl with toasted spent grain sourdough, like a fondue."
The best-selling dishes include the salmon and a main called ‘All of the pig', with pork belly, black pudding, brawn, sage mash and burnt apple (£23), and the ‘Golden Delicious' dessert of Ray's apples (from a local allotment owner) and crumble (£8). Set spheres of apple mousse are set with salted caramel inside, and then glazed with a white chocolate, served on top of a biscuit crumb. "It tastes like my Nan's apple crumble, but with a change of texture and temperature." Sous chef Lily Stock (who was the back of house student winner of Nestlé Professional's Toque d'Or competition in 2020) is the brains behind the desserts.
Suppliers include TH Brown for vegetables and Linton Seafoods and Chart Farm is supplying "top-drawer venison," as well as "sourcing and supplying some fantastic beef."
The menu will change with the seasons and Freeman and his team have set themselves the task of sourcing as much produce as possible from farms local to the area. The kitchen is working hard to minimise waste, and using discards from the distillery "makes sense".
There are plans to design an outside kitchen based around fire to feed guests on the terrace, and to separate the fine dining side of the restaurant. His goal is to give Medway somewhere to shout about, and to be the restaurant people go to without the hour-long train journey and £40 travel card to London.
"We are aiming for the young professionals and any foodie in Medway who wants a good meal. I think there is a little something for everyone here and we offer a tapas menu for people looking for something lighter – just a drink and a relaxed meal, as well as our à la carte."
The distillery is a draw, and the restaurant has kept its industrial feel with old equipment and machinery left as features and the bar is sympathetically designed with materials including wood and iron to complement the original features.
With an average spend of £40-£50 per head (for the à la carte) and healthy bookings of 45 for lunch and dinner, plus more diners in for tapas and drinks in the bar, Freeman's latest role has deposited him in safe moorings and with an excellent crew.
Salt-baked celeriac, ricotta, egg, cep, apple, tarragon, truffle £9.50
Chart Farm venison tartare, mignonette, fig, Maldon oyster, crumpet £11
Roast globe artichoke and polenta, sour cream, chanterelle, candied lemon, demi-glace £20
Halibut and a flash of lightning, mussel beurre monte, aubergine, portobello, nori, thyme £28.50
Parsnip parfait, banana ice-cream, bacon, walnut £7
Vanilla Vela vodka cheesecake, blackberry, lavender, beetroot, pecan £7
Celeriac and apple tart tatin, burnt leek, Tunworth £12
Copper Rivet Distillery, Pumphouse No.5, Leviathan Way, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4LP
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