A stressed barmaid, blocked sewers and a bunch of people who ate all the bread at breakfast made for an interesting Saturday lunchtime visit to the Huntsman & Horn in Broomfield.

The pub, which appears to have chosen to cash in by selling off a section of its car park to build a small string of new houses, can be found on the far side of the A299 from Herne Bay.

As I approached the bar the barmaid said: “You’ll have to wait, I’m all on my own and everyone has come in at once”.

I waited, and waited, and waited and then asked if I could at least look at a menu but she said she had no time to get one, so I went off in search myself and passed it to Mrs SD. However, as you’ll realise in a minute, this was probably a waste of time too.

One fellow was sitting in the bar glued to the horse racing and, whilst it was nice to see someone bothering to watch a pub TV, he simply frowned at us and learnt forward to cover the tips list on his table.

After 15 minutes, I spotted a quieter moment at the bar - i.e. it was empty - and finally persuaded the self-confessed stressed-out barmaid to pour me a pint of Young’s bitter and a large Sav Blanc.

And, by the time we’d downed our drinks, she came over and allowed us to order a fish finger sandwich and tuna mayo and spring onion sandwich before heading back to the kitchen. In a flash, she was back to say there’d been a breakfast rush and, sadly, all the bread had been scoffed. When we asked if ciabatta was a possible alternative, we were told there’d been no Friday delivery, so this was also off the menu.

Notwithstanding the £13 price tag, I decided to try a jacket potato with the same tuna and spring onion filling as I’d opted for on my sarnie, but in a moment the barmaid was back from the kitchen again to tell me the cook had now told her all the spuds were sold out too.

The only advantage I could find to this rapidly diminishing menu was the chance to order a second pint, a Tribute pale ale, and another wine for Mrs SD.

Running out of choices, we finally got a mini Huntsman smash burger and a mini scampi and chips written onto the barmaid’s pad and accepted by the kitchen staff.

The drinks were fine, I probably preferred the pale ale to the bitter, but both did the job. The New Zealand Waipara Hills Sav Blanc was £11.50 and the barmaid informed us she had specially chosen it herself, Mrs SD said it was also ‘okay’.

Our cutlery arrived just a little over an hour after we’d walked in and, little more than 10 minutes after that, our food was delivered. I suppose I could say it was just about okay and Mrs SD said her mini burger was tasty enough. However, my scampi was extremely average, the peas undercooked and the chips cool.

At this point, the three people on the table next to us began their order and were informed that something else had just dropped off the menu.

The Huntsman & Horn has clearly been done up and, despite fairly hefty prices for this neck of the woods, looks to be reasonably popular, so it really does need to pick up its act. It’s well decorated and set out with a mixture of separate areas to cater for those simply seeking a few pints or folks wanting to eat.

Music was playing at a low level in the background, although it was never going to compete with the horse racing commentary.

There was a serious-looking log burner in the room we sat in and also a dartboard on the wall behind us, neither were in action but they looked good.

Outside, there is a decent, large garden and the area that’s been created for a bat and trap pitch looks very professionally pulled together.

As we left, the interesting aroma we’d experienced several times during our visit was explained when we noticed a fellow at the back of the pub with a manhole cover up and a large collection of rods trying to clear a blockage.

To be fair, blocked drains can happen to anyone at any time and I also suppose a kitchen can almost entirely run out of carbohydrates but, I think some serious consideration needs to be given to staffing levels, either the barmaid was having a really bad day or she needs to be given a little more help on a Saturday lunchtime.

HUNTSMAN & HORN, MARGATE ROAD, HERNE BAY CT6 7AF

Décor: This is a proper local pub with many of the fixtures and fittings you’d expect. There’s a great base to be built upon and the bat and trap pitch at the far end of the garden looks impressive. ***

Drink: Mrs SD tried both the Young’s bitter and the Tribute pale ale and, at a combined cost of £9.50, said they were both okay – I agreed. She said the £11.50 Waipara Hills wine was also okay and I just about agreed. ***

Food: Much of what we wanted to order wasn’t available, so I can’t comment on the £10 sandwiches or the £13 potato. But, the mini-scampi, at £10, wasn’t worth the wait or the money. *

Price: A large Sav Blanc was £11.50 and a pint of Young’s Bitter £4.50, the Tribute pale ale was £5. The mini-burger was £11 and the mini-scampi £10 (full-size equivalents are respectively £19 and £15). **

Staff: Good bar staff will always say they’d prefer to be busy but I realise there is a limit. In this instance, I do think there was a solid case to be made for our barmaid to receive a little back-up. ***

Catch up on all Secret Drinker's Kent pub reviews here

Click here to follow Secret Drinker on X

Want more Secret Drinker? Sign up here for his monthly newsletter