Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
New York Times writer gives city five-star review
Pilot full of praise for Canterbury’s food, culture and shops
New Yorkers could soon be packing their bags and heading to Canterbury after its delights were hailed by one of the world’s biggest newspapers.
A review of the city by pilot Mark Vanhoenacker – titled ‘36 Hours in Canterbury, England’ – has been published by the New York Times.
In it he describes Canterbury as “the small city of prayer, stone and stories”, recounting a fleeting day-and-a-half trip.
His first stop was the Westgate Towers, which he claims offer “the best view in Canterbury”, with a quick cocktail at One Pound Lane adding bite to his visit.
City playwright Christopher Marlowe receives a mention, with the theatre bearing his name described as “one of Britain’s finest regional stages”.
Dinner is served at the Unicorn Inn in St Dunstan’s Street, “one of the friendliest for traditional British pub fare”, but it is the Goods Shed in Station Road West that truly had the author salivating.
“It’s hard to imagine a more pleasurable food emporium than the Goods Shed, an 1830s-era former railway depot now home to a restaurant, farmers’ market and a food hall that’s filled to the rafters with fiercely locavore, reasonably priced delights,” he writes.
Three of the city’s “finest shops” capture the writer’s attention – the Chaucer Bookshop, Vinylstore Jr and vintage clothing store Revivals. The Refectory Kitchen in St Dunstan’s Street, with its “comforting” hot chocolate, wins plaudits, as does St Peter’s Street cafe Kitch, which “wouldn’t be out of place in the Hamptons”.
There’s a nod to Bollywood Blast dance classes at the Canterbury Academy and a plea for readers to sample the sounds of nightingales in Blean Woods, “part of one of England’s most beloved ancient woodlands”.
The Michelin-starred Sportsman in Seasalter serves up dinner during Mr Vanhoenacker’s short stay, with a feast of Whitstable oysters, Dover sole and pork belly washed down with Master Brew.
The Roman Museum, St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church tickle the author’s cultural tastebuds, but the city’s most famous landmark leaves the biggest impression.
“I first saw Canterbury Cathedral from the air, as a student pilot on a flight high above Kent in 2002,” the author recalls.
‘This type of international coverage would cost a fortune if you were paying’
“The architectural majesty of the worldwide Anglican Communion’s mother church remains as pleasing a landmark as any I’ve seen.”
Canterbury City Council’s tourism department helped Mr Vanhoenacker with his itinerary and advised places to visit.
Its head of business and regeneration, Caroline Hicks, said: “Naturally, we are delighted with the piece in the New York Times.
“While it’s not quite money-can’t-buy publicity, this type of international coverage would certainly cost a fortune if you were paying.”