Down in the countryside, beside a duck pond and facing a cute farm shop, the Manor Farm Barn stands like a beacon.

With its immaculate thatched roof and low-key, clean design, it is just the place you would imagine driving to for a pint in the countryside on a sunny afternoon or that you hope to arrive at for some liquid refreshment after a long country walk.

Walk through the doors and you’ll feel even more at home.

With two floors, the old barn is ginormous. But it has an airy, relaxed feel thanks to its lightly coloured walls, cool floor tiles and hefty but unobtrusive beams.

Tables are nicely spaced out meaning that there is lots of standing room and it doesn’t feel crowded even when there’s a decent weekend buzz about the place.

It’s a friendly family crowd too, though perhaps that’s because it is too far from civilisation to be a locals pub.

The management has clearly tried hard with that in mind to make the Manor Farm Barn a destination – most weeks have live music, there are themed food nights, an inviting menu, board games and colouring in for the kids.

The bar is impressively big and loaded with pumps. All the excellent Shepherd Neame beers are present but I opted for Faversham Steam Brewery’s Whitstable Blonde, which was light and refreshing and slipped down so well that I was staring at the bottom of the glass much sooner than I anticipated.

The Manor Farm Barn, Southfleet

How it rated:

Decor***** (a perfect light, airy country pub)

Atmosphere****(welcoming and family friendly)

Drink*****(All the Shepherd Neame and some choice extras)

Price*** (£3.60 for my pint, pretty reasonable)

Staff**** (Smiley despite being busy)