An afternoon in the quaint but well-equipped Bexley Village

After visiting Bexleyheath in the morning and exploring its offering of shops and stunning greenery and even spending time in the London Buttery Gardens, I had worked up quite the appetite.

I headed into Bexley Village which was no more than a 25-minute walk from Hall Place and Gardens, where I finished my morning.

I had heard great things about the food selection in the village and after a quick scroll on Google, Thai food caught my eye.

The King's Head houses Thai Spicy, a Thai restaurant (Image: Gianni Cirillo) This wasn't just any Thai restaurant though - this was 'Thai Spicy' which operates from within The King's Head, a traditional English Pub.

I approached the pub, still slightly hesitant that I was heading to the right place.

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On arrival I was reassured that this was indeed where to come for Thai food.

I ordered my drink at the bar, a pint of coke on draught (can't beat it!), and then was told that the Thai restaurant staff would come out to take my order, which they did shortly after.

The King's Head is a traditional English country pub (Image: Gianni Cirillo) My lunch was amazing! Not only was the food great quality and very tasty, but the concept of eating good Thai food in an old school English pub was like nothing I'd ever done before.

Despite it being a Tuesday lunchtime, the pub still had a friendly atmosphere.

A few locals were sat around the bar chattering with the lady who poured my drink - I'm sure The King's Head is a well-established community spot.

After finishing my food and taking in the quirkiness of my surroundings once more, I headed back into the village streets.

The Thai food was delicious (Image: Gianni Cirillo) I took some time to pop into some shops - most of which were independent which is always nice to see.

I visited Flowers of Bexley, which was displaying beautiful bunches of flowers outside and I also visited Ellenor, a relatively new charity shop which was selling all sorts.

The selection of old vinyls and albums were what caught my eye!

I spent some time flicking through old albums in the Ellenor charity shop (Image: Gianni Cirillo) I was impressed with the number of appealing eateries down the main street.

There was, of course, a chippy and a couple of pubs as you would expect to find in a small village but there was also multiple attractive Italian and Mediterranean restaurants, cafes and coffee shops.

READ MORE: Historic Bexley house and gardens to host outdoor theatre and cinema events

Notably, Ferrari's Cucina Italiana was packed full with customers even on a Tuesday.

As I walked past the aptly named 'The Bakery' I caught sight of some of the pastries in the counter window which looked delicious.

The staff at The Bakery were very friendly (Image: Gianni Cirillo) I headed in and was greeted warmly by staff who even recommended what I should choose.

I was urged to try the 'cronut' - a cross between a croissant and a donut. 

I asked the jovial woman who served me what she thought about Bexley Village and she summed it up in three short phrases: "Community-spirit, safe and established".

From what I had experienced so far, it was hard to argue with her answer.

I headed to The Golden Acre, a small park down the road to sit on a bench and tuck into my cronut.

I enjoyed my cronut in The Golden Acre (Image: Gianni Cirillo) Half croissant and half donut - it was as delicious as it sounds!

It was sweet and decadent but the flaky layers of the croissant meant it wasn't overly heavy like some donuts can be.

Next to the Golden Acre is St John the Evangelist Church which is beautifully designed from the outside. I decided to head in.

There's something very serene about being in a church by yourself and it gave me some time to reflect on the exciting day I'd had.

I ended my day in St John the Evangelist Church (Image: Gianni Cirillo)There was a community prayer book left out for people to read and write in so I had a flick through the pages and the messages left were evident that the community around Bexley Village is tight and very supportive of each other - just as the woman in the bakery had told me.

With a full stomach and a clear mind, I decided to head homewards which was made incredibly easy by the positioning of Bexley train station right in the middle of the village.

I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon in Bexley Village and what surprised me most was the quality of food on offer in such a small, rural area.