A chef taking over an acclaimed gastropub says he would prefer to have a full restaurant with happy punters over chasing a Michelin star.

The Duck in Pett Bottom, near Canterbury, has been shut since September 2023, with former bosses blaming rising costs.

It had been granted a spot in the Michelin Guide and was also ranked in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards.

The new owners welcomed customers on Friday, promising local produce and good food.

Head chef-cum-publican Kyle Hadley-Quinn told KentOnline: “It sounds stupid, but I don't want to try too hard with stuff and be too fancy or have too many fireworks.

“I don't want to be famous and out there.

“I'm not trying to be a big-time chef.

“I just want to make a good wage, do what I do and enjoy it and I hope that sort of reflects in what I serve.”

The 32-year-old came to Pett Bottom after working in The Papermaker’s Arms near Sevenoaks.

He was also in the kitchens at two Michelin-starred venues - Chapter One in Orpington and West House in Biddenden - which have since lost the accolades.

The Duck features in the James Bond novel You Only Live Twice, which author Ian Fleming wrote there in 1964.

The building dates back to 1623 and sold its first beer in 1849. It was previously called the Woodman’s Arms, before later becoming the Duck Inn.

It was critically-acclaimed while under the reins of its previous owners and earned a spot in the Michelin Guide.

After five-and-a-half years, a sudden notice on the pub’s website told punters that, due to rising costs, it was closing “with immediate effect”.

However, Mr Hadley-Quinn says he is not seeking accolades.

He said: “I've never chased one. I've worked in a couple of Michelin-starred places and I think the pressure sometimes gets a bit much.

“I think I could do better without the scrutiny and the attention.

“Accolades are nice and I imagine this place will have attention because it's had attention before.

“If it comes, it comes, but I'd much rather just have a full restaurant and everyone be happy.

“I’ve had a few chefs talking about chasing stars and how it's made them struggle with their mental health and how it actually beats you down a little bit. You hear horror stories.”

Part of the draw Mr Hadley-Quinn wants to create at the out-in-the-sticks tavern is using what is on his doorstep, but he stresses “if local is not good, we won't use it”.

He explained: “I've got beef from the field opposite the pub.

“The Pig at Bridge is nearby and they have a 25-mile menu.

“I wouldn't specifically say that's what I'm doing. For example, if I get an opportunity to get some amazing Scottish beef, I'm not going to turn it down.

“Gorsley Vineyard is half a mile up the road and we've got three of their wines on.

“All of them blew us away, but there's a few other locally we've tried and haven't hit the mark or will be introduced later on.”

Mr Hadley-Quinn - who has been cooking professionally since he was 18 - says the building was tired and suffering from damp when he and his team moved in.

They have spent four months stripping, plastering and painting.

In the decor, there are a few nods to Fleming’s famous spy and the author’s links to the pub including books on the shelves, Bond in the gents’ loos and a Bond girl in the ladies.

A 007-themed party is also planned for the future.

Visit Kent’s website says the Duck Inn was one of Fleming’s favourite ‘locals’ and his preferred seat, marked with a plaque, can be found in the gardens.

“In You Only Live Twice it is revealed that James Bond spent his early years, under the guardianship of an aunt, in a small cottage beside ‘the attractive Duck Inn’ at the ‘quaintly named hamlet of Pett Bottom’,” it adds.

“That very cottage is now part of the pub.”

The new menu includes pub classics along with dishes such as trout with seaweed, miso-glazed celeriac, venison haunch and, of course, duck.