Winners Announced for the Taste of Kent Awards 2020

The winners of Produced in Kent’s Taste of Kent Awards 2020 can now be revealed following a glittering black-tie dinner at the Kent Event Centre on Thursday 5 March. Kent’s ultimate food and drink champions have been crowned, from the tastiest food and drink products, best producers, growers, restaurants, pubs and shops. The winners are: Kent Hop Grower of the Year, sponsored by BTF Partnership and Shepherd Neame GM Day and Sons from East Peckham, Kent Garden of England Champion - Top Fruit, sponsored by BTF Partnership Kent’s Tastiest Apple - Jazz variety - Grown by Simon Bray, Monks Farm, Nr Sittingbourne Kent’s Tastiest Pear - Concorde variety - Grown by Clive and Richard Edmed, Hayle Farm, Horsmonden Kent Beer of the Year, sponsored by Eurostar International Winner: Pale Ale Mary by Northdown Brewery, Margate Garden of England Champion - Soft fruit and Cherries, sponsored by Kent County Agricultural Society Kent’s Tastiest Cherry – Van variety grown by AC Hulme & sons, Hoaden, near Canterbury Kent’s Tastiest Strawberry – Katrina variety grown by B R Brooks & Son, Goodnestone, Faversham Kent’s Tastiest Raspberry – Tulameen variety grown by J Myatt & Co, Rochester Kent’s Tastiest Blackberry – Victoria variety grown by Clock house Farm Ltd, Coxheath Kent Cider or Perry of the Year, sponsored by Wilkins Kennedy Winner: Curious Apple by Curious Brewing, Ashford Kent Food Product classes, sponsored by Shepherd Neame Ambient class winner: Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil by Morghew Park Estate, Tenterden Bakery and Confectionery class winner: Kentish Apple Sourdough by The Bakehouse at 124, Tonbridge Dairy class winner: Kingcott Blue Cheese by Kingcott Dairy, Staplehurst Prepared Food class winner: Celeriac and Apple Soup by The Speedy Snail, East Peckham Specialist Alcoholic Drink class winner: Rosé Spritz by Maroude, Mereworth Specialist Non-Alcoholic Drink class winner: Pineapple & Kiwi Edible Tea by Nims Fruit Products, Sittingbourne Ambient class Highly Commended: Beef Dripping by North Downs Real Food, Lenham Bakery and Confectionery class Highly Commended: Huffkin, Speciality Breads, Margate Kent Farm Diversification of the Year Award, sponsored by South East Farmer Winner: Lower Ladysden Farm, Goudhurst Kent Wine of the Year, sponsored by NFU Mutual Winner: Sparkling Rosé by Woodchurch Vineyard, Ashford Kent Local Food Retailer of the Year, sponsored by Opies Winner: Flint and Oak, Westerham Kent Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by Thomson Snell & Passmore Winner: The Small Holding, Kilndown Kent Butcher Shop of the Year – sponsored by Furley Page Winner: Hammond's Butchers, Matfield Kent Food Business of the Year – sponsored by Gullands Solicitors Winner: Karimix, Selling Kent Tastiest Juice of the Year, sponsored by AC Goatham & Son Winner: Red Love Apple Juice, Biddenden Vineyards Kent Dining Pub or Bistro of the Year – sponsored by University of Kent Winner: The Butcher’s Block, Burham Kent Coffee Shop or Tea Room of the Year – sponsored by Barretts of Canterbury Winner: Café Nucleus, Rochester Kent Countryside Award – sponsored by Kent Downs AONB and High Weald AONB Winner: Watts Farm, Farningham Highly Commended: Provenance Potatoes, Deal Excellence Award for Customer Service: sponsored by insight6 Winner: The Food Shed at Spadework, Offham Kent Food Product of the Year: sponsored by HSBC Winner: Kingcott Blue, Kingcott Dairy, Staplehurst The Taste of Kent Awards are organised by Produced in Kent and are the annual showcase of the very best products and food and drink businesses across Kent and Medway. Floortje Hoette, Chief Executive at Produced in Kent comments: ‘These awards celebrate the very best in their sector each year and tonight we celebrated all those businesses from Kent chosen by the public and judged by a team of experts, to find the winner for each category. All the finalists tonight are winners, and deserve our congratulation for making it here. Winning an award presents new opportunities for finalists as well as winners, all of whom have worked so hard to get this far. The food & drink sector is highly competitive and all businesses need to stand out from the crowd – these awards help make that happen. The judges have had a particularly challenging job this year making their decisions, with some incredibly close scores across the board – especially in the Food Product Classes, where we have a record number of entries reaching the finals. It is clear that the businesses who have entered the awards in previous years have all taken their feedback on board and moved their businesses forward dramatically – improving all aspects of their business: from customer service, local sourcing, and most of all the quality and taste of the food they’re producing. Produced in Kent was created to support, elevate and progress the food & drink industry in Kent, and it is evident that the Taste of Kent Awards helps us to achieve this. Thank you to all our sponsors for their continued support and welcome to our first time sponsors too. Without your support these awards are not possible.’ The Taste of Kent Awards is now in its sixteenth year and it is recognised as the outstanding annual showcase of Kent food and drink. The awards promote a wide range of categories and are open to all food and drink businesses across Kent. The campaign begins each year with these soft fruit winners and continues with the commencement of public voting between September and early January before concluding with the gala dinner in March when winners are announced. For further information, photographs and quotes from winners contact: Alison Baldwin, Coast Tel: 01233 503200 / 07949 561489 E: alison@coastcommunications.co.uk