Winners of the Taste of Kent Awards Top Fruit Category Announced
nners of Produced in Kent’s Taste of Kent Awards 2019,
Garden of England Champions Top Fruit Categories, sponsored by BTF Partnership, were announced at the National Fruit Show Thursday 25 October.
Produced in Kent’s panel of judges tasted over 100 varieties of apples and 13 varieties of pears from Kent growers, which were on display at the National Fruit Show, celebrating its 85
th this year.
The judges were required to rank the fruits’ flavour, texture and juiciness, with the top 10 apples and top five pears going through to a second-round taste-off, before an overall winner was selected. The panel came to the same conclusion of the National Fruit Show judges on the winning apple variety this year and it was once again a Jazz apple which scooped the top prize:
The winners are:
Garden of England Champions Top Apple:
Jazz - Grown by Chris Levett, Baretilt Farm, Cranbrook.
Garden of England Champions Top Pear:
Concorde Pear - Grown by J L Baxter, Coxheath
Stephanie Durling at Produced in Kent comments: “Our congratulations go to the winning growers. Growers have had a good year here in Kent despite early fears about the June drop. The quality and taste of the fruit is absolutely fantastic thanks to the wonderful summer weather. The Jazz variety was once again voted the tastiest by both our judging panel and also the National Fruit Show judges. The standard of entries is always very high for this category and Kent is famous for its apple growing, but we are judging on how good they taste and this variety proves to be tasty each year. The British public are great supporters of the UK’s apple and pear growers and munch their way through thousands of tonnes each year, a figure which is steadily rising.”
Claire Houchin, Director at BTF Partnership comments: “We are once again delighted to sponsor the Taste of Kent Awards, Top Fruit categories and this year’s winners are both very deserving of the title of the growers of the tastiest apples and pears in Kent, congratulations to them both.”
Public voting for the 15
th annual Taste of Kent Awards 2019 is now open. To cast your vote simply visit
www.tasteofkentawards.co.uk before 2 January 2019. The awards presentation dinner will take place on 7 March 2019 at the Kent Events Centre, Detling.
