Your Guide to a Kent Summer

This year we've begun an exciting new chapter for ANNO Distillers, bringing the brand into the Canterbury Brewers & Distillers family and establishing its new home on our Kent farm. As we shape the future of ANNO, we've created two collections: our Signature Collection, which will continue to grow, and our Cellar Collection – a unique selection of seasonal releases, limited editions and experimental spirits, many of which may never be distilled again. Until 31st July, buy any two Cellar Collection bottles and receive a third bottle free. It's the perfect opportunity to discover something rare before it's gone.

Browse the latest ANNO Cellar Collection and find out more: Cellar Collection

August means bare feet - and bare feet mean they deserve a little love in return. Bodhi & Fae's Barefoot Balm is a nightly ritual for the feet that carry you through everything. Shea butter, castor oil, and avocado oil soften and condition while a forest-inspired blend of black spruce, cypress, lavender, chamomile, and palmarosa works on the nervous system as much as the skin. Drawing on ancient traditions from reflexology to Ayurveda, this is more than a foot cream - it's a five-minute ritual that returns something to you at the end of a long day. Soft feet. Big exhale. Shop Barefoot Balm at Bodhi & Fae

Make the most of sunny afternoons with Brabourne’s 2022 Rosé – a still pink that’s light, dry and full of red berry charm. It’s a perfect match for picnics, barbecues and long outdoor lunches. Serve well chilled and let the Kent countryside come to you.

Order online for delivery or collection:

https://brabournewine.com/buy-...

Pick Your Own weekends run throughout the summer, giving visitors the chance to pick plums, apples and pears from the Brogdale Collections orchards and have a guided tour of the National Fruit Collection. On 19–20 August, don’t miss Plum Weekend, where you can discover over 300 varieties of plums and gages, enjoy PYO, tours, fruit tastings, children’s crafts and more. Then round off the holidays at the Brogdale Cider Festival on 29–30 August, Bank holiday weekend, featuring Kent’s finest local ciders, live music, family entertainment, free kids’ activities, face painting, tractor rides, festival games and a free shuttle bus to and from Faversham Station. Saturday’s headline act is Curb Pilots, with Los Magos closing the festival on Sunday.

https://brogdalecollections.org/festivals-and-events/

Best seller for two consecutive years – Nairobi elevates your summer barbecues and outdoor gatherings with natural, artisan luxury from Benenden. Hand-poured in Kent, our Nairobi destination scent is the ultimate companion for open-air dining and garden picnics. Formulated to keep unwanted summer insects at bay, Nairobi works as an effective natural mosquito repellent while infusing your outdoor space with a warm, inviting aroma. Compact, spill-proof, and designed for effortless travel, it allows you to enjoy balmy summer evenings without compromise. Keep your garden gatherings fresh, comfortable, and bug-free with Candle Wise.

Discover the best seller collection today: www.candlewise.co.uk

Our newest Streetlight Single Malt Whiskey has arrived – and it's our most anticipated release yet. Crafted entirely at The Foundry in Canterbury, this limited single-barrel English whiskey has been patiently matured in a first-fill ex-Bourbon cask to create exceptional depth, character and complexity. Distilled using English brewer's malt and wild yeast sourced from St Augustine's Abbey, only 300 individually numbered bottles are available, making this one of our rarest releases to date. Whether you're a collector or looking for a truly memorable dram, Streetlight is a whiskey worth discovering.

Explore Streetlight and secure your bottle while stocks last: https://canterburybrewers-distillers.co.uk/products/pre-order-foundry-streetlight-single-malt-whiskey-late-june

🌼 When? The Sunflower Patch will open on from 10am-4pm,

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in August, plus Bank Holiday Monday 31st August

🌻 Pick-Your-Own Sunflowers. Our sunflower patch is designed for picking!

Price per sunflower stem £1 PYO and £2 ready picked. A farm team member will be on hand to advise where you will find the best blooms.

📸 What to Expect: A charming vintage tractor will be positioned in the patch for great family photos and an area planted with sunflowers for strolling, exploring, and taking in the views

Dogs on leads are welcome, making this a fun outing for the whole family! Facilities including toilets and our Farm Shop nearby, for refreshments and gifts.

Book now! SUNFLOWER FIELDS- Castle Farm

Summer holidays don't have to break the bank. Bring the little calves along all month long to enjoy our Kids Eat Free offer! You can also save with our in-house ‘Big Kids Summer Menu’ where we have reduced all of our prices 🙌🏼 Perfect for keeping the whole family fed after a busy day out.

https://thecowshedbarandgrill.co.uk/book-now/

Our Cruffins are CHERRY good, packed with a zingy, sweet cherry compote and heavenly peach diplomat cream and topped with a toasted almond brittle. Our bread special this month is Focaccia which is brimming with basil and absolutely delicious. We’re also super excited to be launching our new Docker Dover site on 27th August - serving sumptuous sandwiches and all the tasty Docker treats you know and love. Whatever you choose to sample from us this month, you’re in for a treat!

Jefferson James will be live on 15th, bringing you chill country vibes to accompany your brews. Oscillate DJ residency will be back on 22nd August, spinning you deep house and dance grooves. It’s set to be an evening of high vibes, great people and the beers will be flowing. We’ve also got £15 pizza and a pint on Sundays, the perfect way to chill out and bringing your weekend to a close in style.

Doughty Butchers have been supplying local quality meat and produce for over 100 years, with the Summer Holidays in full flow, nothing beats a good BBQ and this August Doughty’s have you covered.

From our handmade 4oz Beef Burgers & 6oz Gourmet Burgers to T-bone and Tomahawk steaks made from beef produced on our local farm as well as our Champion Sausages made using Free Range English Pork to our own secret recipe, your taste buds are in for a treat whatever you decide.

Check out our website: www.swdoughty.co.uk or come and see us in Doddington.

For those who like their food loud. Serious Spice combines smoked paprika, garlic, coconut sugar and Ghost chilli for a slow-building sweet heat. It’s unreal on wings, crispy pork belly or seafood that needs a kick. Bold but balanced, it brings fire without flattening flavour. Rub generously, add a drizzle of oil and let it do the work. If subtle isn’t your thing, you’ve found your blend.

👉 Get Serious here: https://dustbros.co/collections/all

Warm weather calls for skincare that feels light, uplifting and refreshing. Fox & Bloom’s Sweet Orange & Bergamot Whipped Body Butter delivers exactly that. This luxuriously soft blend of cocoa butter, shea butter and nourishing oils melts easily into the skin, leaving it hydrated and delicately fragranced with bright citrus notes. Handmade in Kent using natural ingredients, it’s perfect for keeping skin smooth after long days outdoors. Whether used after a shower or as part of an evening wind-down, it adds a little burst of sunshine to your daily routine.

Shop the full Fox & Bloom collection here:
https://www.foxandbloom.co.uk/shop

We have a field of Sunflowers which was previously an asparagus bed so you can can come and ‘Pick your own’ or buy some ready cut. It's great to see so many pollinators enjoying our flowers, a lovely backdrop for photos. Our soft fruit are in abundance, the warm weather means we have to pick every day. https://groombridgefarmshop.co.uk/

Join us on Saturday 15th August for a fundraising day for the Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells Community First Responders, a charity group we are purchasing a defibrillator through for our farm shop and the community. They will be with us and we are having a cake sale, a raffle, auction, tombola and more! https://www.ttwcfr.com/

When gatherings grow larger and platters become more generous, Quiddity Dressing earns its place. Sweet, tangy and distinctly English, it lifts coleslaw, potato salads and grilled vegetables with ease. Made in the Kent countryside using English mustard, malt vinegar and carefully selected natural ingredients, it reflects our belief that simplicity works best. It may separate slightly. That is simply proof it contains nothing unnecessary. Shake, pour and serve generously.

👉 Explore and shop here: https://u8mavj-vb.myshopify.com/

From farmers' markets to festival fields, Licks & Sips is out and about across Kent this summer. Faversham's beautifully styled ice cream tricycle serves award-winning Simply Ice Cream, made locally with natural ingredients, with a pay-per-scoop service available at public events. The Pashley No.33 trike, with its timeless English design, makes a brilliant photo stop as well as a sweet treat, drawing people together over flavour debates and shared moments. Vegan and non-dairy options are always available. Keep an eye on social media for upcoming dates, or get in touch if you would like Licks & Sips at your own event.

Before the rebrand, before the relaunch, there was one recipe: Luma's original mushroom chocolate, hand-tempered in small batches and carried to market stalls across Kent. This September, Luma relaunches with new flavours and a new look, but the two bars that started it all, Reishi and Lion's Mane, are being retired for good. Stock is limited (fewer than 90 bars of each left), priced at £14, and once they're gone, they're gone.

Get your hands on the original batch before it disappears on 31 August.

Twenty years of growing potatoes on the Tenterden estate, and it was always going to lead here. Morghew's Potato Vodka began with a surplus of Yukon Gold in 2022 and a long-held suspicion that their spuds had something special about them. The result is clean, crisp and surprisingly fruity - a refined spirit that carries the quality of the raw material through to the glass. Very much a labour of love from a farming family who know their land. Available online for nationwide delivery or from the estate shop.

Head to the website to buy, or visit the Potato Shop: https://morghew.com/the-potato-shop/

August brings abundance, and stone fruit is at its peak. Nectarines and other sun-ripened fruit grown can be found in the Cliffe Woods farm shop now. Picked at the right moment and sold directly from the farm, flavour comes first. Sweet, juicy and full of late-summer warmth, this is fruit that needs very little dressing up.

Taste the season while it lasts: 👉 https://myatts.co.uk/shop

Stoned fruit season is underway in August, with plums a plenty and greengages too. We'll see the start of apple season and the game season too. You’ll also find crisp summer lettuces, refreshing cucumbers and plenty more seasonal produce from our growers.

Although each of our farmers markets runs once a month, they take place in different nearby locations on different weeks, meaning you can enjoy shopping with our stallholders every week throughout August simply by visiting a different market.

🗓️ August 2026 Farmers Market Dates
Hall Place Bexley Farmers Market — next date now Sunday 6th September, the 1st Sunday of the month, from 10am
Lenham Country Market — Sunday 9th August, the 2nd Sunday of the month, from 9am
Hall Place Bexley Saturday Farmers Market — Saturday 15th August, the 3rd Saturday of the month, from 10am
Chislehurst Farmers Market — Sunday 16th August the 3rd Sunday of the month, from 10am
West Malling Farmers Market — Sunday 23rd August, the 4th Sunday of the month, from 9.30am

Learn more about each farmers market, meet the stallholders, and explore what’s in season at: www.myfarmersmarket.co.uk

Most chocolate bars taste the same because most chocolate is made the same way. N2 Sweet Lab's single-origin bars are different. Each one is made from beans sourced from a single farm or cooperative - Sierra Nevada in Colombia, Hacienda Dos Lagunas in Costa Rica, Chinim Wawas in the Peruvian Amazon - roasted gently in their Maidstone workshop to bring out the natural character of the bean. Fruity, complex, nothing like the supermarket. Three ingredients. No emulsifiers. No shortcuts. Pick a different origin each time and taste how much the provenance changes everything. Shop the range at www.n2sweetlab.com/store

For those who appreciate skill, patience and provenance, Nine Oaks Vineyard offers wines with real substance. Their range of still and sparkling English wines is estate-grown, small batch and shaped by hands-on viticulture in Hothfield, near Ashford. From crisp Bacchus to refined Chardonnay and elegant sparkling cuvées, each bottle reflects a commitment to quality over quantity. It’s wine made with intention – grounded in the land and confident in its identity.

Browse the shop and current releases at https://www.nine-oaks.co.uk/

Summer settles beautifully at THE PIG-at Bridge Place, set amongst rolling countryside just outside Canterbury. Spend a morning exploring the Kent Downs on foot, weaving through wildflower meadows and ancient woodland, before wandering the Kitchen Garden to see what's growing, ripening and heading to the kitchen. Afternoons are best spent at the Garden Oven, where wood-fired pizzas made with freshly picked ingredients pair perfectly with a cocktail in the sun. Canterbury's historic streets are just a short drive away for a morning of exploring - but returning to the countryside always feels like an escape.

Book your stay at www.thepighotel.com/book/?hotelCode=BRIDGE

We are pleased to let you know that we now have opened our on site farm shop- ready for you to stop in for our Real Dairy Ice Creams, Milkshakes and watch our lovely cows or just to pick up an extra pint of milk.

All of our award winning products are made here at the family farm using milk from our herd of friendly cows.

Explore the flavours and find out more here: https://plurendenmilk.co.uk/fa...

A cobnut is a type of hazelnut traditionally grown in Kent and is one of the great seasonal highlights. Green cobnuts are only available for a short time (between August and October) so customers are encouraged to place early orders to avoid disappointment. These are continually sold throughout their short season as green and golden on the husks, golden brown on the husks, and brown on the husks - all with a distinct moist and nutty flavour.

If you want to try your hand at growing your own, we sell a wide range of trees and can offer you plenty of advice too. As well as whole nuts you can find a great range of oils, sauces, and chutneys on our website for an added flavour punch to your summer meals.

https://www.kentishcobnuts.com...

He's the middle child of three, the boy who once thought his family must be rich because they were so happy, and today he's known worldwide for The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean. Long before Mackenzie Crook was a household name, he was Paul James Crook, growing up between Sutton-at-Hone Primary and Wilmington Grammar. His sisters still call Kent home, so he's often back visiting. Can you guess the town where his story began? Follow the clues on the Maidstone Quiz Trail and Town Souvenir, created by a mum and her two daughters who love unearthing Kent's hidden history.

Grab your trail at QuizTrail.co.uk

Discover the complete Silverhand Estate story on a guided journey through England's largest single organic vineyard and behind the scenes of our award-winning winery.

From vine to glass, you will gain a deeper understanding of the people, practices and passion that define Silverhand Estate, while learning about our commitment to sustainability, organic farming and pioneering English wine production.

Your experience begins with a guided tour of the vineyard, travelling through the estate in an iconic retro Land Rover before enjoying a walk amongst the vines. The experience then continues inside the winery, where you'll follow the journey from grape to bottle before concluding with a guided tasting of five wines from the Silverhand collection.

Tours run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of September. Book your Tour here >

Summer is perfect for one of our longer TrAles through Kent’s rolling downs or along its dazzling coastline. Follow in the footsteps of pilgrims from Wye to Canterbury, or wander from Dover to Deal while soaking up the stories, and nature of the White Cliffs — with stops for Kent beers and ciders (other drinks are also available). Short on time? Try a Taster TrAle through Canterbury’s green spaces, or catch the sea breeze at Deal, Dover, or Whitstable. Led by experienced local guides, our walking beer adventures blend lively history, and curated beer tastings for a day of chat, cheer, and glorious Kentish views.

https://tralesoftheunexpected.co.uk

We are are extensing our hours this summer opening Wednesday to Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm through to mid-September.

We offer tours and tastings every day at £15 per person booked from our website at https://www.warehornevineyard.co.uk/products/vineyard-tour-and-wine-tasting-experience with an optional cheese or charcuterie board for an additional £15 per person.

Our new tasting room is on the mezzanine floor of our winery and gives panoramic views over the vines.

Https://www.warehornevineyard.co.uk

August is peak season for long lunches, garden gatherings and barbecues, and Kent's vineyards have plenty to pour alongside the grill. A White Horse Wine Tours day takes guests from Ashford International to two of the county's standout vineyards, with a guided tasting of at least three wines at each stop, from crisp whites to rosés perfect for warm afternoons. Paired with locally sourced cheese or charcuterie (vegan options available) at one vineyard, and a guided tour around the vines at the other. Then take home the bottles you love to enjoy at your own summer barbecue. Three departure times mean there's a tour to suit every plan.

Plan your August vineyard visit with White Horse Wine Tours.

Elevate your next corporate event with an authentic taste of Kent. At Woodchurch Wine Estate, we pair state-of-the-art meeting facilities with a gourmet barbecue lunch crafted from local produce, perfectly matched with our award-winning estate wines.

Whether hosting a client offsite, executive retreat, or team-building day, trade the boardroom for our picturesque vines and impress your guests with world-class local hospitality.

Contact us to design your bespoke event: ✉️ info@woodchurchwine.co.uk | 🌐 www.woodchurchwine.co.uk

Planning a summer picnic, garden party, or BBQ? Elevate every bite with the award-winning chutneys from The Wooden Spoon Preserving Co Ltd. Crafted in Kent using quality ingredients, our delicious range pairs perfectly with cheeses, cold meats, sausage rolls and crusty bread, making them an essential addition to any picnic hamper. From classic favourites to uniquely flavoured recipes, our chutneys bring flavour, colour and conversation to outdoor dining. Whether you're sharing a grazing board with friends or packing a family picnic, discover the perfect accompaniment for summer entertaining.

Find your favourite chutney: Browse our chutney collection