The Taste of Kent Awards' search for the county’s most outstanding food and drink businesses and products during 2009 hit the right flavour with the people of Kent, when voting leapt to over 10,000 votes, smashing all previous records.
The awards, which are the brainchild of food and drink champions Produced in Kent, saw an incredible 89 per cent increase on last year’s voting (which had already seen a 42 per cent increase in votes on the previous year). Consumers voted online in great numbers, nominating the best food and drink companies and products in Kent, together with the most outstanding retailers, restaurants, pubs and farmers’ markets.
The public nominated over 680 food and drink businesses and products in the county, which was an impressive 50 per cent increase on last year. Seven of the 12 categories saw an increase of over 100 per cent in the number of votes.
This year, the top three short-listed companies face an agonising wait while expert panels of judges, mystery shoppers and mystery diners select the ultimate winners in each category. The 12 winners will be revealed at a prestigious dinner and awards ceremony at the Fairfax Hall, at Leeds Castle, near Maidstone on 26 February.
Organiser Julie Monkman said: “This is a truly outstanding result for the popularity of an award that is seen as the ultimate mark of food and drink excellence in the Garden of England. Despite the challenging economic times we are all facing, Kent has voted with its tastebuds! With such a dramatic rise in votes, Kent’s consumers have demonstrated that outstanding local food and drink quality is what really counts when they are shopping or dining out.”
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