Produced in Kent’s Taste of Kent Awards reached an exciting climax last week as the county’s 12 most outstanding and innovative food and drink champions were awarded Kent’s highest emblem of food and drink excellence.
The county’s ‘food and drink Oscars’ acknowledged the very best products and producers in the region, together with the most outstanding retailers, restaurants, pubs and farmers’ markets.
Shipbourne Farmers’ Market won the Kent Farmers’ Market of the Year 2009, sponsored by Hadlow College, while Moor Organic Juice won the Kent Juice Producer of the Year 2009, sponsored by Kent County Council, in the categories relating to produce.
Three short-listed hopefuls in each category gathered with their category sponsors, overall sponsor Whitehead Monckton and the industry’s movers and shakers to hear the winners revealed in a glittering awards night in the Fairfax Hall, in the shadow of Leeds Castle on 26 February.
Companies nominated by the general public in the first round of judging received more than 10,000 votes of confidence from consumers - an incredible 89 per cent increase on last year’s voting. It was then left to expert panels of judges, mystery shoppers and mystery diners to select the ultimate 12 award winners from the short-list of 36 finalists.
Julie Monkman of Produced in Kent said: “Each of these exceptional Taste of Kent Award winners, together with the finalists, is to be congratulated. These food and drink heroes are continuing to help put the ‘Garden of England’ on the British food and drink map! Not only are these entrepreneurs growing, producing or working with local ingredients, but they are helping to revive and maintain traditional Kentish food and drink and centuries-old production methods, but with a razor-sharp 21st century cutting edge! They can all feel very proud of what they have achieved.”
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