The winner takes it all as the Taste of Kent Awards recognises the ‘Garden of England’s’ food and drink heroes

11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Companies across

Kent were celebrating their win last week, in the county’s most prestigious

food and drink awards – the Taste of

Kent Awards 2010. The brainchild of local food champions, Produced in Kent, the glittering awards

night at Leeds Castle on Friday 25th February recognised the county’s most

outstanding food and drink producers, retailers, restaurants, dining pubs and

farmers’ market during 2010.

The night was hosted by John Warnett and Gemma Sterba,

presenters on BBC Radio Kent’s breakfast show, whilst speeches were made by the

recently honoured Amanda Cottrell OBE, patron of Produced in Kent, Janet Goode,

Partner, Whitehead Monckton the Main Sponsor of the Taste of Kent Awards and Julie

Monkman, Manager of Produced in Kent.

Julie Monkman told the gathered audience, “Each of

these Taste of Kent Award winners, together with the finalists, is doing

something amazing in this corner of England. The Taste of Kent Award 2010 winners

are our county’s food and drink heroes and have 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 cutting edge 21st century technology! They should all

feel very proud of what they have achieved and Produced in Kent is deeply

honoured to present 2010’s dining dynasty to the county!”

Eastern promise

The east of the

county clinched six category awards with some seasoned champions picking up a

Taste of Kent award for a second time, whilst other newcomers rose to win an

accolade for the first time.  

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Kent Meat Retailer of the Year

2010 (sponsored by NFU Mutual) was extremely closely

fought with the three nominees reaching very high standards for all areas of

the judging. In the end family-run Godmersham

Game based in Mystole, near Canterbury was delighted to lift the award. Godmersham

Game, run by Phil and Pam Miles, provides top quality game and game products,

much of which is sourced from the county including pheasant, partridge, wood

pigeon, wild rabbit, hare and venison and a delicious range of Godmersham-made venison

sausages and burgers. After three consecutive years of making it to the final

three, the victory was particularly sweet for the company.

Another closely fought battle in the east of the

county came between former winners Ramsgate Brewery and Whitstable Brewery in Best Kent Brewery 2010 category (sponsored by Cask Marque). But in the

end both the public and judges vote saw The

Whitstable Brewery surge ahead as the

winner with the small, independent brewery, which specialises in short-run and

custom made beers, responsible for putting delicious beers such as ‘Oyster

Stout’ and ‘East India Pale Ale’ on the brewing map.

One of the most popular categories amongst the general

public Kent Local Food Retailer (sponsored

by sff, Stephens Fresh Foods) was a particularly strongly contested category. Macknade Fine Foods, just edged past

Quex Barn to clinch the award for the second consecutive year, with Faversham’s

flagship foodhall offering both a breadth of produce and a great retail

experience, with both a fishmongers and café on-site.

The newly branded Kent

Artisan Food Producer category (sponsored

by Barclays Bank) saw an exciting newcomer lift the award. Corinne’s Creative Kitchen, based in Selling, south east of

Faversham, was only established in 2007 by the Bengali born owner and in three

years Corinne’s Creative Kitchen has already come to prominence with its

stunning range of Asian meals produced from local produce for direct order,

corporate events and retail customers, whilst Corinne’s Asian cuisine cookery

classes have also made their mark in the county.

Kent Restaurant of Year (sponsored by Visit Kent)

this category proved the most closely contested of all with The Secret Garden in Mersham Le Hatch,

Ashford, picking up the award for the very first time and just edging past the

other two finalists – two times former winner The Mulberry Tree and Eddie

Gilbert’s.  Added to the outstanding

dining experience, the mystery diners said the restaurant showed a great use of

local produce in their menu and that this allegiance to local sourcing was

highly visible within the restaurant and on the menus.

The popular Kent

Dining Pub of the Year award (sponsored by kff, Kent Frozen Foods) was

justly won by The Plough at Stalisfield

Green.  This is the second time the

award as been bestowed on this authentic country pub who pride themselves on

their strong links with the local farming community from whom they source seasonal

ingredients for their menu.

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Mid-Kent movers &

shakers

Mid-Kent, famed for its outstanding vineyards,

performed particularly well again in the drinks categories of the Taste of Kent

Awards. 

Best Kent Vineyard 2010 (sponsored by Kent Life)

saw some of the county’s most respected vineyards competing for the title -

with each vineyard asked to present two wines from their collection to showcase

for tasting amongst a panel of expert tasters. In the end the multi-award

winning Chapel Down Winery in

Tenterden was judged the most outstanding vineyard during last year; whilst the

multiple former winner Biddenden

Vineyards lifted the title for Best

Kent Cider Maker 2010 (sponsored by Wilkins

Kennedy FKC) for the second year.  

West Kent’s winners

Kent Seafood Retailer of

the Year 2010 (sponsored by South East Seafood) was another closely contested

category between previous winner Eddie Gilberts, new entry Sankey’s of

Tunbridge Wells and Octopusy. Despite a close result, Sankey’s shone through in the final vote.

Sankey's a family owned and run business based in Tunbridge Wells since

1961 boasts a unique pub and Seafood Brasserie in its old cellars, with the

restaurant selling fresh fish and shellfish delivered daily. The Fishmongers is

only in its second year, but already offers what is claimed to be the ‘largest

range of fresh fish and seafood products in the South East’, which clearly

impressed the judges.

With the rise of Kent Farmers’ Markets across the

county, now standing at 40, the competition was always going to be tough in

this popular category. So the second consecutive victory for the Hadlow College

sponsored category of Kent Farmers’

Market of the Year 2010 was all the more impressive for Shipbourne Farmers’ Market. Shipbourne, which has now won a Taste of Kent

Award three times since the awards were first launched, holds its multi-award

winning weekly market in the grounds and historic church at Shipbourne. Bob

Taylor, the manager of the market, was particularly commended by the judges for

having taken on board the judges recommendations from previous competitions.

Owlet Fruit Juice was delighted to pick up

its very first Taste of Kent Award by winning the Kent Juice Producer of the Year 2010 (sponsored by Kent County

Council). With 20 years experience in making high

quality fresh pressed juices from fruit grown in Owlets’ orchards, the company

has won 28 awards over two decades and was delighted to add a prestigious Taste

of Kent Award to its trophy cabinet.

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North Kent’s shining star

Kent Food Product of the

Year 2010 (sponsored

by Opies) proved something of a sweet sensation this year with Kent Honey

Caramels from Madame Oiseau, Kent Honey from Bluebell Hill Apiaries and Lavender

Jelly by Kent Fine Foods all competing for the category which recognises the

most unique and innovative new food product in the county. In the end the award

went to first time winner Kent Fine

Foods for its top quality Lavender

Jelly, hand made in small batches with natural, local ingredients

Visit www.producedinkent.co.uk or www.tasteofkentawards.co.uk from Tuesday 1 March 2011

to read in full about the Taste of Kent Awards winners 2010.