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Barretts of Canterbury – Sponsor of Kent Coffee Shop or Tea Room of the YearBarretts is one of the few family businesses that have been trading in Canterbury since the turn of the last century, providing a unique, personal and first-class customer service across Kent. They pride themselves on customer service, and with over 100 years of experience, know the level of service you expect to receive from a trusted family retailer. |
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Biddenden VineyardsKent’s original vineyard, Biddenden was established by the Barnes family in 1969, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019. |
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BTF Partnership – Sponsor of GARDEN OF ENGLAND CHAMPION – TOP FRUITBTF Partnership are land and property agents, with offices across Kent & Sussex and we are delighted once again to be supporting the Taste of Kent Award for Top Fruit. Top fruit growing is a firm part of Kent’s food and farming history. Whilst there is the understandable effort to innovate to increase crop yields which has driven farming change for the sector, capturing great taste is still the key to producing world class fruit from Kent. Kent apples and pears are enjoyed up and down the country and we are proud to be working with many of the counties leading growers. We look forward to seeing and tasting the entries in this category. btfpartnership.co.uk |
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BTF Partnership & Shepherd Neame – Sponsors of Kent Hop Grower of the YearThe Kent Hop Show is part of the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match also sponsored by BTF Partnership. Hop entries are invited from growers which are then blind judged on density of aroma and appearance. The highest scoring Kent grower will also be crowned the Taste of Kent Hop Growing winner. Hop growing is enjoying renewed interest in the UK thanks to the rise of microbrewing, craft beers and the quality and variety of hops which are grown here. wkpma.co.uk/hops-and-crops-entry btfpartnership.co.uk As Britain’s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame has been supporting local hop growers for more than 300 years. |
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Eurostar – Sponsor of Kent Beer of the YearEurostar is passionate about its community & environment programme and we involved in various initiatives in Kent. We have ten bee hives producing ‘Eurostar Honey’ located near HS1 at Mersham, near Ashford. Our honey is served in some of our desserts on-board as well as being used in our own designer gin “Toujours 21”. |
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Furley Page – Sponsor of Kent Butcher Shop of the YearFurley Page Solicitors has a long history of working with the farming community in Kent and is delighted to be sponsoring this year’s Butcher Category. The firm strongly supports local food and drink producers, which is easy in Kent as the quality of our local produce is second to none. With environmental consciousness now so important, buying locally and avoiding the associated carbon footprint of shipping meat thousands of miles, is key to a sustainable future. The Butcher Category is voted for by the public and includes a mystery shopper tasked with scrutinising the skills and experience of our butchers and looking at the key role they play in bringing us quality local food from the farmer to the shop. Leading the sponsorship is our Senior Associate Deborah Geering, whose family has a small local farm. She is an ardent supporter of the traceability of food and the conditions that animals are kept in and wants consumer focus to be on the quality of meat rather than the quantity. furleypage.co.uk |
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A C Goatham – Sponsor of Kent Tastiest Juice of the YearA C Goatham & Son are delighted to sponsor the Kent’s Tastiest Juice of the year award at the Taste of Kent Awards. As growers of 10 varieties of apples including the delicious new Flanders Pink™ and 3 varieties of pears, we know what it takes to grow delicious tasting fruit. It takes a lot of skill to make great tasting juice, but producers are lucky with so much fantastically grown Kent produce to choose from. We look forward to meeting the producers of Kent’s best juices throughout the year and wish them every success. acgoatham.com |
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Gullands Solicitors – Sponsor of Kent Food Business of the YearGullands Solicitors is a leading law firm based in Maidstone and Gravesend with a legal tradition spanning more than a century. We offer city expertise with provincial fee structures, so you get the best legal services for an affordable price. |
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HSBC – Sponsor of Kent Food Product of the YearWe take great pride in sponsoring this very prestigious award. Supporting the Garden of England’s ambitious local businesses, and the contribution they make to the Kent economy, is at the heart of HSBC’s mission to help businesses thrive, economies prosper and enable people to realise their ambitions. The incredible range and quality of Kent’s finest food & drink producers show innovation & passion that is key to successful businesses. |
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insight6 – Sponsor of Excellence Award for Customer ServiceWe measure, transform and improve the customer experience for any business. We partner over 1,000 businesses providing powerful insights that inspire and improve performance. insight6 offers the “end-to-end” customer experience solution and all of our services are tailored to improve your bottom line. insight6.com |
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Kent County Agricultural Society – Sponsor of GARDEN OF ENGLAND CHAMPION – CHERRY & SOFT FRUITThe Kent County Agricultural Society, the charity behind the Kent County Show is proud to sponsor the Cherry and Soft Fruit Award at the Taste of Kent Awards. One of the unique highlights of the largest three day Show in Kent; the National Cherry and Soft Fruit Show showcases the very best of Kentish produce and is where this award will be judged. By purchasing a ticket to the Show, our visitors support a range of rural based charities and businesses including Kent Young Farmers Clubs, Kent Poultry Club and the Kent Federation of Horticultural Societies. One of the aims of the Show is to educate the general public and highlight the industry through the showing of livestock and produce. kentshowground.co.uk |
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NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield – Sponsor of Kent Wine of the YearNFU Mutual Ashford and Tenterden is a voice in the South East of a leading insurer known for its expertise in insuring the risks of every part of the food chain and every type of rural business. |
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Opies – Sponsor of Kent Local Food Retailer of the YearOpies are delighted to be sponsoring the Kent Local Food of the Year category in this years’s Taste of Kent Awards. Many more retailers are realising the benefit of stocking local food and this presents a fantastic opportunity for Kent as the Garden of England that offers some of the finest produce. Opies have always been strong supporters of local businesses and Kent food producers who use local ingredients to produce some great quality foods. b-opie.com |
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Shepherd Neame – Sponsor of the KENT FOOD PRODUCT ClassesBritain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent for over 300 years. Perhaps best known for great British classic ales such as Spitfire, which carries the Royal Warrant, its diverse portfolio includes Five Grain Lager, Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale and Bear Island Triple Hopped Lager, and the Whitstable Bay Collection. It also brews international lagers under licence including Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The independent family business boasts an award-winning visitor centre and more than 300 pubs and hotels throughout London and the South East. |
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South East Farmer – Sponsor of Kent Farm Diversification AwardAs the regions main farming title, South East Farmer is proud to be this years Media Sponsor for the Taste Of Kent Awards. With 45,000 readers in the seven counties of the south east we are well placed to preview and publish the results to farmers, growers and allied trades who receive our magazine in the post every month. If you are a farmer or grower in the region and not currently receiving our title then please email readers@southeastfarmer.net. It is also free to view on our website. southeastfarmer.net |
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Thomson, Snell and Passmore – Sponsor of Kent Restaurant of the YearThomson Snell & Passmore is a law firm with a long history of advising Kent clients in the food and drink sector. Our experience spans the whole sector from advising seed developers to retail and restaurants and everything in between. We have restaurant clients all over the south east as well as in London. We are proud to support the Kent Restaurant of the Year category and wish all the nominees every success. ts-p.co.uk |
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The University of Kent – Sponsor of Kent Dining Pub or Bistro of the YearThe University of Kent is proud to be making a difference in our community. We generate around £0.7billion for the South-East and contribute over 100,000 volunteering hours per year. As the largest conference venue in the South East, the University prides itself on delivering the very best Kentish experience to staff, students and visitors from all over the world. Having won the Best Group Accommodation Award for the 8th year running, our team are passionate about showcasing the best the region has to offer in food, drink and hospitality. Supporting local businesses is important to us; we work in partnership with local producers to ensure that our customers benefit from some of Kent’s finest produce. kent.ac.uk |
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Wilkins Kennedy LLP – Sponsor of KENT CIDER OR PERRY of the YearThe practice of Wilkins Kennedy has been associated with the farming fraternity in Kent for over 100 years. The association encompasses all land aspects from arable and animal husbandry to fruit, as well as dealing with merchants and those associated with the countryside. We are therefore delighted to be able to sponsor the Kent Cider and Perry category, a programme associated with a sector that has a ferocious appetite to produce with innovation, passion and commitment. Furthermore, from the partnership’s aspect, being given the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to a sector which in itself rewards the staff and partners is a real privilege. We would like to wish every success to all participants. wilkinskennedy.com |
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High Weald AONB – Joint Sponsors of Kent Countryside AwardThe High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a medieval landscape covering parts of Kent and Surrey and much of Sussex. Its special features include rolling hills, scattered farmsteads, ancient woodlands, small irregular-shaped fields, open heaths and ancient routeways. The High Weald Partnership is a strategic, specialist team that furthers understanding of the High Weald, advises on its management and helps people look after and safeguard the unique landscape. highweald.org |
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The Kent Downs AONB – Joint Sponsors of Kent Countryside AwardThe Kent Downs AONB is a nationally protected landscape; it covers about a quarter of Kent including the North Downs and areas of the Greensand Ridge and Romney Marsh. The aim of this Award is to recognise exemplary achievements where a food producer or farmer makes a real contribution to the conservation and enhancement of Kent’s fine landscape. kentdowns.org.uk |
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Kent Event Centre |
