Celebrate Kent’s Food and Drink by Voting for your Favourites

Have you found a restaurant you’d like to rave about? Or a favourite tipple that needs toasting…. Then get voting in the Taste of Kent Awards 2022, now open to public voting. Produced in Kent’s flagship event recognises the best in food and drink that Kent has to offer. Voting is open to the public from 10^th January to 28^th February. Finalists will then be announced mid-March and the winners will be crowned in a glitzy awards ceremony at the Kent Event Centre on the 12^th May. The annual Taste of Kent magazine, celebrating all 2022 winners and finalists will come out on the day of the ceremony and be distributed across retail and hospitality venues in Kent and Medway.

Now in its 17^th year, the TOKA awards is an event dedicated to showcasing the tastiest that Kent has to offer and the hard-working businesses behind it. Open to any food and drink business located in Kent, the awards have been running for nearly two decades – making them the longest running, and most prestigious food & drink awards in the South East. Sporting a fresh new look, the TOKA awards formally recognise all the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the local outstanding food and drink businesses.

The Chief Executive of Produced in Kent, Floortje Hoette is keen to encourage the public to help find Kent’s best of the best. “We urge everyone to nominate and vote for their favourite Kent food and drink businesses in as many categories as they like. In 2021, votes increased by 400% compared to the previous year, and it would be wonderful if we could beat that again with the 2022 TOKA awards.”

Voting has never been easier:

1. Visit the newly revamped tasteofkentawards.co.uk website on your mobile phone, laptop or tablet
2. Click the category you’d like to vote in and cast your vote
3. If you can’t see the name of the business you’d like to vote for, simply add them in and vote

This year sees three exciting NEW awards added to the self-nomination line-up, to support new Kent businesses; New Kent Food & Drink Product and Kent Start Up Food & Drink Business and to recognise the Kent farming community Kent Farmer of the Year.

Southeastern is delighted to be a head sponsor in this year’s awards. Nikki Causer, Head of Marketing says “We’re extremely proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Taste of Kent Awards to celebrate the range of incredible products the region has to offer. Our passengers travel to Kent to explore the beautiful Garden of England and we’re proud to help them discover the fantastic variety of independent, local businesses across the county.”

The 2022 awards are also receiving fantastic support from sponsors AC Goatham & Son, Barretts, BTF Partnership, Crowe UK, Defined Wine, Furley Page, Gullands, Inside Kent, NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield, Macknade, Shepherd Neame, South East Farmer Magazine, Southern Co-op and Thomas Snell & Passmore.

Voting is now open to the public until the end of February. Floortje Hoette, Chief Executive of Produced in Kent comments “This is a fantastic opportunity to show appreciation to our very hard-working food and drink producers, retailers, restaurants, pubs, cafes and bistros in the county. It has been a tough year, particularly for those in hospitality, but the resilience and innovation shown by these businesses has demonstrated what an innovative food and drink sector we have here in Kent.”

This year’s categories open for public voting, are as follows:

Kent Ambient Product of the Year
A product using ingredients which have been predominantly grown and/or produced in Kent, produced at a business based in Kent.

Kent Bakery or Confectionery Product of the Year
A bakery, confectionery, or snack, produced at a business based in Kent including ingredients grown in Kent.

Kent Beer of the year
Beer produced predominantly from hops grown in Kent at a brewery based in Kent.

Kent Café of the Year
A cafe, coffee shop or tea room that is actively using Kent sourced produce where and when seasonally available.

Kent Cider of the Year
Cider or Perry made from apples or pears predominantly grown in Kent at a business based in Kent.

Kent Dairy Product of the Year
A dairy product produced in Kent made predominantly from Kent ingredients.

Kent Dining Pub of the Year
A pub or bistro that is actively using Kent produce in its food & drink menu where and when seasonally available.

Kent Food Retailer of the Year
The local, independent retailer must sell a wide range of Kent produce/products.  They will be required to provide details of the suppliers and product range for judging.

Kent Non-alcoholic Drink of the Year
A non-alcoholic drink produced by a business based in Kent. including ingredients grown in Kent or ingredients that have undergone a value-added process in Kent.

Kent Prepared Food of the Year
Prepared food made predominantly from produce and/or ingredients grown or produced in Kent, produced at a business based in Kent

Kent Restaurant of the Year
A restaurant that is actively using Kent produce where and when seasonally available.

Kent Spirit of the Year
A spirit produced at a business based in Kent including ingredients grown in Kent.

Kent Wine of the Year
Wine produced by a Kent based winery / vineyard from grapes grown in Kent, Sussex, Essex or Surrey.

The self-nominated award categories (not open for public voting) this year are:

Kent Food or Drink Business of the Year

Kent Diversification award

Kent Sustainable Food & Drink Award

Kent Farmer of the Year

Kent Start Up Food & Drink Business of the Year

New Kent Food & Drink Product of the Year

Kent Community Award