Jo
FOOD + DRINK
KENT’ S BEST BAKERS
( YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’ T HEARD OF YET)
There’ s a special kind of loyalty that builds around a good local baker. You know you’ ve found one when you realise you’ re driving 20 minutes out of your way to pick up a cheeky cronut( or two) on the way home. Here are four you may not have discovered yet.
In Folkestone, It’ s a Wonderful Slice( itsawonderfulslice2019) bakes homemade cakes with, as the name suggests, a whole lot of heart behind them. This is a business built on word of mouth and repeat custom, and you can see that in how people talk on her socials about Hayley and her stunning creations.
Over in Walderslade, Sue and Adrian, the husband-and-wife team behind Cupcakes N Crafts( cupcakesncrafts. co. uk), turn up at markets across Medway, with occasional stints further around the county. They bring Sue’ s incredible collection of delicious cupcakes and Adrian’ s stunning stained-glass pieces that wow customers wherever they go.
If you head to Maidstone, you’ ll need to get up early to track down The Hunton Baker(@ thehuntonbaker). You’ ll find her at farmers’ markets and a few well-chosen local outlets, but Jenny’ s bakes are the stuff of legends- one might even call her the Queen of Focaccia- so get there early for her cinnamon roll focaccia before she sells out.
And then there’ s Monique at Green Cottages( green-cottages. com) in Rodmersham doing things differently. Alongside her self-catering stays and spice blends, she runs baking and cookery workshops, so instead of buying the bake, you learn to make it yourself, in a proper Kent kitchen with someone who actually knows what they’ re doing.
There are dozens more micro-bakeries just like these scattered across the county. Most won’ t turn up on the first page of a search. You find them through a market stall, a tip-off from a neighbour, or just by heading to producedinkent. co. uk. Kent’ s best bakes rarely come looking for you. Go and hunt them down instead.
Jo
JO GURR MARKETING MANAGER producedinkent. co. uk producedinkent
www. insidekent. co. uk • 95