FOOD + DRINK
The Faces Behind the Food cont...
VALLEY MUSHROOMS
Based in the heart of Stockbury Valley, Valley Mushrooms( valleymushrooms. co. uk) is a familyrun farm dedicated to cultivating high-quality gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Founded by Louie, alongside his wife April and father Howard, the trio has set out to combine their skills to bring a variety of fresh mushrooms including oyster, shiitake, pioppino and lion’ s mane to the local community and beyond.
Their journey began after watching the intriguing documentary film, Fantastic Fungi, which sparked Louie’ s interest to experiment with mushroom cultivation on their family farm. Soon joined by April’ s marketing flair and Howard’ s business acumen, they shortly transformed their passion into a thriving enterprise.“ Both Louie and I have always had a very strong work ethic,” says April.“ Striving for bigger and better in whatever endeavour we have journeyed down- and Valley Mushrooms is no exception.”
An inspiring new kid on the block having only opened its doors in January this year, Valley Mushrooms prides itself on its sustainable and organic farming practices that ensure no harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilisers are used. They also offer medicinal supplements and tinctures, crafted with precision to harness the health benefits of fungi. Regularly attending farmers’ markets across Kent and appearing every Friday in Faversham town centre, Valley Mushrooms’ vision for the future is an exciting one: to position Faversham as the mushroom capital of Kent, promoting both culinary innovation and wellness education.
Pictured: Louie & April
KENTISH PIP
At Woolton Farm near Canterbury, the Mount family has been growing apples for four generations, a legacy that began with Herbert Mount over 100 years ago. Today, Mark, Rosie and Sam Mount continue this heritage with a clear philosophy: working with nature and never satisfied to settle for second best.
What started in 2012 with Mark hand-pressing apples in his garden has grown into the award-winning cider brand Kentish Pip( kentishpip. co. uk), with ciders developed from both extensive trials and old family recipes.“ We are obsessed with flavour and quality, and our goal is to combine the best ingredients with innovation, style and a pinch of tradition to produce the next generation of Great British cider,” says Sam.
Continuing to bridge old and new, combining heritage cider apple varieties planted in 2014 with traditional Kent dessert and culinary apples, all production takes place at Woolton Farm by a small dedicated team, using only 100 % fresh fruit that’ s never from concentrate. Day to day, you’ ll find the team maintaining the orchards and creating delicious blends, as well as managing trade customers and visitors to the farm’ s 14th-century barn turned event venue.
Pictured: Sam www. insidekent. co. uk • 85