STORY- FOOD & DRINK NEWS
FOOD + DRINK
FUDGE KITCHEN AND BEARS ICE CREAM IMAGINARIUM LAUNCH LIMITED-EDITION TRIO
KENT CRISPS PARTNERS WITH SHEPHERD NEAME ON NEW FLAVOUR LAUNCH
Britain’ s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, has teamed up with fellow independent business Kent Crisps to create a new Beef Brisket & Stour flavour.
The hand-cooked snack pairs the savoury flavours of beef brisket with the roasted malt character of Shepherd Neame’ s recently launched Iron Wharf Stout beer.
Reflecting a shared commitment to provenance and local collaboration, the packaging also celebrates Kent’ s maritime heritage, featuring HMS Cavalier at the Historic Dockyard Chatham on the front of the pack.
“ This launch marks one of our most significant and exciting partnerships to date,”
The Taste of Kent Awards- the longest running and most prestigious food and drink awards in the South East- have announced that entries and public voting are now open for 2026.
This year not only marks the 20th edition of the Taste of Kent Awards, which sees independent food and drink producers across the county celebrated on quality, flavour, innovation and sustainability, but also the announcement of insideKENT magazine, which has been proudly celebrating the Best of Kent ® for 16 years, as its official media partner.
Ahead of entries opening, a launch event took place at the University of Greenwich, headline sponsor for this year’ s awards, bringing together sponsors, previous winners, finalists, industry leaders and members of the Produced in Kent community. Guests heard from some of the sector’ s most celebrated businesses about the impact winning a Taste of Kent award has had on their success.
Organised by Produced in Kent, the county’ s leading membership organisation for independent food and drink businesses, the 2026 awards feature 24 categories spanning food and drink products, hospitality and retail experiences and whole-business excellence. said Kent Crisps owner, Laura Bounds MBE.“ Our ethos has always been to champion both exceptional local producers and the county’ s world-class visitor destinations and this launch brings all of those elements together in a way that truly reflects our values- I couldn’ t be prouder.”
The new flavour is the eighth in the Kent Crisps range, joining varieties including Ashmore Cheese and Onion and Sea Salt & Vinegar with Biddenden Cider. It also marks the second collaboration between the two brands, following the creation of a flavour inspired by Shepherd Neame’ s Spitfire Amber Ale almost a decade ago.
THE TASTE OF KENT AWARDS 2026 ARE LIVE!
The awards ceremony will take place on 8 October 2026 at the GlassBox Theatre, Gillingham.
Four categories are now open to public vote, alongside a further 20 categories available for businesses to enter directly.
© Stepstone Imaging © Stepstone Imaging
Two of Kent’ s most loved brands, Fudge Kitchen and Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium, have come together to create a limited-edition fudge trio inspired by Bears’ most popular ice cream flavours.
The collective includes blueberry, lavender jam and meringue- a Gold Award winner at the Taste of Kent Awards- cinnamon sponge, apple jazz and cream cheese- a Bronze Award winner at the Taste of Kent Awards- and raspberry ripple with pistachio brittle, a long-time fan favourite.
“ We’ re always looking at ways to take our flavours somewhere new, and this felt like a really fun way to do it,” said Phillip Harrison, co-founder of Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium.“ Seeing them turned into fudge has been amazing. It’ s familiar but also completely different, which is exactly what we love.”
This collaboration forms part of Bears Ice Cream Immaginarium’ s 10th birthday celebrations, which have been taking place across Kent through a series of monthly events and activities centres around creativity and indulgence.
Known for its handcrafted artisan fudge, made in small batches using traditional techniques, Fudge Kitchen has carefully reworked each flavour to reflect the character of Bears’ chef-led creations while staying true to its own traditional approach.
© Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium and Fudge Kitchen © Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium and Fudge Kitchen www. insidekent. co. uk • 143