insideKENT Magazine Issue 63 - June 2017 | Page 51

THE
FOOD
ISSUE
Food isn’t referred to as glorious for no reason:
IF YOU’RE SAD, YOU EAT; IF YOU’RE HAPPY, YOU EAT; IF YOU’RE
HAVING A PARTY, YOU FEED YOUR FRIENDS; AND, EVEN AT THE END
OF THE LONGEST AND HARDEST OF DAYS, WATCHING YOUR FAMILY
FEED ON A MEAL YOU’VE PREPARED TO NOURISH AND SATISFY THEM
IS ONE OF LIFE’S GREATEST PLEASURES.
Images taken at Thackeray's © Ap-Art Photography www.apartphotography.com
In this glorious world of gastronomy, we are utterly spoiled and among
the most fortunate people across the whole of the UK to be living in
Kent – a county with countless food and drink producers each bringing
their own innovative and inspiring ingredients to tables across the
Garden of England all year, every year.
That isn’t just luck either. Yes, we have the perfect terroir for grapes, the
ideal soil for fruit and vegetables, and the optimum farming conditions
for rearing beef, lamb, pork, chicken, but we also have experts who
know how to turn those fantastic conditions and produce into the most
healthy and vibrant food possible. The fact that the The Taste of Kent
Awards, the county’s longest running and most prestigious annual
awards ceremony, is an entire evening spent celebrating Kent’s favourite
food and drink heroes, is testament to the hard work and dedication
that each grower, farmer and restauranteur puts in to make Kent’s food
and drink just how fantastic it is.
When it comes to treating yourself to a slap-up meal in a fine dining
restaurant, or sitting on the beach with nothing but some simple fish
and chips and the smell of the salty sea; seeking out a perfectly aged
cheese, or chancing upon an irresistibly crumbly pastry tart – us
fortunate Kentish folk will never have to travel far because we’re exactly
where we need to be.
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