Kent & Medway Food & Drink awards

NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield is supporting the all-new Kent & Medway Food & Drink Awards, which takes place in February.

The insurer has backed the inaugural awards, presented by KM Media Group, by sponsoring the Restaurant of the Year category.

The awards were created to give credit to those who work tirelessly to deliver exceptional food and drink in the area, whether that’s the landlord at a local village pub or a top-notch chef that tickles the taste buds.

From pubs to pop-ups, nominations can be submitted for Kent & Medway-based food and drink favourites across 12 different categories.

The 12 categories include Beverage Producer of the Year, Chef of the Year, Farm Shop / Deli of the Year, Food Bank of the Year, Food and Drink Hero, Food Producer of the Year, Hospitality Champion Kent, Hotel of the Year, Pub / Bar of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Street Food / Pop Up of the Year, Tearoom / Coffee Shop of the Year.

Doug Jackson, Senior Agent at NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield, said: “Alongside other outstanding sponsors, NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield are happy to be among the first to sponsor a new and exciting award show.

This is also a fantastic category for us to sponsor. Over the last few years, restaurant owners have worked hard to market their businesses and these awards will help to continue to shine the spotlight on well-deserved local talent”.

The finalists will be announced in KM Group newspapers and KentOnline from Wednesday, January 17, and winners will be revealed at the Spitfire Ground in Canterbury on Tuesday, February 27.

The winners will be selected by a panel of independent judges, including renowned Kent-based chef Richard Phillips and Great British Bake Off finalist Jane Beedle.

Also supporting the Kent & Medway Food & Drink Awards is Café Nucleus, Shepherd Neame, Gullands, Lumina Energy, ORIDA Hotel Maidstone, Rochester Bridge Trust, NFU Mutual, Ashford, Tenterden and Whitfield, Rochester Hospitality, East Kent Colleges Group, kff, the Jumeira Restaurant Group and Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey and Sussex.

For more information about the awards, visit iliffemediapromotions.co.uk/kent-food-drink-awards/.