EAT DRINK LOCAL

Henry VIII defined Kent as 'the Garden of England' and this is still true today, with 40% of the horticultural products consumed in the UK grown in Kent (which includes 90% of cherries and 26% of all land growing vines for wine in the UK in Kent).

The growth of interest in the healthy foods and the environmental and economic benefits of eating and drinking local produce arrived at the same time as the growth of new drink producers in Kent and East Sussex (i.e vineyards, microbreweries and distilleries and fruit juices) so we have now incorporated theses into our directories showing the shopping public and visitors to the area WHERE they can find these different types of local produce together with information about the Producers and links back to their web sites.

Many of these Producers have realised that one way to expand their businesses is to take full advantage of their attractive rural positions to persude shoppers to visit them. We have built 'filters' into the maps to enable you to easily find these additional attractions such as cafes, tap rooms, tours and tastings plus those which offer On-line sales, veg boxes Delivery and PYO and much more. Just click on the appropriate filter and the map will display those producers offering these facilities. (Note you will need to reset the map to find producers ONLY supplying the facility you are interested in)

THE DIRECTORIES

FARMERS MARKET MAP To date there are 45 Market Members of the Association in Kent and East Sussex which run 900 markets per year and attract 180,000 visitors who spend an estimated £4million per annum. Over 500+ local Food and Drink Producers attend these markets plus 200+ craft makers.

The map displays Markets plus Food and Drink Festivals.

• Hover over the market on the map for the opening time and date of the next market.

• Click on the market logo to go to the Market web site and find what is sold at the market, the stallholders attending the market plus places of interest as well as food and drink establishments close by the market.

• You can also see the distance to travel from your present location to a market. Click on 'Markets near me' to see a list showing the 10 closest markets

THE FARMERS MARKET CALENDAR Some Farmers Markets run weekly, others twice a month and others monthly so the calendar displays when each market opens (this may be produced in list mode). Click on the Next month to see the calendar for that month

PRODUCE AND PRODUCERS The variety of produce sold at a farmers Market is amazing. This listing shows all the local produce retailed at Farmers Markets in the area.. Much of the produce is not even seen at your local Supermarket !.

FARM SHOPS and PYO Many Farm Shops grew from selling produce at the farm gate. Over time they have become unique retailers selling in rural locations, often in old farm buildings. These 'shops' have enabled many farmers to diversify and offer other attractions. They, plus Farmers Markets, have now become the bastions of retailing of local produce. Both have also grown in variety of produce sold and attractions. The Filters' enable you to pick out the shops offering additional features such as on line sales, home deliveries etc.

VINEYARDS With climate change and the realisation that the geology of the south east of England is very similar to that of parts of France, vineyards have seen major growth in Kent and Sussex over the last 15 years. Many of these now add value to their original objective by optimising their rural locations and have added vineyard tours, shops and food venues, aimed at locals and tourists alike.

MICRO BREWERIES The interest in local beers and different types of beers have seen a major growth in micro breweries all over the country. This growth has been especially high in Kent and Sussex along with the resurgance of the hop industry. Again they are diversifying to make their locations attractive to visitors

SOFT DRINKS & CIDER Kent, East Sussex and Suffolk are the onlycounties in England and Wales to have increased their orchard cover over the last hundred years. Thanks to modern initiatives and planting schemes, Kent boasts the highest orchard coverage of any in the country. This is the basis of the Apple juice and juice mixe business.

Kent is also host to the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm, near Faversham, where specimens of over 2,200 apple varieties, are grown.

The last twenty years have seen a steady resurgence of farmhouse cider making in Kent and East Sussex. Small-scale, independent makers are reviving traditional methods and rediscovering the abundant variety of local apples which enables them to offer an even greater variety of ciders. .