The annual Taste of Kent Awards were held last Thursday during which the winners were revealed. The great and the good of Kent’s food producers, retailers and restaurants were there to see who would be crowned champion in their field.
Our store was up for Kent Local Food Retailer against Austen’s in Rochester and Macknade in Faversham (a previous winner). We didn’t win the award but apparently it was a close run thing… To be a finalist is quite something and we should all be proud of the work the volunteers and paid staff have put in and continue to put in which make the store so popular and successful. We shouldn’t forget Barham Village Store is a community enterprise and we were up against larger commercially run businesses.
Produced in Kent and a panel of judges looked at each of the finalists according to their ranges and how many of their products were truly local to the county. Part of the selection process was a visit by a mystery shopper who tested staff knowledge and assessed our customer service. Produced in Kent will send us feedback from this visit which can only help us improve our customer service.
