The finalists in this year's Taste of Kent Awards have been revealed.

The annual competition sets out the very best food and drink businesses from across Kent and Medway.

Brewers and butchers, pubs and producers, only the county's finest make it through to this stage with the winners announced at a presentation dinner at the Kent County Showground on Thursday, March 7.

Seven businesses included Solley’s Ice Cream in Ripple and Mackays Court Farm in Rochester have been shortlisted for the Kent Countryside Award category.

It's one of the main awards of the competition, celebrating company's who care about the countryside.

Entrants for this award included farmers, growers, food businesses or rural businesses who had to demonstrate how they care for and manage the environment alongside food production.

The other finalists are Courthope Farm in Shadoxhurst near Ashford, Frasers of Egerton in Egerton near Ashford, GL Boulden & Sons with Romney Marsh Wools and Romney Marsh Shepherd Huts in Aldington, Homestead Beef in Church Hougham near Dover and Ripple Farm Organics in Crundale, Wye.

Stephanie Durling, manager at Produced in Kent who organised the competition, said: "We are delighted to have seven really strong finalists in this category again this year and the judges will mark them against a strict criterion, before the overall winner is chosen.

"It is a great achievement to have made it as a finalist and we look forward to hearing more about their rural businesses.”

Other hotly contested categories include Kent Beer of the Year, sponsored by Eurostar International.

Finalists include Gadds’ No 11 by Ramsgate Brewery, Good Sheppard by Goody Ales in Herne Bay and Reliant Robin by Rockin Robin Brewery in Maidstone.

Canterbury's The Corner House stands a chance of being named Kent Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Thomson, Snell & Passmore.

It will go up against The Small Holding in Kilndown and Thackeray’s in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

The top three finalists in each category are as follows.

Kent Butchers Shop of the Year:

• Hammond's Butchers, Matfield
• Shaun and Steve O'Meara butchers, Isle of Sheppey
• S.W.Doughty, Doddington

Kent Cider or Perry of the Year, sponsored by Wilkins Kennedy:

• Biddenden Strong Kentish Cider, Biddenden Vineyards
• Disco Dudda, Dudda’s Tun Cider, Doddington
• High Diver, Kentish Pip, Bekesbourne

Kent Coffee Shop or Tea Room of the Year – Sponsored by Barretts of Canterbury:

• Café Nucleus, Chatham
• The Independent Pedaler, Bridge
• The Yard, Faversham

Kent Dining Pub or Bistro of the Year – Sponsored by University of Kent:

• The Butcher’s Block, Burham
• The Ferry House Inn, Sheerness
• The King’s Head, Wye

Kent Food Producer of the Year, sponsored by Insight:

• Kent Crisps & Kentish Oils, Bridge
• Precious Porkers, Collier Street
• Vegan Perks, Faversham

Kent Local Food Retailer of the Year, sponsored by Bennett Opie:

• Austen's of Rochester
• Barham Village Store, Barham
• MB Farms Food Hall, Faversham

Kent Tastiest Juice of the Year, sponsored by AC Goatham & Son:

• Kentish Cherry Juice, Dallaways Cherries, Northiam
• Park Farm Apple juice, Taywell farm shop, Goudhurst
• Red Love Apple Juice, Biddenden Vineyards

Kent Wine of the Year, sponsored by NFU Mutual:

• Bacchus, Chapel Down, Tenterden
• Kits Coty Chardonnay, Chapel Down, Tenterden
• Ortega, Biddenden Vineyards