I think we can all agree that the best thing about the summer is sitting outside in a beer garden sinking a few cold drinks and soaking up the sun.

Macknade in Faversham is taking things one step further and opening up a whole outdoor food and drink village with pop-up bars, street food stalls and live music for the season.

The farm shop, which has been operating since 1847, launched its Food Village over the Easter bank holiday so, with free entry and the promise of lots of tasty treats, what better way to kick off the four-day weekend?

We arrived just after 6pm on Good Friday to the sounds of the Beard Conspiracy, a three-piece folk band playing quirky covers of songs like Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand and Creep by Radiohead.

The place was absolutely heaving. It looked like half the town had turned up to celebrate opening night and it was great to see so many locals supporting a homegrown venture.

Several stalls were busy serving up crepes, pizzas and burgers, and nowhere was without an eager queue of hungry customers.

Tucked round the back was the Al Taco truck and, being a big fan of Mexican food and often feeling like there’s a distinct lack of the cuisine in the county, I made a beeline for it.

The menu sounded pretty authentic - not just your standard burrito, but dishes like chicken adobada tacos and birria nachos - and we ordered the meat-free jackfruit carnitas.

While we waited, we joined the line at Wild Box, a pop-up cocktail bar housed inside the rustic barn, complete with hay bales, candles, farmhouse-style tables and fairy lights.

We also had time to visit Time and Tide, a Deal-based brewery with a bar at the back of the barn stocking lots of options, from IPAs to lagers, and a beer fridge with cans that you could take away.

Sitting at a table with a bottle of Biddenden pear cider, a pint of Angry White Pyjamas IPA and a plate of vegetarian carnitas, it was time to try it all.

The pear cider was delightful - light, crisp and summery - and I was assured that the Time and Tide tipple was a decent pint with deliciously fruity notes of pineapple and lime.

The jackfruit carnitas looked fantastic, with lots of vibrant colours and textures, and I could tell that the soft taco had been freshly made.

We both had a taste and agreed it was very flavoursome, although it could’ve done without the super-sweet pomegranate seeds on top.

We had room for another dish after finishing our drinks but, unfortunately, by around 7.30pm, almost everything had sold out.

However, the woman working at the Little Katsu Kitchen called out that, although they’d run out of gyoza, fried rice and sticky tofu, they did have some cauliflower katsu left and, seeing as that was basically our only option, we thought we might as well give it a go.

The lone woman running the stall told me it would take around 15 minutes as her kitchen partner had called in sick so it had been a very hectic first day. She was so run off her feet she almost forgot to charge me!

Thankfully, it was worth the wait (and the money). A beautiful dish of piping hot katsu cauliflower, fluffy white rice and pickled vegetables was presented with a big, if slightly exhausted, smile.

It tasted very similar to what you’d get in a much-loved Japanese chain restaurant - you know the one, with the long benches and even longer queues.

Anyway, the curry sauce was mildly spiced, the cauliflower was crispy and the vegetables added a nice crunch. All in all, no complaints there.

The atmosphere was great, with live music and busy crowds giving it a fun, relaxed vibe and I could easily imagine spending a summer’s day here.

It’s not cheap, but it’s all local produce, independent businesses and has a real community feel about it and, for me, that’s the sort of thing worth paying for (every once in a while).

The Food Village at Macknade is now open every weekend until September 8, with live music on the last Friday of every month.

Out of five:

Food: It was nice to see so many different options and on the whole we really enjoyed our food. The only downside was that lots had sold out before the night was over. ****

Drink: Cider is my first choice in the summer and it went down a treat, while my beer-drinking partner had to be torn away from getting a second pint from Time and Tide. ****

Decor: The barn looked very pretty, as did the festive outdoor decor including the bunting and colourful murals. ***

Staff: The woman running the Little Katsu Kitchen was a champ. Lots of the staff seemed frazzled, but it was a busy opening night so I can’t say I blame them for being a bit all over the place. ***

Price: It’s pricey - two street food dishes and two drinks came to £31.50 - but the quality matches the price tag and it feels good to support something at the heart of the community. ***