The Small Holding in Kilndown has been crowned Restaurant of the Year in the annual Taste of Kent Awards.

The venue, near Cranbrook, was described by judges as "an unforgettable rural delight" as it was presented with its trophy at last night's awards ceremony at the Kent Event Centre in Detling.

More than 400 people gathered to reveal who the winners were in the event organised by local food and drink organisation Produced in Kent. Last year's event was held online due to the Covid crisis.

Floortje Hoette, chief executive of Produced in Kent, said: "The judges and I were blown away by the exceptional quality of food and drink we have here in Kent, and it’s wonderful to see the support for buying local hasn’t faded post-pandemic. This year's winners and finalists have shown innovation, diversification, sustainable practices, and immense talent within their specialist fields, it makes me enormously proud to spotlight these Kent businesses."

The full list of Taste of Kent Awards 2022 winners are:

Kent Ambient Product of the Year: Bray's Bees honey (Ditton); Kent Bakery or Confectionery Product of the Year: Macie Cakes (Herne Bay); Kent Beer of the Year: Cellar Head Brewing Company's Session Pale Ale (Tunbridge Wells); Kent Cider of the Year: Winner: Turners Cider's Apple Pie Cider (Marden); Kent Dairy Product of the Year: Kingcott Dairy's Kentish Blue (Staplehurst); Kent Non-Alcoholic Drink of the Year: Biddenden Vineyards' Sparkling Apple Juice (Biddenden); Kent Prepared Food Product of the Year: Yes Chef's Steak and Blue Cheese Pie (Aylesford); Kent Spirit of the Year: Copper Rivet Distillery's Damson Gin (Chatham); Kent Wine of the Year: Balfour Winery's Brut Rose (Staplehurst); Kent Café of the Year: Aunt Sally's Kitchen (Maidstone).

Kent Dining Pub of the Year: The Butcher’s Block (Burham); Kent Restaurant of the Year: The Small Holding (Kilndown); Kent Food Retailer of the Year: Detling Community Store (Detling); Kent Community Award: Communigrow (East Malling); Kent Diversification Award: Reuthe's (Sevenoaks); Kent Farmer of the Year: Loddington Farm (Maidstone); Kent Food or Drink Business of the Year: Provenance Potatoes (Deal); Kent Start-up Food & Drink Business of the Year: Anne's Restaurant (Folkestone); Kent Sustainable Food & Drink Award: Frasers (Egerton); New Kent Food & Drink Product of the Year: Curd & Cure' Rescue Range Broccoli & Stilton Soup

Kent's Tastiest Apple: Elverton Farms' Gala (Faversham); Kent's Tastiest Pear: B Piper Partnership's Concorde (Maidstone); Kent's Tastiest Cherry: A C Hulme & Sons' Penny variety (Canterbury); Kent's Tastiest Raspberry: R C Boucher & Sons' Driscoll’s Zara variety (Sittingbourne); Kent's Tastiest Strawberry: John Myatt & Co's Nobility variety (Rochester).