Tributes have been paid to a retired fruit farmer after his sudden death.

David Deme ran Chegworth Valley from Water Lane Farm near Harrietsham for 40 years with his wife Linda.

On December 3, he was out for a meal when he choked on a piece of food. The 77-year-old died later that day at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

Now, his family have paid tribute to the grandfather who has been described as “kind and well-respected.”

“We had a good life, ” said Linda, who he married 41 years ago.

“We once had an auction to sell off all the chickens and at the end, everyone was asking ‘How do I get my chicken?’ He told them to catch them and by the end, there wasn't enough for everybody.

“It was soon after we moved in, we were standing in the field and David said ‘Right, we're farmers now’.

“His whole passion was all about the farming, being outside and seeing things happen like planting orchards, picking apples, pruning trees and and growing new things like strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.”

David’s love for farming stemmed from happy summers spent working on his uncle’s fruit farms as a teenager, though he originally carried out an apprenticeship in printing and he had planned to buy a hotel.

Instead, in 1983 he bought Water Lane Farm in Harrietsham with his wife Linda having sold their newsagents shop and taxi business in London to pay for the move.

They started with chickens, grain and vegetables but moved to fruit farming and juice making to create the Chegworth Valley drinks company in 1997.

The decision to change tacks came after a particularly poor harvest of apples that year, but they got their first taste of success at the Headcorn May Fair when they sold 150 bottles – their entire stock at the time.

Working alongside Nina Planck, the pioneer behind London’s boom in farmers’ markets, Chegworth Valley and David became well-known in the capital with a store in Notting Hill and slots at more than a dozen weekly events.

“He had a lot of time for all the customers at the markets, he knew everyone by name and they all knew him,” said Ben.

“He was very kind, he could be quite hard on the staff 20 years ago but he mellowed in his later years and he got on well with everyone.

“Even in his last months, he still took the time to go speak to staff in the morning and get to know them.

“We’ve gone through some really difficult times, nearly lost the whole business and farm but he always said life was about the journey.

“It’s all about how you get there, that was his philosophy.”

Though he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 12 years ago, it did not stop David from enjoying the twilight years of his life.

Holidays abroad and long walks around the orchards with his granddaughters became particular comforts.

The reaction to his death has left the family stunned, with countless cards and phone calls coming their way in the past two weeks.

“I feel it is quite heartwarming to know how many people loved him and respected him,” said Charlotte.

“We will continue his legacy and the business that he built.

“He was very well-liked, very well respected and he was just a really good person.

“He loved spending time with his granddaughters on the farm, he would go for a lot of walks with the children.

“He'd just take them out and they'd go for a walk and come back with a punnet of strawberries or some apples, all sorts of things really.”

David is survived by Linda, Ben, Charlotte and his grandchildren Indigo, Ophelia and Gracie.

Funeral details will be confirmed at a later date.

A full inquest into his death will be held at 11.30am on February 14 at Oakwood House in Maidstone.