RICE dishes made in Medway have been voted the best new food product in Britain.

Veetee Rice won the accolade for its Dine-In range of microwaveable dishes at the prestigious Anuga food and drink show in Cologne, Germany. It was attended by more than 160,000 delegates from around the world.

The products, devised in the company's kitchens on Medway City Estate, are now selling in the UK's leading supermarkets, including Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, as well as smaller retailers like Burgess Stores, Goudhurst.

The award, by Food from Britain, was chosen from a list of 23 products.

Moni Varma, chairman of Veetee Rice, based on Medway City Estate, flew over specially to receive the trophy.

"It shows that our hard work is beginning to pay off when you get recognition like this," he said.

He added that the new range had attracted a lot of interest from foreign buyers, and could soon be in retail outlets in the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Middle East.

This growth would almost certainly create more jobs in Medway, he said.