My association with KFC goes back exactly 50 years.

As an eight-year-old, in Archway, north London, I first used the chain to regularly get a takeaway lunch with my family during the school summer holiday of 1972.

That was when it was still called Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In my youth, in the early Eighties, my pals and I would "get a Kentucky" in nearby Kentish Town to soak up that Saturday night's beer.

Fast forward to 2022 when I was sent to review the chain's newest restaurant, at Port Richborough near Sandwich, which opened last December.

It became the 1,000th ever KFC outlet in the British Isles since 1965.

Consistency is a charm of KFC. They still use the slogan I first heard in my childhood "it's finger lickin' good" and the image of the founder Colonel Sanders for the logo.

"Compared with 1972 it's now like the Space Age."

So many companies change their images over the years but if it's not broken - which KFC clearly thinks is the case - don't fix it.

KFC continues to be a hit with me simply by providing a good solid meal at a reasonable price. Those piping hot dinners are ideal for cold winters.

The restaurant chain has still kept up with the times in many ways.

KFC Sandwich is a modern drive-thru complete with touch screens as one option to order your meal. If I could look into the future from my first experiences in 1972 it would be like something from the Space Age.

There is a simple system of choosing your food from the menu via three screens and paying by card.

It's a far cry from the payment methods of 1972 when you used cash at the counter with pound notes, in an era when the country had only just decimalized.

There is still an option to pay by cash, which I chose for old times' sake.

And to show we really are in the 2020s, there is a hand sanitiser right next to the screens, obviously to guard agains coronavirus, with others dotted around the restaurant.

Sandwich KFC is clean and spacious with the tables for eat-in diners kept spotless.

While the fast food chain keeps to its speciality of fried chicken it has broadened its menu over the years, particularly for non-meat eaters, such as its now-established vegan burger.

My choice was the same as ever, the Colonel's Meal of three pieces of chicken and chips.

The long, thin chips were good as usual and the handy sachet of salt meant I could control the amount I took: better than having fully pre-salted chips.

The chicken, of course, had the legendary 11 herbs and spices recipe, famous for remaining undisclosed.

There was no secret about the quality, the pieces had a great-tasting coating with succulent, tender meat inside.

Customers have the choice to take away and drive away and take away and walk away.

You can pick up your food without leaving your car but when I was there, on a Sunday lunchtime, the vast majority of customers picked up their food from the counter and drove off.

This is a simple and uncomplicated restaurant as it is a fuelling stop for drivers and passengers, directly on the A256.

It is on a clear road from Dover, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Sandwich town itself.

"My journey with KFC will continue indefinitely."

For those on a long journey there is a petrol station right next to it.

This newest KFC is a clean, ultra-modern restaurant and as a sentimental bonus I've just found the Archway outlet is still there.

My journey with KFC has been consistent and will continue indefinitely.

When I first moved to Dover in 1987 to start my career, there was an outlet in Dover High Street, and colleagues and I would particularly take to the chicken sandwich with mayonnaise.

Today, I regularly use the branch at the White Cliffs Business Park in Whitfield to fuel me for long district council meetings nearby. When I was covering Ashford and Folkestone between 2007 and 2016 I used those towns' branches before a council meeting.

There has only been one blip in that journey. About 10 years ago at the Folkestone KFC, I found someone had dropped a chicken drumstick into a toilet bowl in the men's.

Not so much chicken in a basket but chicken in the bog.

That hasn't put me off as sooner or later every business gets the wrong kind of customer.

I can happily assure you KFC Sandwich's toilets completely passed inspection in terms of cleanliness and hygiene, with no unwanted chicken in sight.

Fifty years on, I still find KFC meals finger lickin' good.

Food **** I opted for the tried and tested Colonel's Meal of three pieces of chicken plus chips. It hit the spot.

Drink *** Pepsi Max was my choice, sufficiently quenching my thirst.

Decor *** The restaurant looked attractive and passed inspection in terms of cleanliness. Spacious and spotless.

Staff **** Friendly and fast. It took just a few minutes between placing my order and getting my food.

Price **** My meal came to £4.99. Good value for money and over the years the price has never risen by too much.