West Kent Local News
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Asparagus Hut to Double Award Winner: Groombridge Farm Shop's Best Month in Years
Groombridge Farm Shop has picked up Gold at the Taste of Kent Awards and a further award at the Kent Business Awards within weeks of each other, plus a slot on national radio - not bad for a business that started in 1993 as a single roadside asparagus stall.
Depth in Every Cup: Aazhii Coffee Brings a Taste of Tamil Heritage to Shipbourne Road
Aazhii Coffee, a speciality coffee shop that opened on Tonbridge's Shipbourne Road last summer, was shortlisted for New Business at the Tonbridge Business Awards 2026 - and is already planning a second branch in South London.
The Kentish Hare Named One of Britain's 100 Best Pubs 2026
The Kentish Hare in Bidborough has been ranked 57th in the Good Food Guide's Britain's 100 Best Pubs 2026 - the only West Kent entry on this year's list, and the second year running it's made the cut.
From Redundancy to Award Winning Microbakery: The Story Behind Tonbridge's Loaf Story
Loaf Story, the South Tonbridge microbakery run by French-born baker Helene Lo, has just been named Micro Business of the Year at the Tonbridge Business Awards 2026 - a craving for home-baked French bread during her first pregnancy, grown into a full-time business.
Robins, a Potting Shed and the Old Post Office: The Story Behind Staplehurst's Kin Coffee
Kin Coffee started as a failed horse-trailer coffee bar in a Staplehurst garden, became a roastery run out of a potting shed, and is now a High Street coffee shop in the building that used to house the village Post Office - and a Muddy Stilettos Kent 2026 Café award winner.
The Bakery TW: The Camden Road Sourdough Spot Now Racking Up National Awards
Formerly The Bicycle Bakery, The Bakery TW on Camden Road has picked up a Two-Star Great Taste Award for its White Sourdough and been named South England Bakery of the Year - and previously ran supported internships for young people with SEND alongside The Oaks Specialist College.
Tucked Away on an Industrial Estate, Valerie's Café Is Paddock Wood's Newest Family-Run Find
Valerie's Café has opened on the Transfesa Trading Estate off Henley Road, a short walk from Paddock Wood station - a family-run independent serving freshly cooked breakfasts, lunches and cakes from a spot most passers-by would never think to look.
Eden at Hever Castle Becomes Kent's 28th Michelin Guide Restaurant
Eden, the small tasting-menu restaurant inside the Hever Castle Estate, has been added to the Michelin Guide - taking Kent's total to 28. It's led by George Blogg MCA, who held a Michelin star for a decade at Gravetye Manor, and opened in the castle's grounds, once Anne Boleyn's childhood home, earlier this year.
Deaf Cat Coffee Has Quietly Become One of Earl Street's Best-Kept Secrets - and the Street's About to Get a Lot More Attention
Deaf Cat Coffee has been roasting its own beans in Medway since 2009 and brought that to a newer branch on Maidstone's Earl Street - right in the middle of the stretch the council just approved a concept design to turn into a pedestrianised 'restaurant quarter'.