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This coming year will be special for me, as midsummer’s day will be the tenth anniversary of The West House – and a very exciting ten years it has been. 2011 has involved a variety of awards, accolades and television shows, and I have met many interesting people, both customers and producers, many of whom have become close friends. In fact, the very first people to walk through our doors all those years ago still come to eat on a regular basis, and have become very good friends indeed. One of the great things about owning such a small, personal restaurant is that you can build special relationships with your customers.

The initial attraction of opening a restaurant in Kent all that time ago was its rural location – a location that would enable us to buy Kentish apples and pears, asparagus, Romney Marsh lamb and local game, along with the most wonderful fish our coastline has to offer. This was too much for any chef to ignore, so you can imagine my surprise at finding very few restaurants in the county that were aware of, or bothering to use any of this amazing bounty. Thankfully, this situation has changed massively over the last ten years. So many great pubs, restaurants and cafés now champion the best available produce from Kent’s most passionate growers and producers. Luckily for us, it’s now so easy to lay our hands on all these fine ingredients. Kent has a number of excellent farmers’ markets that take place all over the county throughout the year. Whether you visit the market in Gravesend, Capel-le-Ferne or Shipbourne, for example, you’ll find top-quality goods, new ingredients to try and producers willing to share their knowledge and enthusiasm. Every year, the county celebrates its passion for food through events like the Canterbury Food & Drink Festival, while organisations such as Produced in Kent recognise excellence by commending some of Kent’s exceptional producers and their wares at the annual Taste of Kent awards.

There are a huge number of fantastic eateries and fine flavours to try, so use this 2012 Kent Food & Drink Guide to help you explore Kent’s varied, vibrant and ever-evolving dining scene.

Here’s to the next ten years.