The Faces Behind the Food: Meet Kent’s Growers
Proud of our agricultural heritage and excited for a promising farming future, Kent is home to an array of inspiring individuals who are passionately crafting our county’s flourishing foodie identity with heaps of personality, heart and fruitful ambition.
While we give thanks to our heralded county’s fertile soil and favourable climate for the bountiful produce our fields give rise to, Kent’s plentiful goods are undoubtedly the product of the devoted growers, farmers and producers who continue to committedly nurture their crops with care for truly remarkable results.
With modern technologies on the rise yet sustainable productions and regenerative farming methods remaining ever important for the highest quality produce that’s as nourishing as it is environmentally supportive, the Garden of England’s growers take pride in blending tradition and innovation to help shape a positively defined future of farming.
From those cherishing long-held lands and family heritage to those just bursting onto the local produce scene, we’re celebrating the true champions behind Kent’s famed food. Land to plate, farm to glass – join us in getting to know these shining farmers, rearers and producers who together make Kent’s foodie community uniquely rich and utterly rewarding.
Top right: Charlotte & Andrew
Bottom left: Rob & Henry
PALEY FARM
Set on a picturesque landscape that proves to be an excellent environment to develop healthy, happy, 100% grass-fed livestock, Paley Farm is a heralded livestock farm and butchery located just north of Cranbrook in the heart of the Weald countryside.
With a shared passion for the great outdoors, livestock and a general love of food and cooking, Andrew and Charlotte Brooks first launched Paley as a livestock farm, but soon spotted a new opportunity ahead. This was to complete the cycle and proudly sell the finished product in their own farm butchery shop, fulfilling their vision of sustainable farming and showcasing the highest-quality meat with complete transparency while providing livestock such as cattle, sheep and pigs a stress-free cycle of life that’s in safe hands from start to finish.
Combining traditional values with the high-standard farming of native breeds, while aiming to improve the environment around us all, Andrew and Charlotte are deeply passionate about their team who ensure for the farm’s continued growth. “Our team is absolutely the key to our success. Rob, our farm manager, is the happiest farmer you could find, with a huge wealth of knowledge and the drive to do his absolute best for our livestock – he’s assisted by Tom, who is learning quickly,” says Charlotte. “Henry, our shop manager who works alongside the brilliant Charlie and Clare, is full of ambition with a vision of growth that we know will pilot us safely onto our expanding ventures, taking Paley Farm Butchery into Cranbrook town and onto the high street!”
Pictured: Louie & April
VALLEY MUSHROOMS
Based in the heart of Stockbury Valley, Valley Mushrooms is a family-run farm dedicated to cultivating high-quality gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Founded by Louie, alongside his wife April and father Howard, the trio has set out to combine their skills to bring a variety of fresh mushrooms including oyster, shiitake, pioppino and lion’s mane to the local community and beyond.
Their journey began after watching the intriguing documentary film, Fantastic Fungi, which sparked Louie to experiment with mushroom cultivation on their family farm. Soon joined by April’s marketing flair and Howard’s business acumen, they shortly transformed their passion into a thriving enterprise. “Both Louie and I have always had a very strong work ethic,” says April. “Striving for bigger and better in whatever endeavour we have journeyed down – and Valley Mushrooms is no exception.”
An inspiring new kid on the block having only opened its doors in January this year, Valley Mushrooms prides itself on its sustainable and organic farming practices that ensure no harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilisers are used and also offers medicinal supplements and tinctures, crafted with precision to harness the health benefits of fungi. Regularly attending farmers’ markets across Kent and appearing every Friday in Faversham town centre, Valley Mushrooms’ vision for the future is an exciting one: to position Faversham as the mushroom capital of Kent, promoting both culinary innovation and wellness education.
Pictured: Sam
KENTISH PIP
At Woolton Farm near Canterbury, the Mount family has been growing apples for four generations, a legacy that began with Herbert Mount over 100 years ago. Today, Mark, Rosie and Sam Mount continue this heritage with a clear philosophy: working with nature and never satisfied to settle for second best.
What started in 2012 with Mark hand-pressing apples in his garden has grown into the award-winning cider brand Kentish Pip, with ciders developed from both extensive trials and old family recipes. “We are obsessed with flavour and quality, and our goal is to combine the best ingredients with innovation, style and a pinch of tradition to produce the next generation of Great British cider,” says Sam.
Continuing to bridge old and new, combining heritage cider apple varieties planted in 2014 with traditional Kent dessert and culinary apples, all production takes place at Woolton Farm by a small dedicated team, using only 100% fresh fruit that’s never from concentrate. Day to day, you’ll find the team maintaining the orchards, creating delicious blends as well as managing trade customers and visitors to the farm’s 14th-century barn turned event venue.
Pictured: The Regan Family
HUGH LOWE FARMS
Holding over 125 years of family fruit-growing heritage yet passionately evolving through the ages with innovative developments, Maidstone’s Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd certainly knows a thing or two about producing the highest-quality specialist fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes.
“The farm was founded by my great grandfather, Bernard Champion in 1893, and its freshly picked strawberries and other fruit were sold by the family wholesale market Champion Brothers stand in Covent Garden,” says managing director, Marion Regan. “I took over the business from my father, the eponymous Hugh Lowe, nearly 30 years ago, but I am lucky to work today with my husband Jon and our children Amelia and Ben alongside Ben’s wife Giorgia, Amelia’s husband Charlie, Tom, Nick and a great team who all support us in our endeavours.”
Growing their berries out of the soil in sustainable compost derived from waste coconut husks and using protective polytunnels for an extended berry season of April until November, Marion and the Hugh Lowe team are devoted to their values of quality, productivity, professionalism and integrity for the most scrumptious, sustainable and satisfying results. “We are mere custodians of the land for future generations and I am proud to keep it in good heart. We work hard to reduce the impacts of our farming practices so that wildlife, as well as our crops can thrive on our farm,” they say.
Setting out for a fruitful future, in 2023 the team acquired local premium salad grower L J Betts Ltd to farm a range of lettuces and bay leaf crops on nearby farmland and for the years ahead are excited to continue to sell produce through local farm shops as well as national wholesale markets and retailers – not forgetting keeping up their longstanding supply of strawberries for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships!
Pictured: Laura Brady
THE WONKY PARSNIP
In 2018, the inspired Laura Brady set out to bring a wealth of the world’s flavours to Kent’s doorstep by transforming a humble three acre patch into a thriving haven of diverse produce. Fast-forwarding to today, having excitedly expanded into a regenerative market garden that spans 15 acres of Brogdale Farm and grows over 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs and specialty crops, it’s safe to say The Wonky Parsnip has achieved just that.
Now in its eighth season, the farm continues to prioritise fresh farm flavours over high yields, and particularly focuses on varieties that offer both exceptional taste and nutrition. “Our approach to farming is rooted in ecological balance as we follow regenerative practices that build healthy soil and support long-term sustainability.”
Alongside selling their freshly harvested produce to order and delivering to local farm shops and restaurants, The Wonky Parsnip is also the proud home to a ‘Pick Your Own’ pumpkin-patch showcasing 70 varieties of pumpkins that are undersown with clover to improve the soil and provide natural nitrogen.
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