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NewsTranscript
00:00So we're here with Sharon Marriott just before the start of the Kent and Medway
00:04Food and Drink Awards 2025. It's the second year that the KM have hosted
00:09these awards. Sharon, tell me what's gone into the preparation? A lot. Weeks and
00:15weeks and weeks, months of hard work. An award ceremony doesn't just happen,
00:19there's a lot of moving parts and a lot of organisation that goes on in the
00:23background. So we've been liaising with all of our nominees, all of our finalists,
00:29escalating our judging scores and working with lots and lots and lots of
00:34different people. And obviously we have the culmination of that today. And we'll
00:40get on to talking about some of the types of awards that are going to be
00:43handed out, but first of all we're standing in such a beautiful venue today.
00:46Tell us about that. Chelston Park Hotel. I'd never been here before actually. It's
00:50an absolute pleasure to be here. The surroundings are amazing and they've
00:55made us feel so so welcome. That's right and obviously in just about an hour's
01:00time we're going to have this place full in here. Tell us some of the awards that
01:03are going to be handed out today. Gosh, everything from Street Food Pop-Up
01:07of the Year, Farm Shop Deli of the Year, Hotel of the Year, Chef of the Year, Food
01:13and Drink Hospitality, Food and Drink Hero. There's 11 categories and everyone
01:19will get something this year. And lots of nominees as well. We've got on all of
01:23the seats here, we've got all the lists of nominees for each award, finalists.
01:27Tell us about some of the variety that's going to be here today in terms of, I
01:33mean there are small businesses, large businesses, but for all of them it's
01:36going to be so good for their future. Absolutely. Something like this is a
01:42huge boost to give them their exposure in the local
01:47community. So we've got small, very small little pop-up restaurants with their
01:53trailers. We've got restaurants that are well-known in the area. We've got hotels
01:58in the area. Lots and lots and lots of different sizes and different
02:04levels of businesses in the room today. And of course it's the second year of
02:08the awards, so have you come up with anything new? What's that sort of
02:12year been like in learning from last year and what can we expect this year?
02:16I think we haven't changed the model too much. It is a model that
02:20works, but we've given our sponsors more exposure this year, which I'm
02:24sure they'll be pleased to see and to hear. And our finalists, our runners-up
02:30will go away with a token keepsake as well. So we won't just be inviting the
02:35winners to the stage this year, we'll give the runners-up their chance to
02:38shine as well. And there's a few returning names this year as well from
02:42from last year. I mean going forward into the future if there's some businesses
02:45that are watching this wanting to get some of that exposure, what's the
02:48advice? They need to ask their customers to vote for them. They can't put
02:52themselves forward, they need to be voted for by their customers and that's what's
02:56so nice about these awards is it's their customers and the people outside that
03:02have a chance to speak rather than the businesses themselves. And of course the
03:06role that the KM group has played in this, putting this on as well. It is the
03:09readers of Kent Online and the KM newspapers that have been able to vote.
03:13What's that sort of integration been like? Fantastic, I mean we all work as one.
03:17There's been lots and lots of exposure through all of those channels.
03:22Newspaper coverage, radio, online, TV, it's all there. Fantastic and just finally
03:28what are you most looking forward to as things go on? Can I say a drink
03:32afterwards? You absolutely can, you just did. Brilliant. So the Food and Drink
03:36Awards and keep an eye out on Kent Online and in the KM newspapers and of
03:40course here on KMTV for all the winners as the night goes on.