Winners of the Taste of Kent Awards Top Fruit category announced
The winners of Produced in Kent’s Taste of Kent Awards 2016, Garden of England Champions Top Fruit Category, sponsored by BTF Partnership, was announced today (22 October) at the National Fruit Show at the Kent County Show Ground.
Produced in Kent’s panel of public judges tasted 95 apples and 33 pears from those on display at the National Fruit Show. Judges were required to rank the fruits’ flavour, juiciness and crispness, with the top 10 apples and top five pears going through to a second round taste off before an overall winner was selected.
The winners are:
Garden of England Champions Top Apple: Cameo
Tony Frankham, from Newmafruit, Chartham
Tony comments: “This is the first year that we have entered Newmafruit apples into the Taste of Kent Awards and we are delighted that our Cameos have been voted the Garden of England Champions Top Apple. As the largest European grower of Cameo apples, the Taste of Kent Awards is a great opportunity for us to showcase the new clones of Cameo and this win is a real testament to the team at Newamafruit who worked so hard to develop the tastiest apple in Kent.
Garden of England Champions Top Pear: Concorde
David Stevens, from Lower Halstow
David comments: “We are delighted that our Concorde pears Taste of Kent Awards for the second time in 3 years. The fact that the Concorde pear has won the Taste of Kent Awards three years in a row highlights the popularity of this variety in Kent.”
Stephanie Durling at Produced in Kent comments: “Once again the standard of entries is very high but whilst the judges at The National Fruit show are choosing winners based on how they look, we are only interested in how they taste. The British public are great supporters of the UK’s apple growers and munch their way through approx. 130,000 tonnes of apples each year, a figure which is steadily rising and many of which are grown here in Kent.”
Tom French at BTF Partnership comments: “We are delighted to sponsor the Taste of Kent Awards, Top Fruit categories. This is the middle of the British apple and pear harvest season and we are hearing reports of an abundant harvest all around, but fair pricing and premium quality will be crucial for growers to give them the margins they need. This is an important award as it ranks the fruit on taste alone which is so important to the public. There are so many fantastic apples to taste here at the show but these winning varieties really stood out."
