Voting is now closed - here's the top 10

Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. The public vote is now closed, and the shortlist below reflects the cafés, coffee shops, tea rooms and casual food spots that Kent visitors rated most highly.

What happens now?

The public vote was just the beginning. Each of the top ten venues is now invited to submit further information about their use of Kent produce, local sourcing policy and commitment to the Kent food and drink community. An expert judging panel will review both the public vote results and these submissions to select three finalists.

The finalists for all categories will be announced in September.

Those finalists will then be mystery dined by professional researchers before a winner is chosen and presented with their trophy at the Awards Ceremony on 8th October.

Judging criteria: Quality and consistency, creativity and distinctiveness, customer experience, service, use and promotion of Kent produce and value for money.