PROOF OF CONCEPT · draft copy & sample data
Kent Food Partnership logo

Good food, grown and shared across the Garden of England

The Kent Food Partnership brings together councils, farmers, community organisations, universities and businesses to build a fairer, healthier, lower-carbon food system for Kent and Medway.

Explore the Kent Food Map Get involved

Kent Food Map

Find local producers, community pantries, growing projects and food support near you.

What's On

Events, training and volunteering days from across the partnership.

Need food support now?

If you need food today, help is available — councils, food banks and community pantries across Kent & Medway.
Who we are

A partnership for the whole food system

We are a community interest company founded in 2023. From field to fork, we connect the people who grow, buy, cook, share and champion good food — so that everyone in Kent and Medway can eat well, local growers thrive, and our countryside is restored, not depleted.

Catering & Procurement

Getting more local, sustainable food onto public plates.

Food for the Planet

Supporting farming that restores nature and climate.

Good Food Movement

Inspiring citizens to eat well and buy local.

Healthy Food for All

Tackling food insecurity with dignity.

Sustainable Food Economy

Helping Kent's food businesses grow.

More about our five work groups →

Latest

News from the partnership

July 2026 · Draft

Medway's Sustainable Food Policy heads to scrutiny

The binding procurement policy developed with the partnership moves through Medway Council — a first for Kent.

Read more →
August 2026 · Draft

Kent & Medway food systems bid submitted

A five-partner consortium bid to the National Lottery Climate Action Fund to scale the model county-wide.

Read more →
September 2026 · Draft

Business engagement event — 4 September

Kent and Medway employers join the partnership to explore local sourcing pledges.

Read more →

Whether you grow it, buy it, cook it or share it — there's a place for you here.

Join the partnership

About us

Who we are, how we work, and what we have achieved so far. DRAFT COPY

Our story

Founded by the people who feed Kent

The Kent Food Partnership was established in January 2023 and became a community interest company so that the work belongs to the community it serves. We are part of the national Sustainable Food Places network, and we work hand in hand with the Medway Food Partnership.

Our steering group brings together local authorities, the NHS, universities, environmental charities, food businesses, farmers and community food organisations. Five work groups carry the programme forward between quarterly partnership meetings.

Our vision

A nourishing Garden of England

A resilient, equitable and nourishing food system — where nature-positive farming directly fuels community health and regional prosperity, and where good food is an everyday reality for every household in Kent and Medway.

Flagship: the Medway Sustainable Food Policy

Developed with the partnership, Medway Council is adopting a binding sustainable food policy covering everything the council buys, serves and licenses — with measurable targets for local spend, plant-rich menus and nature-positive sourcing. Medway NHS Foundation Trust is preparing to follow. It is a template every Kent authority can pick up.

What we stand for
  • Good food for everyone — healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate food as the norm, not the exception.
  • Fair reward for producers — local growers paid promptly and fairly for food that restores the land.
  • Action, not strategy shelves — we exist to deliver measurable change, from procurement contracts to community pantries.
  • Partnership first — nobody can fix a food system alone; everything we do is done together.
Governance

Our directors DRAFT BIOS — awaiting each director's approval

Kent Food Partnership became a community interest company in January 2026. Seven directors, drawn from across the food system, are legally responsible for the partnership.

Fresh produce & horticulture

Carol Ford

Twenty years in fresh food — from Sainsbury's buyer to Commercial Director at AC Goatham & Son. Chairs Kent's Fresh Food Production & Horticulture Task Force and sits on the board of Produced in Kent.

Finance

Iain Hawthorn

A career in food and farming finance: formerly HSBC's Regional Food & Drink Sector Director for the South East, and more recently with Oxbury, Britain's specialist agricultural bank.

Rural funding

Huw Jarvis

Spent his career at Kent County Council supporting the rural economy, managing the Kent Downs & Marshes LEADER programme — one of the region's main rural grant schemes.

Farming & education

Emma Loder-Symonds

Farms 1,100 nature-friendly hectares at Nonington Farms, a LEAF Demonstration Farm. A qualified teacher, she welcomes 1,500+ visitors a year to learn where food comes from.

Community growing

Vanessa Ross Russell

Founder of Lynsted Community Kitchen Garden — an award-winning, volunteer-run no-dig garden sharing its harvest freely with the local community.

Food systems & supply chain

Andrew Stephen

Twenty years in sustainable food: former CEO of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, ex-Foodsteps and Wildfarmed, and a Medway Food Partnership board member.

Anchor institutions

Iain Wilkinson

Professor of Sociology and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Kent, where he leads the university's pioneering Right to Food commitment.

What we do

Five work groups, one food system. Each group is led by partners and open to new members. DRAFT COPY

Work group

Catering & Procurement

Public kitchens in Kent and Medway serve hundreds of thousands of meals a week — in schools, hospitals, care homes and leisure centres. This group works to shift that buying power towards local, seasonal, sustainable food: supporting councils and NHS trusts to adopt sustainable food policies, piloting dynamic purchasing that lets small Kent producers sell directly to big kitchens, and helping caterers redesign menus that are healthier for people and planet.

Work group

Food for the Planet

Kent's farmland, orchards and market gardens are the county's biggest opportunity for climate action. This group champions the transition to agroecological farming — building soil health, restoring biodiversity and cutting emissions — through farmer-to-farmer learning, demonstration sites, and practical support to access nature-friendly farming funding.

Work group

Good Food Movement

Change happens when people fall back in love with real food. This group runs campaigns and events that celebrate Kent food culture — from cook-alongs and community meals to seasonal eating challenges — helping households discover local producers and make healthy, sustainable choices that stick.

Work group

Healthy Food for All

No one in Kent or Medway should go hungry, and food support should always come with dignity. This group connects emergency food providers, social supermarkets and community pantries; supports the move from crisis handouts to affordable, membership-based models; and puts people with lived experience of food insecurity at the centre of decisions.

Work group

Sustainable Food Economy

Kent's independent food and drink businesses are the backbone of a resilient local food system. This group supports producers, processors and retailers to grow — mapping gaps in local processing infrastructure, connecting businesses to new markets, and championing the "missing middle" that gets Kent-grown food onto Kent shelves and menus.

Kent Food Map

Your directory of good food across Kent and Medway — from farms and producers to community pantries and cafés. Filter by category, click a pin for details. SAMPLE DATA

Over 100 entries drawn from the partnership's food-access mapping of community gardens, orchards, farms, kitchens, markets, pantries and veg box schemes across Kent & Medway. Locations are approximate (town level) and each entry will be verified with the organisation before launch. Want your organisation on the map? Send us your profile.

Directory

Get involved

The partnership is its members. However you touch the food system, there is a practical way to take part. DRAFT COPY

Growers & producers

Join a network that is opening public-sector and local markets to Kent-grown food — with fair prices and prompt payment. Get support to access nature-friendly farming funding, join farmer-to-farmer learning, and be listed on the Kent Food Map.

Public-sector buyers

Councils, NHS trusts, schools and care providers: use the partnership's tried-and-tested sustainable food policy framework, menu standards and local supplier connections to serve better food without breaking your budget.

Community organisations

Pantries, food banks, community cafés, growing projects: join the Healthy Food for All network to share surplus, funding intelligence and best practice — and reach more of the people who need you via the Kent Food Map.

Volunteers

From community growing days to cook-alongs and events, there are hands-on ways to help across the county. Tell us where you are and what you enjoy, and we'll connect you to partners near you.

Funders

The partnership turns funding into system change — pooling the reach of councils, universities, charities and community organisations behind measurable outcomes for health, climate and local prosperity. Talk to us about co-designing investment in Kent's food system.

Start the conversation

Demo only — in the live site this sends to the partnership inbox.

What's On

Events, training and volunteering days from across the partnership. SAMPLE LISTINGS

13
Aug

Film screening: Derek vs Derek at Bore Place

Chiddingstone · A special preview screening for farmers and landowners of the award-winning documentary about two neighbouring farmers with radically different approaches to land use — and how farming and nature restoration can work side by side. Free tickets; donations welcome on the night. Book via Bore Place.

4
Sept

Feeding Kent's Workforce — business engagement session

Medway · For employers and caterers across Kent & Medway: how local sourcing pledges, healthy workplace standards and the partnership can work for your organisation.

12
Sept

Community growing day at Bore Place

Chiddingstone · A hands-on day in the market garden for volunteers and community growing groups. Tools, training and lunch provided.

24
Sept

Kent Food Partnership quarterly meeting

Online · Open to all members: programme updates from the five work groups and a guest session on dynamic food procurement.

8
Oct

Cook-along: seasonal suppers on a budget

Gillingham · A free community cook-along using Kent-grown autumn veg, with recipes to take home.

Partners: to list an event, send title, date, venue and a link via the contact page.

News

Short updates on the partnership's work. DRAFT POSTS

July 2026

Medway's Sustainable Food Policy heads to scrutiny

The Sustainable Food Policy developed by the partnership with Medway Council — covering everything the council buys, serves and licenses — is moving through the council's approval process. It sets measurable targets for local spend, plant-rich menus and nature-positive sourcing, and Medway NHS Foundation Trust is preparing to adopt the same framework. We believe it is the first binding policy of its kind in Kent, and a template other authorities can pick up.

August 2026

Kent & Medway food systems bid submitted to the National Lottery

The partnership has led a consortium bid to the National Lottery Climate Action Fund with Medway Council, Kent Wildlife Trust, NIAB / Growing Kent & Medway, Social Enterprise Kent and the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich. The bid would scale the Medway model county-wide: institutional kitchens buying Kent-grown, nature-positive food — and the farming transition to supply it.

September 2026

Kent employers invited to join the good food movement

On 4 September the partnership hosts its first business engagement session, bringing large employers together around practical pledges — local sourcing, healthier workplace food and prompt payment for Kent producers.

Contact us

We'd love to hear from you. DRAFT COPY

Reach us directly

hello@kentfoodpartnership.org.uk

Want to join the partnership, volunteer, or get your organisation on the Kent Food Map? Use the form on the Get involved page and it will reach the right person.

Social links (LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook) go here once handles are confirmed.

Join our newsletter

A short monthly round-up of partnership news, events and opportunities.

Demo only — in the live site this connects to the newsletter provider.

Get food support

If you or your family need food today, you are not alone — free, confidential help is available across Kent and Medway. DRAFT — contacts to be verified before launch

1Talk to your local council

Councils can help with emergency food, fuel and essentials. In Kent, search for the Kent Support and Assistance Service at kent.gov.uk. In Medway, search "cost of living help" at medway.gov.uk.

2Find a food bank near you

Use the food bank finder at trussell.org.uk, or contact Citizens Advice, who can refer you and help with the costs behind the crisis. Many Kent food banks also welcome people without a referral.

3Affordable food, week to week

Community pantries and social supermarkets offer a full weekly shop for a few pounds' membership. Find one near you on the Kent Food Map, along with community cafés and fridges.

This page will list verified local contacts and phone numbers at launch. No judgement, ever — these services exist for exactly this moment.