Jeff Kipp, the chef owner of Saltwood on the Green restaurant near Hythe, has made the three-man shortlist for Chef of the Year in this year's Kent Life and Kent on Sunday Food & Drink Awards.

Saltwood on the Green, Jeff's first restaurant, opened in the picturesque village of Saltwood's former general store in 2014.

The American-born chef has worked in some of the world's top kitchens, including Gordon Ramsay, Charlie Trotter's, Duck & Waffle and Sushi Samba.

Determined by public voting, the other two Chef of the Year finalists are Michael Fowler of Wallett's Court and The Ambrette's Dev Biswal.

The competition now moves on the judging stage, where finalists will be visited, interviewed and assessed for the quality of their cooking, provenance of local produce, ambience and service.

The prestigious awards, which launched in 2013, are designed to champion, highlight and offer a showcase to the good and the great from the region's food and drink industry, including local producers and suppliers, small farming businesses, chefs, restaurants, pubs and hoteliers. All the finalists are people who care about the countryside and the future of our local environment.

The winners will be announced at an awards dinner at Ashford International Hotel on 15th October 2015.

“In Kent, we have some incredibly talented chefs working in some of the best restaurants in the UK, so it's a great honour to be on the shortlist,” said chef Jeff.

The restaurant has started receiving national recognition having been featured in The Observer, Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun and The Week in recent months, which Kipp says is having a positive effect on the local economy.

“It's great to be recognised in our local media and be nominated for this prestigious award by our loyal local customers, but the national coverage has attracted scores of gastro tourists from much further afield, who are staying in local hotels, using B & Bs and spending money in the area's shops,” said Kipp.

The full awards nomination list is : Farmers' Market - Penshurst, Tonbridge, Knockholt; Farm Shop - MB Farms, Fullers Farm Shop, Kelseys Farm Shop; Newcomer - Cookery Studio Kent, Badlesmere, Paramour Pie Club, Ash, The Yard, Faversham; Food Producer - Simply Ice Cream, Solleys Ice Cream, Curiously Kentish; Drink Producer - Chapel Down, Anno Distillers, Wise Owl Cider; Independent Food and Drink Retailer -The Cheese Box, Margate Smokehouse, Steve the Fish; Tea Shop - Tiny Tim's; Bessie's Tea Parlour, Creek Creative; Customer Service - Three Tuns, Challock Village Shop and Post Office, Longfield Butchers; Pub of the Year - The Compasses Inn, Oyster Pearl, The Milk House; Chef of the Year - Jeff Kipp, Saltwood on the Green, Dev Biswal, The Ambrette, Michael Fowler, Wallett's Court; Restaurant of the Year - The Marquis at Alkham, The Corner House, Chapter One.The Kent Life Food and Drink Hero of the Year shortlist and winner will be announced at the awards.

ENDS

Editors' Notes

Saltwood on the Green restaurant is an intimate, neighbourhood restaurant located in the picturesque village of Saltwood. Housed in the village's former General Store, built in 1900, the building has undergone a loving and painstaking restoration process. Guests can enjoy a cocktail or full dining service at the bespoke, hand-finished Colombian pine bar.

Led by American-born owner chef Jeff Kipp (ex Gordon Ramsay, Duck & Waffle, Sushi Samba and Charlie Trotter's) Saltwood on the Green is fast gaining a reputation for simple, but exciting, cooking with an emphasis on light bites and sharing plates. Kipp creates enticing modern British dishes with a contemporary American twist, utilising the best the abundance of local ingredients from carefully chosen producers has to offer.

Before opening Saltwood on the Green quietly last year, Kipp claims to have “done the hard work up front having spent time to painstakingly locate the best suppliers and ingredients,” adding, “Working with the seasons, the dishes create themselves – all you have to do is get out of the way.” 

The original pine flooring has been exposed and sash windows returned to working order. An entire wall of the restaurant is devoted to the store's original shelving. The room's earthy tones are illuminated by vintage industrial fixtures and caged Edison bulbs. Framed historical photographs of village life documented from the 1900s include oil on canvas by local designer and artist Jo Chapman.

Weekly changing menus are likely to feature local fish from Dungeness Fish Hut and Grigg's of Hythe, local Highland cattle, Salt Marsh lamb, rare-breed pork and Kentish chickens.

Media Contact: Photos, menus and recipes available. To review the restaurant or arrange competition prizes, contact: George Shaw, Avocado Media T: 01892 750851 M: 07860 695555 E: geo@avocadomedia.co.uk

Open: Tuesday-Saturday for breakfast/coffee, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch; Tues-Saturday 9am – 11pm, Sundays for brunch/lunch 11.30 – 5pm.

Saltwood on the Green

The Green, Saltwood, Kent. CT21 4PS.

T: 01303 237 800 W: www.saltwoodrestaurant.co.uk

E:  info@saltwoodrestaurant.co.uk Tw: @Saltwood Green