A survey has named Kent the joint best place for food and drink along the UK’s coastline.
Broadstairs, Deal, Folkestone and Whitstable all received five stars for their culinary offerings from consumer champion magazine Which?.
Cornwall was the only county other than Kent to also have four towns – Falmouth, Looe, Padstow, and St Ives – scoring the highest grades for food and drink.
The researchers were particularly impressed with Broadstairs, which came out on top overall for the south east region, even trumping the likes of Brighton.
Speaking on the selection, senior researcher and writer, Trevor Baker, says: “This old-fashioned seaside town, once a favourite of Charles Dickens, has Kent’s best beaches – as well as some of the best food on the south east coast.
“Independent restaurants look out over the fishing boats and sea views that once charmed Dickens.
“Broadstairs becomes busy in the summer (parking got just one out of five stars), but walk along the coast and you’ll find lots of smaller, secluded bays where you can enjoy a bit more peace and quiet.”
Alongside the top marks for food and drink, Broadstairs also scored four stars for its beaches. Its overall score of 75% narrowly beat Lymington in Hampshire for the best spot in the south east.
Deal had an overall score of 71%, Whistable 66% and Folkestone 65% in the round-up by Which?.
Margate did not make the list, despite earlier this year being crowned the “king of the Kent coast” by the Michelin Guide, boasting three of the county’s starred restaurants.
In total, 28 towns in the country received full marks for food and drink.
