We asked. You voted. And voted. And voted… The competition was incredible this year. Are you ready for this? Reaching over 10 million people nationally in eight weeks, more than 515,000 votes were cast nationwide! To win a Muddy Award (and one that’s entirely based on the public vote at that) is definitely something to shout from the rooftops.

Naturally, it was time to raise a glass (or several) to the best indie businesses in Kent 2024, as voted by you, at our annual Muddy Awards party.

So our 2024 Kent Muddy Stilettos Awards winners gathered together for an evening of celebration this week at Mereworth Wines, nestled in (you guessed it) Mereworth, producing award-winning world-class English Sparkling Wine from fruit grown in their own vineyards.

Frankly, the whole thing was a blast from beginning to end. Getting to meet inspirational, creative people – after all finding brilliant local businesses is right at the heart of Muddy and we really do love it.

Running a business requires great effort and to make it a successful one that brightens up our daily lives, adding to our community, is no mean feat. So it’s an honour to be able to celebrate this on behalf of hard-working business owners across Kent.

And these winning businesses should feel proud. ALL the Finalists were a hugely talented bunch and the battle to reach the finals was insane.

So to then win is an incredible achievement, with hundreds and hundreds of businesses nominated from all corners of the county, from teeny-tiny villages, to our bigger towns.

Mark Sargeant Best Restaurant in Kent Muddy Awards Restaurant MS

But without you lovely readers there would be no party and no awards, so it’s a big heartfelt THANK YOU from me and the Muddy team for taking your time to vote and give your local favourites a pat on the back, you’ve really shown how in love with local you are. Your support means everything to them.

We all enjoyed a glass (or three) of something chilled, thanks to the wonderful Mereworth Wines and Turners Cider who generously donated drinks for the night and our sensational soft drinks were donated by award-winning Owlet Fruit Juice (pictured above).

There was also sensational tasty bites from events catering experts Vittle & Swig (pictured above) finished with refreshing ice cream from Simply Ice Cream (pictured below).

One final thank yous to our brilliant creative team we had on the evening!

Photographer Mollie Manning capturing the story of you and your business so well (take 1 min out to look at her website and you’ll see what I mean). She’s worked with some great local brands and influencers.

Plus our drone operator and videographer James Cross from Cross Visuals who went above and beyond (literally!) to capture the beautiful evening and we can’t wait to share soon.

Thank you to all of you who voted and made the awards possible. It’s our biggest pleasure to support brilliant local businesses and tell you about them so you can enjoy them too!

Pop the corks! It’s the 2024 Muddy Awards party

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