"We run much of this as a co-operative type scheme, where the farmers and other people wishing to sell their produce here don't even need to stand behind the stalls themselves. We can provide them with buttons on tills which will credit them for every kilo sold on their behalf by those down on the floor, whilst they manage their farms, go out to catch fish, produce their fruit drinks, cheeses and wines etc.

"We run a student discount scheme and should they want to, students - and others - can come in at the end of the evening and barter a little for those foods that we insist are kept only for the day of delivery, such as the leafy greens etc., as we ensure certain foods are are always freshly delivered for the next day.

"There is a good variety of food and drink to be found here and in fact the restaurant uses many of them too, further recycling local cash flow. We've even seen a few of the other local restaurateurs in here lately, wondering what our chef is doing right and picking up tips. It's simple really, use only fresh, quality ingredients and the end result is going to be better as a result. It doesn't have to be locally produced, but it does help the local economy if it is of course. Locally produced foods haven't travelled hundreds, if not thousands of miles to get here, so the environmental impact is also lessened."

The restaurant certainly seemed to be buzzing when we visited, the separate coffee and drinks bar also catering for shoppers just enjoying the experience of shopping here. The Goods Shed IS a shopping experience - and a good one. An attractive interior, oak beamed high ceilings, huge windows letting in light from all sides, the restaurant and bar. But above all, the genuine pleasure when shopping at the stalls, manned by people running their own small businesses, proud of what they have for sale and glad to be doing so directly to the public. One part of the current 'normal' shopping experience we didn't miss at all, was "Have you got a club card?"

Several people were also wandering around the various stalls, chatting to the stall holders, asking about the goods on sale and being answered by people with a real knowledge of what they were selling, where it had come from, how it had been produced. It put us in mind of a recent visit to France,the local butchers, bakers etc., had a contant stream of people in and out. But, the French do take their food far more seriously than we do over here it seems, they go out of their way to buy fresh bread more than once a day for instance, rather than bulk buy and freeze.

We found a variety of goods on offer at The Goods Shed, including freshly pressed fruit juices from locally grown fruits (not an "E" number to be found so you can be confident about giving it to your kids ); ciders; wines produced locally from locally grown grapes; speciality cheeses; a huge variety of vegetables, some of which you'd perhaps find it difficult to find elsewhere; fish; meats and meat products, an on site baker (selling bread still hot from the oven and using good quality flour, for flavour and nutritional value); locally produced cakes and confectionery: traditionally smoked (rather than sprayed with smoke flavour and colour) meats and fish; and at prices certainly lower than we'd seen in many supermarkets, whilst shopping there was a real pleasure, rather than a chore.

Packaging is kept to a minimum, the food hasn't travelled hundreds, or even thousands of miles to get to the stall, the quality is high and the prices low, whilst the local economy benefits from your purchases. Altogether a win - win situation.

(Please, as mentioned elsewhere on this web site, mention www.made-in-kent.co.uk as the place you discovered these quality producers.)