A popular food shop has opened its second branch in Kent.

Macknade Fine Foods announced in June it would be coming to Ashford's Elwick Place development, having run a shop in Faversham since 1979.

Following a series of delays, the day has finally come when shoppers and foodies can sample the farm shop's wares.

While the original store is - as managing director Stefano Cuomo puts it - "70% sales, 30% restaurant", the new branch in Ashford is the opposite.

A delicatessen provides a range of cheeses and meats from across the world and the county, while a butcher and salad bar is providing punters with lunch and dinner options.

Its bar will also be serving alcohol from nearby breweries - Tenterden's The Old Dairy Brewery, Folkestone's Angels and Demons, and Leigh Green's Nightingale Cider Company.

This week, opening hours are 9am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday and 9am to 9pm from Friday to Sunday. In future the company hopes to serve customers between 9am and 9pm daily.

Regular customers at its Faversham site were invited to visit on Friday, ahead of the public launch, to test the 20 staff added to the business' roster.

A spokeswoman for the company said: "We've been working on the move-in for a good few months - we've had great support from the team in Faversham, who've helped train the incoming employees to meet the standard we have over there.

"The staff are doing great so far, and we're really impressed.
"We got fantastic feedback on Friday from our regulars who said it was really good, especially in terms of the staff who they said had picked it up really well."

Mr Cuomo echoed this, saying: "It's fantastic just seeing the amount of effort that everyone's put in.

"It's a project we've been working on for years, but to see people coming in and hearing them saying it's looking really good - it's just really exciting and rewarding."

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The site is the first eatery to open in Elwick Place, originally earmarked for eight restaurant or café units upon its opening in December 2018.

Current tenants include the Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre - which launched in December and may move into the nearby County Square Shopping Centre - and 24-hour gym Snap Fitness.

Afro-Caribbean restaurant Dansaki will be opening shortly underneath the 58-room Travelodge unveiled as part of the Elwick Place scheme.

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