As the cost-of-living crisis bites, it’s increasingly difficult to justify forking out for fast food as a weekend treat – the rise of the ‘fakeaway’ is truly upon us.

So when I heard a Kent business had formulated a spice blend that not only replicates, but apparently tops the taste of KFC, I had to give it a try.

Faversham-based Salt & Spice is causing a stir with its ‘Kayeffcee’ mix, with fans of the Colonel’s secret recipe said to be flocking to the creekside business to give it a try.

But is it really worth the hassle just to save a few quid? And if it is, will it be any better than the real thing?

To help me out - for I cannot cook - I enlisted my friends Adam and Jon to do the heavy stuff while I stood in the background and looked pretty.

Both of them are self-confessed foodies - with Adam in particular a wannabe chicken connoisseur - and fairly decent in a kitchen.

We took the chance to pay the creator of Kayeffcee a visit at his workplace at Standard Quay.

Dan Salter spent a lot of time travelling in the Middle East, sampling flavours at the greatest bazaars and markets of the world.

His dream was to recreate this Aladdin's cave of colour, aroma and flavours in Faversham and in 2017 he opened his shop with his mum, keen to show locals what they’re missing out on.

After a recent Facebook post saw business boom suddenly, I asked how the birth of this particular mix came about.

“Not long after launching the Salt & Spice brand I was asked by one of our regular customers ‘Do you do a KFC coating-type blend? I’m not happy going there so wanted to make my own’” said the 49-year-old.

“This started me on probably a two-month voyage trying to perfect the secret recipe and I literally ate home-cooked KFC for about two weeks, tweaking the ingredients until I knew it was close.

“I took it into The Phoenix Tavern in Abbey Street, got great feedback, got creative with the play on words to help not get sued.

“For the last six years, it’s been our top seller. We’ve even sent orders back out to the US and last week it went viral on Facebook and we sold out. It’s been crazy.

"I've also actually just sold Salt & Spice, but the business will be staying in Faversham with a lovely young family taking over so no doubt there's an exciting future for the brand."

Dan’s passion is infectious and after smelling the mix I cannot wait to try it. As I leave with a 350g bag of the coating - costing £6 - we’re given a firm warning.

“Let it sit for five minutes, let the coating go pasty otherwise it’ll fall off,” Dan advises.

The next thing we must do is buy eggs, chicken and oil. No need for flour or spices – the Kayeffcee mix does that part for you.

Our box of six organic free-range eggs cost £2.20 from M&S, but obviously it is entirely up to you to shop around and find out what gets you the best value for money.

The same goes for the chicken which cost £12, coming out at £12.63 per kilo. We opted for a ‘Higher Welfare’ brand - also from M&S - but no doubt it’ll be cheaper elsewhere.

Two litres of Pura Vegetable Oil from The Food Warehouse came in at £4.50, but can be reused if you’re willing to put the time in to filter it.

So straight off the bat, our ingredients cost £24.70 which, to be fair, doesn’t seem any less eye-watering than a KFC.

Now, time to get making and tasting.

The first step is to slice the chicken up. We cut the meat into 12 large fillets - which was a mistake in hindsight. That’s a lot of chicken in one serving.

I’m told by Adam and Jon that double-dipping is the best way to thoroughly coat the chicken. First the mix, then the egg and then back to the mix.

The coating itself is a widely varied concoction, with the smell of the celery salt dominating the kitchen - it’s better than it sounds.

And with paprika, white and black pepper, garlic powder, mustard powder, ground ginger, thyme, basil and oregano all featuring, there’s a lot going on.

Given that I’ve previously been critical of KFC I feel it is only fair to directly compare the two and with Deliveroo set to drop off a few of the chain’s mini fillets, we crack on.

We choose to take two approaches to the cooking part. First of all is the traditional frying method, using oil. We also figure we should air fry a few.

Apparently we’re waiting for the chicken to float and, with the help of Adam’s thermometer, we can see things are ticking along quite nicely for the old-fashioned method.

The air fryer technique is struggling. The coating isn’t holding up as well as we had hoped and it’s taking a lot longer than hoped. In my opinion, it doesn’t work.

But the smell of the kitchen is truly magnificent and is making our bellies rumble with such ferocity it sounds like we could be starting a heavy metal band.

And in no time at all we’re able to rescue the now golden-coated fillets from the scalding hot oil and let them drain and cool down.

First of all, we try the KFC mini fillets. To my surprise, they’re not bad.

Unlike my last KFC, there’s real flavour in it. The chicken itself is a bit dry but the coating is a solid effort.

But now for the fakeaway. In a word - phenomenal. Jon’s verdict is“scintillating” while Adam calls it “fresh”. Without blowing too much smoke, words struggle to do it justice.

It’s a sleeker style than its counterpart, it’s cleaner, fresher, the aftertaste is gorgeous. My only complaint is there’s too much chicken, which is a very first-world problem to have.

But the taste of the coating, the thing that really matters, it’s astonishing. One bite offers a bit of paprika, the next some salt and garlic - it’s a poetic dance for your tastebuds.

What I would say about the coating is the salt content is very high - coming in at a whopping 159% of your recommended intake per 150g of the mix.

In terms of calories, 150g of Kayeffcee mix equals 23% of your daily dose. When you add the rest of the meal in, it does accumulate.

But this isn’t an every day use sort of product. This is designed to inspire people to pick a healthier, more ethical way of doing things.

So, was it better than the real thing? A resounding yes from all three of us, and a win for local businesses all round.

But is it worth the bother to save a bit of cash?

The 350g mix of Kayeffcee coating from Salt & Spice cost £6 and we used around two thirds of it, making 12 large fillets. Per fillet, that amounts to 33p.

We lost just shy of 100ml of oil in the cooking process, meaning we actually only used 22.5p of oil - let’s round it up to 23p.

We used three out of the six eggs - which was overkill - and this means really it only cost £1.10.

The M&S chicken was £12 for 950g, each fillet wound up costing about £1 - but there’s no reason this couldn’t be cheaper if you cut the chicken up into smaller pieces.

So if you already have the ingredients then you’ll save even more. My four fillets realistically cost about £5.68 - £1.42p a fillet.

If I’d have used less expensive chicken - Aldi sells it at £6.07 per 950g - then I think it would have gone down to £3.68 per four fillets - about 92p per fillet.

For context, KFC currently sells one mini fillet - which is significantly smaller than ours - for £2.19, and a four-piece Boneless Meal with fries, drink and a dip is £9.49.

If you do it properly, it’s a lot cheaper but it is a lot more time-consuming, especially if you decide to filter the oil afterwards.

So if you’re someone who gets no enjoyment from cooking and isn’t having to count the pennies then this may not be your sort of Saturday night activity.

But if you’re willing to put in the extra effort, don’t mind a bit of mess and want a better tasting, cheaper and more fun meal, go for it.

Make no mistake, Dan’s created a top-class coating that celebrates the traditions of the American South. It’s like KFC on steroids - it really is brilliant.