STROLLING into the Goods Shed in Canterbury on a bright Saturday lunchtime, my nieces, Amy, four, and Maddie, 11, were instantly distracted by the piles of homemade chocolates.

Just as well, too. As the girls eyed the luscious-looking truffles they failed to notice the line of rabbits hanging behind the butcher's counter in the former railway shed that has been converted into a daily farmers' market and restaurant.
 
For children more accustomed to the Sainsbury's version of meat, sanitised and packaged, I felt the butcher's bunnies, close cousins of those we had seen pinging about behind our cottage that morning, might be just too real.
Real, however, is what the Goods Shed is all about.

The market is home to farming co-operatives and specialist producers of everything from apple juice to sourdough bread.

Alongside sits the Goods Shed restaurant, with a menu that changes each day according to what the producers bring in.

The scrubbed wood tables are as rustic as the food on offer - steaming bowls of butternut squash soup, piles of glinting mussels soaked in tarragon cream sauce and succulent free-range chicken, served on mashed potato and greens pulled from the Kent soil.

The Garden of England is in flower again. From the 17th century onwards, Kent was dominated by horticulture; hops for the breweries, fruit orchards and farmlands, but in recent times the county's proximity to London has turned many of the towns and villages into homes for commuters and rural occupations have started to disappear.

Happily, it's a process that is being reversed. As interest in farmers' markets and local produce grows, so Kent is rediscovering its foodie roots.

We started our gourmet tour early on Saturday in picturesque Wye, near Ashford. Its market is strict about selling goods produced within 30 miles of the village but it did not seem to restrict what was on offer.

In our supermarket-dominated age it was a delight to see the children become more involved with food;
Maddie began a long discussion about the best recipe for scones with the lady from Mead Farm Cakes, while Amy couldn't quite believe she was allowed to try several types of fudge (and all before breakfast). Both were a little startled when I bought ciderinfused cheese from Tom's Cheeses and fat, gamey sausages that bore little relation to the supermarket variety.

Part of the joy of Kent's being the Garden of England is the chance to get out and explore the source of the produce rather than just buy it.

Brogdale Horticultural Trust, just outside Faversham, is home to the National Fruit Collection, the biggest variety of fruit trees in the world.

Guided tours are available but we chose to amble between the trees, promising we would return in spring when the blossom must be breathtaking.

The cone-shaped roofs of the oast houses that dot the Kent countryside are all that's left of the hop-growing industry but the chalky soil means that Kent is fast becoming the wine capital of England.

Tenterden Vineyard, home of Chapel Down Wines, is the biggest winery in the country and it proved to be a successful family attraction. The girls were delighted to let off steam, running around the grounds and the herb garden, while we grown-ups tried a couple of vintages in the wine shop. Our days in Kent were blessed with glorious blue skies, making the rolling countryside seem even more appealing.

Driving back to our cottage from the busy streets of Canterbury (after a stop in Madame Oiseau, where lip-smacking chocolates are made on the premises), pastoral landscapes stretched out before us; neat lines of cabbages catching the winter light, sheep rambling around the fields.

In the evening, with a fire blazing in the lounge, the children took a delight in helping to prepare dinner; snapping sprouts off the stem, pricking the sausages and washing mud off the cabbage and as we sat around the table, candles burning, we all agreed that the best thing about discovering Kent's foodie haunts was tucking into the produce we'd brought home.

INFORMATION:

Rural Retreats (01386 701177/ www. ruralretreats. co. uk) offers three nights' self-catering at Little Gains from £621 (eight sharing).

Wye Farmers' Market is held every first and third Saturday of each month. The Goods Shed: 01227 459153/ www. producedinkent. co. uk.

Brogdale Horticultural Trust: 01795 535286/www. brogdale. org.

Kent Tourism: 01271 336020/ www. visitsoutheastengland. com.