Professional Kitchen Hire and Food Innovation Support in Kent
The EKC Innovation Kitchen at The Yarrow in Broadstairs offers flexible, affordable access to a professional kitchen space for small and micro food businesses in Kent. With expert support, specialist equipment, and tailored training, we help producers scale up, streamline production, and develop innovative food products.
Who is the kitchen for?
The EKC Innovation Kitchen has been designed to support new product development for food businesses of any size, and to provide micro and small food businesses with a professional kitchen space to scale up and optimise their production processes.
Flexible kitchen hire options
Small businesses told us that the costs of full-time premise hire can be a blocker to growth, so we’re offering half or full day bookings for the EKC Innovation Kitchen, giving businesses the flexibility to book ad-hoc or regular sessions, and to scale production up or down depending on demand.
Flexible equipment
We’ve invested in specialist equipment to support production processes across a range of food categories. Our Technical Consultant will advise you on the best equipment and configuration of the kitchen space to create an efficient production process for your product, so that you can get the most out of your time in the EKC Innovation Kitchen.
You will also have access to advice from our Food Innovation technical consultant who can provide support and training on:
- HACCP planning
- Product formulation and ingredient costing
- Nutrition calculations
- Food labelling guidance
- Production process flow
- Sensory and consumer testing
- Full Product Manual Development
- Flexible, affordable access to a professional kitchen space
Our Technical Consultants
The EKC Innovation Kitchen is run by Daphne Besseling and David Blair.
Daphne has an MBA and a BSc in Accounting. She also holds a postgraduate qualification in Food Innovation with the University of Greenwich.
Daphne is a local food entrepreneur and has trained in gastronomy, nutrition and food trends at Le Cordon Bleu, London.
She also has qualifications in Supervising Food Safety & Hygiene, as well as HACCP for Food Manufacturing. Daphne is an active Associate Member of the Royal Society of Public Health and holds an accreditation in Algal Biotechnology with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
Meanwhile, David’s path into food innovation has been shaped by a mix of hands-on hospitality roles and technical know-how. He’s worked across the food sector, most recently setting up and running the kitchen of a busy community café. He is especially passionate about inclusive food, exploring global cuisines that naturally suit people with food intolerances or restricted diets.
Alongside his culinary work, David brings technical expertise and a knack for managing maintenance schedules, helping keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. At the EKC Innovation Kitchen, he blends creativity and practicality to make food that’s thoughtful, accessible and efficient.
The Food Community
As part of a vibrant food ecosystem in Kent, EKC Innovation Kitchen can also signpost to other partners with relevant expertise as you look to grow your business.
Want to find out more?
Get in touch with us at innovationkitchen@ekcgroup.ac.uk.
Book a tour of the EKC Innovation Kitchen here.
Pricing detailed here: Pricing – EKC Innovate