- Following 1.4K
- Followers 193.1K
- Engagement 1.11%
- Avg likes 2.2K
- Avg comments 42
About Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford (@shwenshwenbymaria) is an Entrepreneur creator on Instagram. The account has 193,082 followers and 1,405 published posts. Recent posts average 2,170 likes and 42 comments, an engagement rate of 1.11%.
An audience of 193.1K puts Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford in the mid-tier, between 100,000 and 1 million followers. Set against 1,367 accounts followed, the audience works out to about 141 followers per account Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford follows. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford is set up as an Instagram business account. Flinque files Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford under a single category, Entrepreneur.
The Instagram bio for Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford runs to 20 words across 2 lines. The latest activity Flinque has on record for Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford dates from December 2025.
Story Highlights
Unlocking shows the title and cover image of every story highlight this creator keeps pinned to the profile.
1,405 Posts
Of the 10 most recent posts shown for Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford, 5 are carousels, 3 are videos and 2 are single images. No single format accounts for most of them. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford has built a substantial archive of 1,405 posts. Against the audience, that is roughly 137 followers for each post published. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford also keeps 32 story highlights on the profile. All 10 carry captions, averaging 152 words each. The captions are written mainly in English. Words that recur across them include sevenoaks, kent, sierra, been and leonean. The captions tag #sevenoaks, #kent, #shwenshwenbymaria, #shwenshwenrestaurant and #shwenshwen.
Introducing our new Express Lunch Menu, perfectly crafted for your midday cravings! Great if you’re catching up with friends or enjoying a moment to yourself.
Join us Thursdays to Saturdays and experience lunch done right!
Book your table now!
#shwenshwen #expresslunch #shwenshwenbymaria #sevenoaks #kent
January had me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed and down right petrified for what was to come. I collected the keys in February and the refurbishment works kicked off in earnest and ran till opening day 6th June.
The launch was well received and we got great coverage in publications from Kent Life, FT Magazine, The Caterer, Guardian Feast, Waitrose Weekend, Broadsheet, Leiths, The Observer, Olive magazine, FT Globetrotter to name a few.
We entered restaurant of the Year at the BIH hospitality awards, were shortlisted but unfortunately did not win. Nonetheless my team and I had an absolute ball!
We’ve learnt necessary, expensive and painful lessons in our first six months of trading, but we’ve also overcome challenges and established ourselves and our reputation. I’ve learnt that restaurant business is brutal, energy costs, staffing and a lack of support from the Government make it really hard. But I've also learnt that we have so many wonderful supporters in Sevenoaks and beyond who are delighted we’ve arrived and appreciate what we do and how hard we work.
My community, friends, guests and suppliers have grown in ways I could’ve only dreamed of. Our first six months has been nothing short of a blessing.
We’ve got over 100 five star reviews on Google and trip advisor. Every order, every message, every repost, every word of support… it truly means the world. Thank you for choosing us, supporting a small independent restaurant, and believing in the vision 🫶🏽
Those who’ve read my cookbook Sweet Salone will know of my relationship and inspiration is from my Grandmother and sadly in September she passed away at home in Bo Town, Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 from Breast Cancer. It was expected but devastating nonetheless.
By the end of the year my debut restaurant now features in the Michelin Guide (A first for a Sierra Leonean inspired restaurant)
Moreover, we were featured in FT Globetrotter's list of best 20 London restaurants with the FT having made an exception for us!
#ayearinreview
#shwenshwenbymaria
#Kent
#Sevenoaks
***Please continue in comments***
Music by PEACE ✌️
What have been your top tables this year?
#financialtimes #ftweekend #ftglobetrotter #londonwiththeft london londonrestaurants
Thrilled doesn’t even begin to cover it!
I’m absolutely delighted to be featured among London’s best new restaurants of 2025 in the Financial Times, FT Globetrotter.
Many thanks to the FT and Jay Rayner for the thoughtful recognition. It’s such an honor for our Kent-based Shwen Shwen to be celebrated despite not being in London. We are extremely grateful.
Wow wow wow … what an end to the year and our first six months since opening!!
#londonfoodguide #financialtimestopnewrestaurant2025 #bestnewrestaurant #kent #sevenoaks
As the year comes to a close, the season reminds us the best moments are shared around a table. It’s been a busy year, my staff and I are taking a well deserved break to rest, reset and spend time with our loved ones.
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has dined with us, supported us and have spoken about us with such kindness to others. Without you all, I am certain that what was already a hectic and demanding year would have been all the more challenging.
Thank you so much for being a part of our journey, we cannot wait to welcome you back in January!
For now, from our table to yours, we wish you a warm, peaceful, and joyful holiday season.
PS. A special thanks to those who have left such lovely reviews online!!! It really does bring a smile to the faces of us all at Shwen Shwen.
#shwenshwenrestaurant #sevenoaks #kent #storytelling #christmas2025
Read more at the link in bio. For more restaurant openings, sign up to Broadsheet London’s newsletter.
📸
It’s a tribute to Mariama Kabba, her village and a visual thread connecting Shwen Shwen to the people, places, and memories that shaped my journey.
May it remind every guest who dines at Shwen Shwen that our stories travel with us, and that home is something we can share.
#shwenshwenrestaurant #ShwenShwenByMaria #sevenoaks #kent #independentrestaurant
I’ve come to believe that modern fine dining doesn’t need to be fussy to feel extraordinary. The most memorable food experiences aren’t created through spectacle, they’re created through intention.
Fine dining may simply be meticulous craft and deep flavour without dressing it up in unnecessary ceremony. A plate can honour heritage, seasonality, and technique, yet arrive at the table with a grounded, unpretentious grace. Service can be attentive without hovering, generous without performing.
I have come to learn that, true luxury lies in honesty: the integrity of an ingredient, the story behind a dish, the feeling that someone has cooked for you, not at you. When the noise is stripped away, what remains is sincerity and guests can feel it.
At Shwen Shwen, that’s the standard we follow, quiet confidence over fuss, depth over decoration, and elegance rooted in the very soul of the cuisine.
Some might call it fancy, but we call it Shwen Shwen
Photo by
#pepefish #shwenshwenrestaurant #shwenshwenbymariabradford #sevenoaks #kent
Some call it fancy, we call it Shwen Shwen … and it brings me huge pride and pleasure to announce that our restaurant has been recognised by the MICHELIN Guide. From Freetown to the world, Sierra Leonean flavours now sit proudly on one of the biggest culinary stages on the planet. The first Sierra Leonean inspired Restaurant in the Guide.
This is me, a Sierra Leonean-born woman, cooking Sierra Leonean-inspired food, our team and restaurant standing proudly on a global stage.
For every Sierra Leonean who longed to see our food recognised…the guide says "Colourful, unfussy and joyous" that sums up our Sweet Salone.
For every Black woman carving her own path in kitchens where we were never meant to shine…
For the storytellers, the dreamers, the culture-keepers…
I will say three things
1) This is heritage.
2) This is representation.
3) This is African food climbing the food hierachy.
To every young Black girl who wonders if her dreams are “too big”…
To every Sierra Leonean who never sees their culture in the spotlight…
To everyone who believes that food is a powerful form of storytelling…
To me fambul dem, I hope this moment inspires you as much as it honours where we come from. From Freetown to Sevenoaks to the world… we move. This was never about me, this is us!
Salone to the world and back.
#ShwenShwen #michelinguide2025 #sierraleoneancuisine #shwenshwenbymaria #sierraleonestories
I am, always have been, and always will be proud of my Sierra Leonean heritage. Our Sweet Salone is a small country on the west coast of Africa, which gleams with life. Throughout its history, Sierra Leone has always embraced diversity – and this willingness to discover and grow has shaped Sierra Leone’s rich food culture. Forged by history, people and place, the cuisine is completely unique.
The book is available to pre-order on Amazon and via most good bookstores through the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
The inspiration for this cover comes from Sierra Leonean Country Cloth. Country cloth or ("kpokpo") is a centuries-old traditional textile of Sierra Leone. Woven on a drop spindle, using locally sourced raw cotton and ink from tree bark, country cloth was the traditional garb of paramount chiefs and had varied uses as hammocks and bedspreads.
I would like to thank the amazing Dave Brown (a.k.a White boy snap snap) who designed this cover. He’s an award-winning designer and photographer who travelled with me to Sierra Leone for location photography.
Sweet Salone will be out this July, but you can pre-order your copy today through the link in my bio. I can’t wait to share more about the book with you over the next few months, and for everyone to get cooking!
#sweetsalone
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford's engagement
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford's engagement rate on Instagram is 1.11%, between 1% and 3%, or 1 to 3 likes and comments per 100 followers. On a typical post that comes to about 1 like or comment for every 90 followers. Likes outnumber comments by roughly 52 to 1, with 2,170 likes and 42 comments on an average post, so most reactions are taps rather than replies.
Engagement rate
1.11%
- Avg likes
- 2.2K
- Avg comments
- 42
- Interactions : followers
- 1 : 90
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Frequently asked questions
These answers about Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford are generated from the Instagram profile data Flinque holds for the account.
Who is Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford?
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford (@shwenshwenbymaria) is an Entrepreneur creator on Instagram. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford is set up as an Instagram business account. The Instagram bio for Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford runs to 20 words across 2 lines.
How many followers does Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford have?
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford has 193,082 followers on Instagram (193.1K). Set against 1,367 accounts followed, the audience works out to about 141 followers per account Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford follows. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford has built a substantial archive of 1,405 posts.
What is Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford's engagement rate?
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford's engagement rate on Instagram is 1.11%, between 1% and 3%, or 1 to 3 likes and comments per 100 followers. On a typical post that comes to about 1 like or comment for every 90 followers. Likes outnumber comments by roughly 52 to 1, with 2,170 likes and 42 comments on an average post, so most reactions are taps rather than replies.
What does Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford post about on Instagram?
Flinque files Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford under a single category, Entrepreneur. Of the 10 most recent posts shown for Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford, 5 are carousels, 3 are videos and 2 are single images. The 10 recent Instagram captions Flinque holds for Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford repeatedly use the words sevenoaks, kent, sierra, been and leonean. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford's captions carry hashtags such as #sevenoaks, #kent and #shwenshwenbymaria. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford writes those captions mainly in English. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford keeps 32 story highlights, which open with a free Flinque account.
How do I contact Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford for a collaboration?
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford's contact details are not published on Flinque's public profile. The Instagram bio links to 2 external sites, and a free Flinque account opens those links. The account is registered as an Instagram business account. Brands with a free Flinque account can shortlist Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford and use Flinque's outreach tools wherever a contact route is on file.
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