Bristol Foodies Festival as it happened - Verity AO
Posted on: 18 May 2016I’d class myself as a “foodie” (someone who greedily orders more than one starter at a restaurant and thinks about food all day long), so I jumped at the chance to visit the Foodies Festival for 365 Bristol and report back with my tastings.
I visited the festival on Sunday, where we were greeted with glorious sunshine matched perfectly with a delicately cool breeze. As we walked around to the entrance I was surprised at the size of the festival; tents, gazebos and bright-coloured food vans stretched out across the downs, dotted with floral bunting, deck chairs and parasols. Upon approaching the festival’s white picket fence, the smell of barbecues and the sound of acoustic guitar floated out to meet us. We were handed tokens to vote for the finalists in the West heat of the British Street Food awards and our VIP ticket. We booked in to see TV celebrity chef and star of BBC’s The Real Marigold Hotel Rosemary Shrager and collected our programme, free fizz voucher and goodie bags. We also signed up to the wine tasting masterclass in the Drinks Theatre, which we were informed had now been changed to a gin tasting. After a sly high-five to each other, my friend James and I followed our noses towards the food.
Feeling particularly ravenous due to skipping breakfast, I headed straight for the Street Food Awards area which was a colourful feast of VW campervans, Minis and even a bike, complete with grills, BBQs and word fired ovens, all with elaborate signage and branding. The Mini Bean Coffee served us a delicious flat white whilst we tried a sample from the uniquely titled Croq and Balls - it was heavenly. After much deliberation I decided upon Happy Maki sushi rolls, filled with delicious avocado, crunchy cucumber and vegetarian duck-style soya pieces, a perfect refreshing breakfast treat! James was tempted by the FFS Dirty Vegan stall, and chose (with a little help from me) a southern fried seitan burger complete with almond aioli. The chap running the stall described it as a KFC style coating, and although I can’t vouch for that, it was simply delicious!
After our extremely late breakfast we headed off to explore the rest of the festival, the colours, sights and smells were exhilarating on the senses. From colourful vegetables displayed on the World Food Cafe stall to the smell of the hanging meat smoking on the Flamin’ Rooster barbecue, we wandered around in awe sampling everything offered to us by the friendly stall vendors. The variety of the food available was wonderful to see, catering for veggies and carnivores alike. The passion behind each lovingly crafted stall, van and tent was conveyed in a unique and aesthetically charming way. Whilst sampling British liquors and tasting local cheeses we met passionate owners who delivered their stories and the history of their companies in such a charismatic and genuine manner that we couldn’t help but mention a few of our favourites. These included the delicious Taste of Game crisps, which included smoked pheasant and grouse flavours. Ramsburysmoked fish and game, a Wiltshire company who urged us to sample their vodka (before midday!) which was amazingly smooth and surprisingly refreshing, even served neat! We also loved tasting the Snowdonia Cheese Company’s different flavours, especially the Amber Mist whisky infused cheese, which we simply couldn’t resist buying a truckle of. Crane’s cranberry brews couldn’t go without a mention; a cranberry-based take on cider in deliciously refreshing flavours and a liqueur that marries perfectly with Prosecco, as I discovered! My personal favourite was the Rose Cottage gin liqueur, in particular the Rosehip and Rhubarb flavour, to which I returned to purchase a small bottle of later in the day.
As we made our way to the Aga Rangemaster Chef’s Theatre for Rosemary Shrager’s demonstration feeling rather full, it was a relief to be sat down without food or drink for a while! Rosemary delighted the crowd as she picked a member of the audience to help her create a dish of spinach tagliatelle with chicken breast. She was hugely entertaining and even broke into song during the demonstration! It was a truly enjoyable show. After almost an entire hour without consuming a morsel, we then headed to the VIP lounge to drink our free glass of champagne whilst being serenaded by a sweet girl with a beautiful voice and her guitar.
On the way to our Silent Pools Distillers gin tasting session at the Drinks Theatre we discovered Lanique, a rose spirit liqueur described as ultimate romance in liquid form – which I couldn’t agree with more. James also discovered a new favourite ale in the form of Sharp’s Wolf Rock Red IPA, a cold-brew spin on the classic Doombar. We were also lucky enough to discover the Sharp’s Secret Bar, which if I could, I would tell you all about but unfortunately I have been sworn to secrecy! It was however an amazing experience and I have now been converted into a lager-loving, beer connoisseur! When we reached the Drinks Theatre for the gin tasting, it didn’t disappoint. We tried two amazingly smooth gins by the Silent Pools Distillers, and learnt about the 24 unique botanicals that shape every beautifully crafted bottle.
Saving the ‘best until last’ so to speak, I dragged James back to the Street Food Awards area for the finale of my over-indulgent, gluttonous day. Mac ‘n’ cheese, always a winner in my eyes, was delivered courtesy of The Mac Factory who provided a gourmet version of my favourite. After much deliberation I went for the La Med Babe: a pesto infusion twist on the classic, topped with their signature parmesan and thyme crumble. It was so delicious I’m seriously debating heading to Camden market soon to get my next fix! Needless to say The Mac Factory won my vote for the British Street Food Awards, whilst FFS Dirty Vegan got the approval of Jim who in his own words described it as “a real gut buster”, breaking the preconceived notion of dainty vegan cuisine.
My famously determined “sweet tooth” took over towards the end of the day, and steered us to Cracking Nuts, where I succumbed to a Snickers Twist ice cream, with cracking cashews and salted caramel, which was simply divine. Cracking Nuts produce all natural hot roasted nuts from North Devon (my neck of the woods!) and I’d highly recommend them. I also couldn’t resist taking home a slice of one of the breathtaking gigantic cakes displayed by Big Bakes Bakery. A difficult decision, but we chose the Toffee Brownie cake, a huge three tier showstopper of toffee sponge sandwiching a decadent layer of rich chocolate brownie, it was exquisite!
After a truly wonderful day spent sampling delicious treats and discovering delectable delicacies, we stumbled home, completely sated and full after our feasting. Not before a quick selfie with Mary Berry though, of course!
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