Yesterday I was in foodie heaven - or more specifically cheese, baked goods, wine and hot sauce heaven! It was my virgin visit to the BBC Good Food Show held at Olympia and although I had a really great time - it didn't completely live up to my expectations, but then again maybe mine were too high!
Well what we tasted certainly was tasty...and it started with cheese. Those who know me will know that cheese really is one of my weaknesses, and in this respect the show didn't disappoint. Everywhere you looked were huge displays of chunky parmesan, crumbly cheddar, creamy brie and camembert and even some really cool flavoured cheese - like caramelised red onion and rioja from the Cheshire Cheese Company
Next were the olive oils and rapeseed oils and smoked oils from the Artisan Smokehouse amongst others, absolutely delicious but I'm pretty sure I can't just eat bread dipped in oil all the time - isn't that bad for you? I have made it my resolution to try and use more interesting oils in my cooking - and that was my biggest disappointment with stalls like this one - they offered no interesting uses for their wares, just handed out samples but didn't give you any ideas as to how to actually use them!
Next came the true stars of the show - the chutneys, pickles, curry pastes and hot sauces. They were everywhere! Good on Levi Roots for starting the trend - there's nothing like a good sauce to really lift a dish, but my word was my mouth tingling by the end of the day - and it's official, there really are only so many hot sauces you can try in a day before they all start rolling into one.
That said, I did buy a gorgeous chilli jam to go with my cheeses, and there was one bad boy which really stole the show....
That's right ladies and gents...the devil's waste. Seriously. strong. stuff.
Now desperately in need of refreshment, but struggling to find water anywhere (another negative...) we stumbled across the next best thing...The Harris Whisky Company where we tried this most beautifully smooth 12 Year Old Dailuaine.
Followed by the hugely contrasting but equally delicious caramel rum from Aguere. Served chilled over ice for the perfect alternative post-Christmas digestif.
I was disappointed not to see more of this available to try as it is possibly one of my favourite things ever...
But spreadable sausage was pretty good!!
After a lot of wine tasting upstairs things were getting a bit hazy and quite crowded, so we finished off the day touring the baked good trying to choose which to take home for the ride! The Little Round Cake Company did it for me with these incredible choccie delights and beautifully marbled meringues!
Followed closely by these gorgeous Christmas Cupcakes - LOVE!
And this beautiful rainbow of macaroons and choux buns...
For me the show lacked quite a lot of fresh produce, and didn't have the variety of food on show as I had expected. The stalls also didn't make the most of showing visitors how to use their products in real-life cooking! Despite that we had a lovely day, and went home thoroughly stuffed!
