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BBC Good Food Show Winter Part 1

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This is a rather hurriedly put together brief recap of today at the BBC Good Food Show. I will post a more in depth review later in the week with some better photos but for now this is a quick look at what I loved today and what you should most certainly check out if you are heading there this weekend.

Let’s start at the beginning of my day in a very well stocked press room. I hadn’t had breakfast and I made a rather delicious starter choice of Twinings redbush and one ( or two) of Baru dark chocolate covered marshmallows with salted caramel. Oh my. I could happily have sat there and eaten them all.day.long.

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I did of course have to move on and here are a few of the stalls/products that I loved and that you NEED to visit. I will add more info about the companies to my full review later this weekend:

Pictured below: Ardens UK, Pips Sauces, BC confectioners, Tarte and Berry, For Heavens Stake and The Garlic Farm.

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Pictured below: Delicious Alchemy, QCumber, Spicentice, Doble & Bignall, Curry Dave and Fifth Dimension Chocolates.

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There are lots more that I loved but I need to upload those from my real camera so if I saw you and chatted and said I loved your product then I did honestly but my brain is a fuddle..and it’s 11.30pm and I’m sleeeepy.

A very quick mention to a few more that I loved:

Farrington Oils – amazing rapeseed oil.
Bonbonniere Chocs – most amazing truffles.
Williams Handbaked – seriously good oaty biscuits
Swifts Bakery – epic breads.
Raisthorpe Manor – awesome raspberry gin

Also head to the Supertheatre for amazing chef demos, the Lurpak, Hotpoint, Kenwood and Sous Vide Tools stands for general food and gadget love.

Follow the hashtags #GFSBLOGGERS for lots more recommendations and the #GFSWINTER for offers and show news. If you still haven’t bought a ticket you can use code BL15 for 15% off all weekend and I will leave you with this last pic of me with a very lovely pair of gentlemen who I would love to spend an evening of food and drinks at the pub with:

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10 Things To Do/See/Buy at BBC Good Food Show Winter

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The months are flying by so quickly this year and I can’t quite believe it’s the Winter BBC Good Food Show this week but I’m so excited!

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that I’m a BBC Good Food Show blogger which means that as well as sharing discount codes and ticket competitions with you lot that I get to go to the show and get up close and personal with the traders and sometimes the celebrity chefs! At the last show we met Paul Hollywood and this time we are catching up with The Hungry Bikers which I’m massively excited about.

Here are 10 things I think you should eat/do/visit/see at the show this year:

1. Do your Christmas gift Shopping:

Presents for everyone sorted under one roof. Fancy something a bit different as a stocking filler? Why not visit stand F56 and get some mug brownies from BakedIn – take it from me you won’t regret it!image

2. Plan your festive menu:

Struggling to keep your dairy/gluten free guests happy with home baked goods this Christmas? Why not try these delicious mixes from Delicious Alchemy over on stand G134 … I love their oaty biscuits.image

3. Time to fill up your drinks cabinet:

With a selection of whisky and wine, Gin and Rum.. Even kits to make your own cider simply by adding water. Something for everyone and lots of beer too!

4. Check out the Supertheatre. Catch demos from chefs such as: John Torode, James Martin, Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry, Lorraine Pascale and Hairy Bikers.

5. The Good Food Show is all about the EATS. As in: Eat. All. The. Samples :

There are zillions of free samples at the show and it’s just plain rude to say no so definitely try before you buy.

6. Have lunch at The BBC Good Food Kitchen – reservations are recommended. The menu looks incredible…. Fancy lunch on the go instead? Try popping over to stand B74 and trying some of the gorgeous bakes from Swift’s bakery – some of the best breads I’ve tasted.

7. Is an afternoon tea more your thing? You could check out the Cakes and Bakes tea garden which is a bit of a bargain at £21.95 for two people and includes some great treats including carrot cake by Marcus Bean.

7. Bonkers about beer? You could visit The Great British Beer Experience Sponsored by CAMRA.

8. How about some live demos at the Hotpoint Kitchen from chefs such as Valentine Warner and Lisa Faulkner? Hotpoint will also have some great show deals on offer.

9. Get your favourite cookbooks signed by top chefs .. You could even indulge a cookbook obsession by buying one or two while you are there. I recommend Marcus Bean, Chicken: The New Classics – ooh and he is there signing away on Saturday.

10. Pretend you are part of The Great British Bake off by attending a show at The Cakes and Bakes stage, enjoy Masterclass, chef demos and live cookalongs!

If you are thinking of attending the show but you haven’t yet got tickets then you need to buy them and use discount code BL15 to get an awesome 15% off. Say hello if you see me at the show. 🙂

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Reasons To Visit The BBC Good Food Show. 11-20

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Sorry for the delay in writing the second part of my series about the BBC Good Food Show bit I’ve just returned from a week away in Kent and various parts of London. It’s been a chaotic month but the BBC Good Food show was definitely a major highlight. I am already counting down the months until the winter shows.

Without further ado let’s dive into reasons 11-20 of why you should visit the BBC GFS.

11. There is a good chance you will meet a celeb chef. If you are a little bit in love Mary Berry .. or the silver fox aka Paul Hollywood then your dreams could come true:

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12. You get to try before you buy. On pretty much anything. There are samples galore and it’s rude to say no so maybe skip breakfast before you go – ooh that rhymed.

13. Even more cooking demos. It’s not just the Supertheatre you need to visit to see your favourite chefs in action but also the Belling Live and Summer kitchen too. Chefs this year included: Greg Wallace, Lisa Faulkner and Shelina Permaloo amongst others.

14. You will see products you have never heard of before.. Like strawberry mint from Urban Herbs or honey beer from Hiver. This could also be your only chance to buy them, for example Urban Herbs only do collection rather than delivery so if you don’t live to near them then the Good Food Show is your only place to stock up ..and you need Urban Herbs in your life.

15. Gadgets galore. You know all those must have gadgets you just NEED..well you can see them in action and try dishes that have been created my chefs demoing them. Vitamix, Braun, Morphy Richards and Kenwood are just a few of the brands at the show. I heart my Vitamix.

16. Cocktails at Home Masterclass – a new addition to the show and a very exciting one. Learn how to make three cocktails under the watchful tutoring of cocktail gurus Tom Soden & Frankie Campopiano and learn all about essential cocktail kit and ingredients.

17. MasterChef Street Food visited the BBC Good Food Show Summer with their wonderfully converted double-decker Routemaster bus, with delicious street food cooked by MasterChef Champion Mat Follas (Champion 2009) and Jackie Kearney (Finalist 2011).
Dishes included a Smoky Chicken Burger, Singapore Scallops (Queenie scallops and Crab Bisque with Rice Noodles), Banh Mi Buddha Sandwich, and two delicious ice creams: Lavender & Lemon and Walnut & Miso.

18. Back to the celeb chef thing. If you are a cookbook addict ( like me ) you can get your cookbook fix and even get them signed by numerous chefs at signing sessions throughout the day. Here is Michel Roux Jr at a show last year:

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19. Gifts. You can buy some really lovely presents at the show. Things that people are not always able to buy in the shops. Stock up!

20. Wine tasting Masterclass hosted by Sue Atkins – what a way to end up my 20 reasons to go. Wine. I don’t really need to go into much detail do I?

New to the selection of BBC Good Food shows is the Cakes and Bakes show which will be held in London this October. Find out more here: www.bbcgoodfoodbakesandcakesshow.com Mary Berry will be appearing every day and as we are now good friends* ( May be a slight exaggeration) then I urge you to go see her.

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* I am part of the Official BBC Good Food Show Blogger Panel and as such receive tickets to the show for the purpose of the review.

Reasons To Visit The BBC Good Food Show 1-10

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I attended the BBC Good Show yesterday as part of my new role as an Official Blogger… It’s a hard life but someone has to do it right?

There are so many different foods to try, demos to watch and areas of the show to visit that I thought it would be an idea to write a series of blog posts telling you just why you should visit – that’s if you need a bigger reason than the fact that it’s a show ALL about food. Please note these are in no particular order 😉

1. The Supertheatre

If like me you are a (huge) fan of cookery shows and dream of cooking with/meeting or just watching your favourite chefs then the Supertheatre is where you need to go.

During the Summer show currently on at the NEC Birmingham which ends Sunday 15th June 2014 the marvellous Marcus Bean is hosting the Supertheatre sessions and these are just some of the chefs you can get fairly up close and personal with:

Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, Gennaro Contaldo, Antonio Carluccio, James Martin, Tom Kerridge, Glynn Purnell and MasterChef judge John Torode

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2. The Preservation Society

At the show you will find some totally amazing producers that you won’t find in your local supermarket and on this list I will share some of my favourites. Starting with The Preservation Society they make all sorts of wonderful pickles, chutneys and jams. My favourites are the strawberry and raspberry sirops to add to dishes, drizzle over salads or add to prosecco. We also love the candied jalapeños. Crunchy n hot! Find them on stand F184.

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3. Ocelot Chocolate

This is new discovery for me. One I am so glad I made. We bought some bee pollen and mango dark chocolate which is bliss for your mouth. The packaging is delightful, even the chocolate itself is pretty and would make a lovely gift.

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4. Cornish Charcuterie

As part of the blogger panel I was lucky enough to sample the goods from Cornish Charcuterie one of this years Bursary winners and also listen to them explain how they started up and why they do what they do – I loved how passionate they are about what they do. I had to head over to their stall afterwards to buy some goodies to take home. My tip is buy the seaweed and cider salami – you won’t be disappointed. Veggie? Try the mushroom pate.

5.Great British Sauce Co

Sublime sauces from the Great British Sauce co. I’ve been really enjoying their brown sauce at home for a few weeks and considering I don’t normally like brown sauce at all that’s quite a statement. They have a fabulous range so go see them at stand F234.

6.Malaysia Kitchen

Malaysia Kitchen are new exhibitors promoting the experience of Malaysian cuisine in the UK so go along to stand F626 and soak it all up.

7.Lurpaks Cooks Range

Go check out the awesome new range of cooks products from Lurpak and see some demos at their super cool kitchen on stand F682. I love the clarified butter and cooking mist.

8. Swifts Bakery

I challenge you to go to this stall and walk away empty handed. The bread looks, smells and more importantly tastes incredible. Go ..eat. Stand F141.

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9. The Garlic Farm

We love garlic. Doesn’t everyone? You can buy all sorts of garlic here from smoked to elephant and the absolutely amazing black garlic. Stand F330.

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10. Thunder Toffee Vodka

This is more than a bit awesome, go try a perfectly chilled sample and try to stop yourself going back for more.

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If you decide to go to the show and want to save yourself some cash on your tickets use this discount code:MM20 when buying tickets in advance.

Look out for part two with reasons to visit 11-20 🙂

* I received free tickets to the show as part of my role as the blogger panel.

The Pelagonia Range – A review

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Pelagonia is an award-winning Macedonian food range based on the very best of traditional recipes from the region. Their growing range includes innovative new products based on the trademark red peppers and quality fruit and vegetables grown in their fertile country.

I first came across the Pelagonia Range at last years BBC Good Food show, I sampled some of their wares and fully intended to go back and pick some up at the end to take home but alas I forgot and was pretty annoyed with myself. After writing a review of the show the company followed me on Twitter and I’ve been excited to read about their new products.

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Nearly a year on I was lucky enough to be sent some products to review. YUM.

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Malidzano is a rich, smokey aubergine meze. Perfect as a dip or spread on flatbreads or in sandwiches or …ahem by the spoon. It really is like nothing I’ve tasted before and I highly recommend it.

Aivar is a regional speciality traditionally made each September by Macedonian families by roasting red peppers over hot coals. The sweet roasted red pepper maze is perfect with cheese..we loved it with halloumi but is incredibly versatile and we have also mixed it with sour cream for a delicious dip for tortillas on movie nights. Delicious.

As a foodie it’s an incredible delight for the senses and would make a lovely gift or addition to a hamper for someone who loves food.

Malidzano is available from independent fine food shops and online via The Ottolenghi webstore

Aivar is available from 200 Waitrose stores (£3.59) and independent fine food shops.

*I was sent these products in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Takeaway Tuesday

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I love cooking but sometimes you cannot beat a takeaway. You may be surprised to learn that although when cooking I love to try new things when I have a takeaway I tend to pretty much always order the same dish.. Chinese chicken curry. I love it. Maybe we will order different accompaniments or extra dishes but I always order this too.

Last month we visited the BBC good food show in London Olympia and we came across a stall for Wing Yip sauces – their slogan is ” All the Chinese you need to know” and they had a fabulous show offer on with 5 sauces for £5 so I thought it would be fun to give them a try. One of the sauces I found was a concentrated chinese curry paste and tonight we gave it a whirl and wow so good.

It’s so simple and cheap that I can imagine a lot of evenings where my takeaway craving will be satisfied without the need to pick up my telephone.

The recipe is simple:

Fry onions and chicken ( or vegetables) in a pan. Whilst this is browning mix 1 part paste to 3/4 parts water and then add to your chicken and onions. Et voila.

I added chopped butternut squash and frozen peas to mine for extra nutritional value and also to me a Chinese takeaway curry is not complete without peas!

I served with half rice and half chips. Really tasty and a fraction of what I would spend on a takeaway.

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I am unsure what the standard prices are for Wing Yip products but they are worth checking out as we only used around 1/4 of a jar tonight so it’s definitely purse friendly even if you are paying a little more than the awesome deal we had.

We also had their sweet chilli sauce which is pretty good too and some other treats which we are yet to sample.

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* this is not a sponsored post I just thoroughly enjoyed the product*

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