This morning I headed along to the Living Heritage food festival at Wollaton Park for the third year running. I absolutely love the mix of creative stalls, food stands and of course foodie bits to purchase!
We arrived at 11.30am and it was pretty packed, in fact the food tents were rammed. It’s always good to see support at this kind of event and knowing that the stall holders should have good sales, it encourages them to come back year after year.
Along with all the food stalls, there is a surprising amount to do with the children. Although there weren’t as many kids as usual… maybe the parents needed a break! The kids can meet hamsters, paint ornaments, make pots and create sand art.
If you are a foodie, head to the demonstration tents where you can hear locally and nationally renowned chefs talking all thing foodie. Levi Roots and Johnny Pusztai (among others) were there today and tomorrow sees Peter Sidwell and Cyrus Todiwala take the main stage. The stages were packed out with standing room only!
There are also the chainsaw artists, creating beautiful art from massive blocks of wood. Speed carving competitions occur twice a day and they are fascinating to watch. You can also bid on the carvings at the end and take a piece home with you. We couldn’t get close to the action as there were so many people watching, so here is a photo of an owl!
Again there was a phenomenal range of food available at the stands. From Raclette, duck wraps, vegan flatbreads and bbq pulled pork, to Johnny Pusztai’s Snobby Butcher stand (coming to Sherwood as a full time restaurant VERY soon!
I had the duck wrap from The Duck Truck, with lashings of hoisin sauce, chunks of crispy duck and thick slices of cucumber. Heaven!
Lucy had the vegan falafel wrap from ‘Eat shoots and Leaves’ with roasted veg, red pepper hummus and vegan cheese all in a flatbread. It was served with chips and two different salads (vegan coleslaw and a chickpea salad).
Aimee had the amazing looking halloumi fries which were golden brown. God I wish I could have tried these.
Creating a lovely atmosphere was a saxophone band, Hot House Saxaphonix wandering around the festival playing some great music including ‘Don’t stop me now’ by Queen. They made everyone laugh and smile which was lovely.
Exhibitors:
It was lovely to see some favourites of mine, The Giggly Pig Company make incredible sausages, their Marmite ones are the bomb!
Pig in the Middle create some of the most flavourful artisan sausage rolls I have ever tasted. This time we went for the pork, honey & mustard, sweet chilli, tikka and mango and chorizo & garlic. I bought them all home with me to eat for dinner!
O’Donnells Moonshine were a new one for me. They produce spirits using only best available ingredients and bottle it in original mason jars. I purchased their bitter rose moonshine and their roasted apple moonshine.
Edinburgh Gin are one of my favourite gin distillers and they have a new gin, the Edinburgh Gin 1670 edition. Described as ‘A unique London Dry gin created in collaboration with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and defined by complex herbaceous notes and spice’, it was delicious with tonic and I bought a bottle!
Colonsay Gin is produced in batches of 750 bottles and contains 16 botanicals to give a very refreshing (if potent) taste. Hints of spice and lemon were very distinct and it pairs amazingly with fever tree tonic.
Rose Cottage liqueurs are based in Liverpool and this is the third time I have seen them exhibit. Last year I bought every single one of their liqueurs, including their rhubarb infused gin and their elderflower. Unfortunately for my bank account, they have a new liqueur, stinging nettle, which was amazing so I came home with a bottle!
Jorge Artisan Foods showcased their range of balsamic vinegars and oils. Their pesto oil is fantastic and is vegan too!
The Garlic Farm from the Isle of Wight were also attending, bringing with them a huge selection of garlic produce. My favourite is the garlic mayo, which is packed full of flavour and great on potatoes! The onion marmalade is also one to try!
Last but by no means least is Massagical. Massagical create handmade hand and foot products designed to cleanse, exfoliate, nourish and replenish your skin. First off is the massagical gold, made from cold pressed rapeseed oil infused with elderflower and other healing oils and Himalayan rock salt. It really makes your hands feel clean and as I had been in the garden early morning, my hands needed a little TLC. Then the moisturising cream which contains Shea butter made my hands super soft and smell amazing. They also have a range of soaps, massage bars, creams, oils and lip balms.
The Nottingham Food Festival is a fantastic day out. We were incredibly lucky that the sun decided to peak through the clouds yesterday, but there are plenty of coverings if the rain had decided to start. If you have a spare couple of hours tomorrow and no plans, pop along. I’m already looking forward to next year!
