A Grand Day Out at Foodies Festival - more cheese Gromit?

Food, drink and lots of fun at Foodies Festival - and of course tea!

What a grand day out at the Foodies Festival at Hampton Court Green last Sunday! Despite the cold, we enjoyed great artisan and organis food, local produce, fine wines, cocktails, and of course, tea and cake!

Starting with a brief visit to the gorgeous Duckpond Market in Richmond to look at the lovely antiques, homewares and artisan foods (and lots of Jubilee kitch ideas - will definitely be back for some bunting!), we set off from St Helena Pier in Richmond for a leisurely cruise down the Thames on one of the Turks Launches fabulous steam boats.  Unfortunately the sun didn't want to come out to play, but it didn't rain very much, so we braved the chilly breeze and breathed in the fresh air!  

To warm up when we first arrived, I headed straight to the Tea Terrace - a quintessentially English tea room serving proper afternoon teas and a vast array of yummy cakes, pastries and treats!  I swiftly downed a lovely cup of Tregothnan English-grown tea and a huge slab of my old favourite - handmade Lemon Drizzle Cake! We then queued up for the Portuguese Hog Roast from Roast Hog, which was well worth the wait!  Then it was time for some organic fruit cider to wash it down, and more warming up with some sizzlingly tasty sausages from the Great British Sausage Company.  

After a peek at the amazing Hendrick's Gin Curiositorium and their bath full of Gin (here I am next to it with my organic cherry cider!) and a delightfully bubbly organic Kir Royal, we went to taste some cheeses at the award-wining Cheshire Cheese Company.  Being a Cheshire girl, I particularly enjoyed sampling their massive range of cheeses - especially the award-winning four-year aged Vintage Gold extra mature cheddar!  We are now official members, and once the copious supplies of cheese we bought have run out, we will definitely be buying more online!  Like Wallace and Gromit always say, you can't beat a bit of cheese!

We then wandered over to the chef's theatre to see the lovely Beverley Glock compering (in a beautiful Fifities' style dress - she must have been freezing!), and watched wonderful local chef Greg Malouf of Petersham Nurseries show us just how it's done.  

Then we strolled down the Street Food Avenue, sniffing and tasting so many great foods from around the world, and sampled a few wines at the wine village. A real favourite for me was the aged Parmesan, and I bought an enormous chunk to take home!

All aboard for PIMMS O'Clock - CHEERS!

Whole Foods Market had a nice big stall, with some great (and bargainous) organic Prosecco, fruit and sauces.  We bought the red pesto, which is absolutely delicious on pretty much anything!

We brought back so much lovely cheese, bread, olive oil and artisan treats - they should keep us going for a long time (or at least until the next Foodies Festival)!

I am definitely going to try to get to more of these fantastic festivals, both in the North and down South - my friends and family love these sort of food events and we like to try different shows in different places!

The next Foodies Festival is at Brighton Hove Lawns next weekend (May 25,26,27), with festivals taking place up and down the country throughout the summer.  

Other Foodies Festival Dates from July onwards are:

Tatton Park Cheshire July 6/7/8

Bristol Harbourside July 13/14/15

Edinburgh Aug 10/11/12
London Battersea Park Aug 17/18/19Oxford South Parks Aug 25/26/27

Perhaps I will see some of you there for a tea break - how about a glass of Rose Tea Fizz or a cheeky Prosecco?  

Until next time, enjoy your tea break - and cheese! CHEERS!  

Rachael X