British Food Fortnight

British Food Fortnight has got off to a good start. Though no one seems to have heard anything about it until they arrive and I tell them! So far our tastings have been a little biased towards breakfast, with muesli and granola on Saturday, then smoked trout and today another Granola. But there is more to come and I am excited about Suzanne coming to offer tasters of her Proper Preserves on Saturday as they have always gone down well when I've had samples out to taste, and then next week we have the local rapeseed oil and John & Mary will be back with their sweet fruit vinegars. I'm now considering extending the fortnight to three weeks to offer more of this year's Great Taste Award winners.

Royal Berkshire Show

This weekend was my first visit to the Royal Berkshire Show, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I intended to just pop along to see the local food producers, but ended up staying far longer than I expected. I met Mike Cooper who was launching his cold pressed rapeseed oil, and saw a number of other producers whose products I already stock: Anila’s Authentic Sauces were as popular as ever, as were Susie’s preserves and the bread from GW Shepherd & Son. I did see a few new producers whose goods I may stock in the future. But I also ventured out of the food tents and saw amazing horticultural displays, beekeepers, falconry, garden furniture and the occasional horse and dog. I had a really enjoyable day and came away with tired feet and slightly more plants than it was possible to carry!

Speciality & Fine Food Fair

On Monday I spent a very long day at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair in London. I had planned my day around the only trains with just one connection, and had a list of stands I wanted to visit and where they were. The trouble was I started with a "quick" walk around to see if I spotted any other stalls I hadn't put on my list and the show was closing before I realised the time! I didn't even get my list out of my bag. So much for being organised!

I was then caught up in the rush hour tube strike mayhem and it took three times as long as I had planned to get home. But it was worth it. The show was a good one. I enjoyed catching up with producers I hadn't seen in a while and am very excited by some new products I saw. I just wish I'd picked up more samples to sustain me on my journey home!