After a weekend jam-packed with indulgent food, drinks and music, here is my account of what I loved the most at this year?s Liverpool Food and Drink Festival.
Saturday was launch day and we were treated to a gloriously hot day. After grabbing a glass of fruity Pimms, I headed straight to the festival?s market place. Visitors were spoilt for choice with over 50 suppliers offering samples of their locally sourced produce. My first, and best, taste of the day was a small, delicious slice of pizza made from rosemary infused dough from Amy and Chris at the Northern Dough Company.
Amy and Chris, who are both mad about pizza, decided to share their delicious recipe, handed down from Chris? family of bakers in Lancashire, with the public by creating ready prepared dough containing only nature ingredients. I would certainly recommend it if you are trying to make the perfect pizza.
I then moved on to French Flavour, suppliers of Lunya restaurant, to try a sample of one of my favourite products: chilli sauce. It had a smoky, tantalising flavour, which is the product of infusing dried French garlic with anchovy against the fiery flavours of Malaysian spice. It was absolutely delicious and I made sure I picked up a jar before I left.
Passing by the many market stalls, it was fantastic to hear people interacting with suppliers and seeing younger family members tasting and enjoying local produce. The popularity of stalls such as the Scottish Salmon Company was evident by the vast crowds gathering to buy and taste. Speaking to the organisers of the Wales, ?The True Taste?, who represent some of the many food and drink producers of Wales, they informed me that Welsh beef and lamb had recently gained a PGI status (Protected Geographical Indicator). That means that here in Liverpool we are just miles away from meat which that has been recognised by the EU commission as some of the best in Europe.
Next, it was time for me to see what was cooking in Norman Musa?s tent. Musa is the UK?s leading authority on Malaysian cooking. With leading kitchens in both Manchester and York, and a possible TV deal in the pipeline, he is certainly someone to keep an eye out for on the celebrity culinary circuit. Musa spent the entire festival sharing his home grown tips and recipes with food enthusiasts and was an absolute delight to chat to.
I finished Saturday off by enjoying one of the Ship & Mire?s local ales, whilst indulging, guilt free, in the fair-trade luxury of Divine Chocolate. Beautiful!
On Sunday I was eager to start my day talking to the catering staff of The Academy, Liverpool Community College?s on-site restaurant. These students really put their all into cooking and their enthusiasm for the trade is evident in their highly skilled cooking. I heard some people remark that their cooked ham sandwiches with pineapple and chilli relish was the best food of the entire festival!
I spent the rest of the day taking in the electric atmosphere of the festival, with the highlights being Paul Hollywood?s bake-off and Lisa Faulkner?s demonstration. Before leaving, I had to indulge in my favourite vice: Champagne. Ross Kennedy of Lanson Champagne treated me to an exclusive taste of Lanson?s White label brut, which although not available for retail yet, is proving very popular. This dazzling medium-dry champagne, which was specially created to compliment citrus flavours, was the perfect end to a fabulous weekend.
With the launch weekend now over, we can now enjoy the festival week with discounts, promotions and special themed evenings taking place across many of Liverpool?s bars and restaurants.
April Armstrong ? Bascombe
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