Events (73)
There will be home-made food a plenty as usual at next weekend's Petta Fiesta. If you haven't got tickets yet you can buy them online, because you won't get many on the gate this time. Head for the Make Do and Mend tent where you can taste everything carrot (just like we had in the war, says Granny) There will be carrot and lentil burgers, carrot cake baked on the spot and the usual Happy Hour but with Harvey Carrotbanger cocktails.
This was full of people on Saturday and ice creams were selling fast. I tried gooseberry and elderflower (Aldercarr) and double cream vanilla (Criterion) Both were fab. I came home with a mutton curry from Jimmy's Farm, eating it now - very spicy and soon to feature on our Dish of the Day. Also tried guessing the four ingredients of the smoothie - I got carrot, ginger, apple, mango - how did I do?
The sun was full out for this and so were the hot sauce and chutney sellers - rather too many for one festival. But local bands and good fast food, we had hot fried mackerel sandwiches. Remind me to look for an airstream on e bay for suffolk foodie.
is on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th April and are looking for Suffolk chefs and restaurants to take part. Would you like to do a demonstration? Call Paula Edmundson on 0788 1787534 direct if you're not doing anything that weekend.
So Granny has agreed to have the reception at her house, which has saved the problem of finding a suitable venue and no doubt saved Wills and Kate a bit of money too. As we're in·the year of austerity perhaps a delivery from Iceland could be arranged? A thirty-six piece chicken platter followed by·a thirty-six·piece dessert platter would only set them back £10. What's more you can design, print or email your invites from the website and use the party planning tool to work out quantities and menus, so there would be no·need for Lady Elizabeth Anston·to sort things out for them, and a few more quid could be saved. Beef is likely be on the menu on April 29th·and·hundreds of bottles of vintage wine and port are being earmarked for the big day from the underground vaults of the Treasury at Whitehall.· The Queens Red Poll herd at Sandringham were·under 24 hour guard since the wedding announcement but by now·the beasts will have been dispatched and should be·hanging to mature nicely - ready to be turned into cottage pies,·Wills' favourite food. Cakes too have changed over the years. I made my own, tradional three tier, royal-iced fruit cake. but Kate is apparently a chocoholic and may go for something more unusual. How about a cookie cake?·Or maybe your relationship started over a playstation?!
I catered for weddings for most of the 90’s. It's hard work, but usually a lot of fun. Not only did I organise the food and drink but it was not uncommon to carry out other unusual tasks, and of course not everything goes according to plan. Re-gravelling the drive is an old favourite at the country house wedding - impressive - until cars arriving at the reception become firmly embedded, requiring all hands on deck to push them out again.
One request to have all food served by identical twins, each with a a pair of Dalmatians forming the welcome party, was probably the most bizarre. A modelling agency provided the twins, most of whom had never served food before and stood around looking anorexic and useless. Luckily most of the guests were on diets too so weren’t bothered that the canapés weren't flowing. And I wonder if the Middletons and Wales’s families will end up having a punch up in the car park?
I had the misfortune once of being invited to a 'dry' wedding. There was going to be wine, but guests were expected to buy it from an overpriced bar. I decided to take matters into my own hands and bought a nice big 5 litre wine box and a roll of wedding paper. Wrap the wine box up in the paper, having located and released the tap first. As you arrive at the wedding, gift under your arm, hang on to it - insisting that you need to personally present it - you can now put the box on the table and pour to your hearts content. You'll make lots more friends and can join in the foodie party games too!
We are so OVER pop up restaurants at suffolkfoodie. The food might be fantastic but not if it's served tepid. The service only pub-average and the final prices high. Let's try pop up + fun + cheap = a great night out - and then we might go to another one.
Hooray! Another pop up restaurant to go to and just in time for my birthday. At the Queens Head in Brandeston with David Williams (Alimentum) cooking and only for two days. Book on their website www.thetrufflepig.co.uk and see you there.
With really nice flavours - salted caramel, lavender (although I didn't like this one...) passion fruit (yum) all made with natural flavours and in small batches in Thurston.
Little herring-shaped signs on the side of the A12 look interesting and eventually find a leaflet for this event 24th-25th October at Middleton Farm shop. Their blog is at at www.suffolkherringfestival.wordpress.com Unfortunately I don't like herrings or kippers - too boney for me - but I love the smell, and soft roes and might try and find time to go and have a look.
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Usually I write about things afterwards, but this time I'm giving you prior notice. A fete at Laffitts Hall in Pettaugh. Well, a mini arts festival really, but with home made tomato soup lunch and afternoon tea with home made cakes. You have to pay to get in but it's in aid of the village - churches or something worthy. There's going to be live bands, karaoke and an outdoor cinema. See you there.
A small but lively event in a small but lively village - with really good cakes (especially the gingerbread) and hot chocolate or tomato and basil soup to sip while we watched the cheesiest outdoor cinema I have ever tasted.
A chance to taste those varieties that supermarkets don't stock and may be even buy a tree. I have a Pitmaston Pineapple in my garden, from Crown Nursery Apple Day two years ago. It has small but definitely pineapple-tasting sweet yellow russet apples. On Saturday I stopped at my favourite community cafe for a few pounds of theirs on their Apple Day, and a bottle of juice...and two great big slabs of apple cake which I should have made myself! www.crown-nursery.co.uk is near Woodbridge.