Flavour Fest

This weekend, in Plymouth, it's Flavour Fest - one of the largest and most successful food festivals in the South West.  Unfortunately when I went yesterday it was rather wet!

However if your reading this today (21/8/11) it's a much better forecast.  If you're new to the area (or do all you shopping in supermarkets), it's a great chance to meet and talk to producers of great local food.

Better still, you can also try their wares.  The Devon beef looked good, and I wished I'd had no breakfast as this stand were cooking mushrooms:

 Hugh's Fish Fight had a stand, promoting their campaign and selling mackerel baps:

Devon Fishcakes were selling fiery hand made fishcakes made with fresh fish caught from local boats:

Somerset Ducks were selling oak smoked duck breasts, duck dripping and duck sausages:

You could see fruit and vegetables from Nearly Naked Vegetables:

and Guy Watson's Riverford Organic Vegetables:

and to spice things up South Devon Chilli Farm were offering tasters:

I was amazed how much bigger these damsons were:

compared with this year's crop in Shropshire.


There's cheese from producers like Simply Gorgeous:

and bread from the cleverly named  Bread of Devon:

Having mentioned Lancashire tea and Yorkshire tea in this blog, I thought I should point out that there's also Devonshire Tea:

who managed to make a new world record "Food is Fun" Marquee at the festival.  They made 725 cups of tea made in one hour by their TEArific TEAm of 12, beating the previous "mark" of 491!


If you like cakes with your tea, there were cupcakes from Mr Bun's bakery:

and Truly Treats in Torquay:

If you prefer flavours from further afield, there was Thai food from Love Thai:

and Thai Style Thai Food:

and Caribbean food from Fancy That:

who you can also find in Totnes Good Food Sunday Market.


There were several makers of local ice-cream present, like Salcombe Dairy and Langage Farm:

who are trying to get the Devonshire cream tea (scone, clotted cream and jam, all produced in Devon) PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status!  I wonder if this was in revenge for Cornwall claiming PDO status on the pasty?  


I saw Homity pie, which I think has its origins in the West Country (although some say Lancashire) but I think evolved during World War II rationing:

and I saw Devon Pasties:

including award winning Chunk of Devon pasties:

Cornish Country Meats were selling pasties made in Cornwall, but with fillings like kangaroo, ostrich, venison, and wild boar and apple, I'm not going to call them Cornish Pasties!

I'll be popping over the Tamar shortly, in search  of the best Cornish Pasty....


Web: www.plymouth.gov.uk/flavourfest