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St Martin’s Courtyard Food and Flowers Festival

by Andrew on May 7, 2013 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

st martins courtyard
St Martin’s Courtyard will pay tribute to the heritage and future of Covent Garden this summer with a festival celebrating food and flowers.

On Saturday 13 July between 12 noon and 5pm, all six international restaurants will serve unique dishes and drinks with a floral theme. Flowers look beautiful but can also taste great, from the peppery taste of a nasturtium, to a sweetness of a hibiscus and the more familiar flavour of rose.

Cantina Laredo, the modern Mexican in Covent Garden, will be in full bloom, bringing the fiesta to the St Martin’s Courtyard Food and Flowers Festival. Visit Cantina Laredo’s pop-up bar in the courtyard where they will be giving away 2,000 limited edition Casa Ambar Hibiscus Margaritas. Guaranteed to make your taste buds blossom, this fragrant floral concoction is made using home-made syrup infused with tropical hibiscus flower, boutique Casa Ambar Blanco 100% Blue Agave tequila, Cointreau and freshly squeezed lime. Enjoy free samples of Cantina Laredo’s signature dishes their Top Shelf Guacamole, prepared before your eyes, as well as delicious signature dishes. The special Casa Ambar Hibiscus Margarita will be available for half price when you dine in the restaurant on 13 July.

Inside the restaurant, Cantina Laredo will be serving a specially created Squash Blossom dish (also known as zucchini flower) stuffed with feta cheese and fresh herbs, coated and fried in a light batter with a drizzle of sweet and spicy chilli honey.

Suda Thai will be serving ‘Chor-muang’, steamed Thai dumplings handcrafted into a flower shape, from a Bangkok style street food cart in the courtyard. Don’t miss the ‘Butterfly Kiss’ cocktails garnished with a viola.

Visit Italian enoteca Dalla Terra for a floral notes wine tasting in the courtyard, Bill’s for flower cupcakes or Dishoom for a rose and cardamom lassi. Jamie’s Italian will also create a special floral dish exclusively for the festival.

The courtyard will be dressed with a fabulous floral installation and The Covent Garden Academy of Flowers will create a spectacular banquet table with a full spread made entirely from flowers which will be displayed in the courtyard. Displays of floral prints will adorn the windows of the international flagships and boutiques.

Covent Garden was traditionally the home of the Flower Market (made famous by Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady) and is now a renowned foodie destination. St Martin’s Courtyard is shopping and dining destination in the heart of Covent Garden, a must-visit for shopping, style and restaurants.

www.stmartinscourtyard.co.uk
For live updates follow @smccoventgarden on twitter.


Courvoisier Great Gatsby Pop-Up

by Andrew on April 17, 2013 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

Courvoisier Great Gatsby Pop-UpAs the hotly anticipated film-adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece makes its way to the silver screen, Courvoisier – in true revolutionary style – is set to celebrate the resurgence of the Roaring Twenties with the Courvoisier Great Gatsby Pop-Up in Harrods, London.

Between 9 and 20 May 2013, Harrods visitors can experience the pop-up daily in the exclusive Tasting Room in the Wine Shop on the lower ground floor. The pop-up bar will be available to visit throughout the day, and, on selected days, 1920s revellers can relish in the excitement and glamour of the epoch by savouring the fine flavours of the Courvoisier liquid in a Brandy Crusta cocktail sample inspired by the Great Gatsby era.

Complimentary Brandy Crusta samples will be served to visitors on selected days between 2:00pm and 8:00pm (1:00pm – 6:00pm on Sundays) on 9 – 20 May. They will be created as part of a series of theatrical cocktail-making sessions held by the legendary Mixxit team of bartenders within the pop-up during these times. Whilst sipping away, visitors will be transported to the bygone age of flappers, jazz music and Art Deco, as they take in their surroundings of a moody 1920s underground bar and lounge area.

A bespoke Courvoisier cocktail devised by the brains behind the 200 year-old brand, the Brandy Crusta replicates the creation of the “improved” or “fancy” cocktail, which saw the addition of a liqueur to the original classic cocktail ingredients of spirit, bitters, sugar and water. The result is a cocktail which is a clear stepping stone on the path which leads to the “sour” cocktail family – in particular the Sidecar which was first created in 1922 – giving the concoction real historical integrity. The Brandy Crusta balances the warm spiciness of ginger cookies, dried plums and roasted coffee in the Courvoisier Exclusif with sharp lemon, orange curaçao and bitters, resulting in a refreshing yet intriguing drink, with a depth of flavour perfectly befitting the infamous Prohibition era.

There will also be limited availability to enjoy the Courvoisier Brandy Crusta at the main bar of the Harrods Wine Shop during this time, and the Food Halls will be dressed to capture the essence of the Great Gatsby era.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

by Andrew on April 3, 2013 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

spirit of speyside whisky festivalThe annual Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is just around the corner, and tickets for the various events are being snapped up quickly as whisky connoisseurs from around the world prepare to descend upon the home of whisky between 2nd-6th May this year. While whisky is always at the heart of the festival, the programme of over 370 events brings together all aspects of Scottish culture including traditional food and contemporary music.

“We have had a fantastic response to the programme of events – tickets for over 80 events have already sold out, I’d encourage anyone with a passion for whisky to click onto the website and book up before events sell out completely. The rate at which the tickets are being sold has genuinely taken us by surprise, in particular the level of tickets being sold to visitors from outwith the UK. The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is one of the key events in Homecoming 2014, and we hope this trend will lay some very strong foundations on which to grow our international profile and that of Speyside Moray in a very important year for Scottish tourism.” Festival manager Mary Hemsworth.

The organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival have a number of exciting events up their sleeves, including a unique opportunity to visit Tamdhu Distillery – one of the pioneering Speyside distilleries. The Tamdhu fête is to take place on Saturday, 4 May and will include live music by ceilidh band, Stavaig, whisky tastings, a treasure hunt and distillery tours. The fête marks the re-launch of the Tamdhu Distillery, which was established in 1867.

The Glenlivet Master Distiller’s Challenge – also taking place on May 4 – will provide a fun way for visitors to put their whisky knowledge to the test. Master Distiller Alan Winchester will be the quizmaster and will put contestants’ whisky knowledge and trivia to the test. There will be a special bottle of Glenlivet on offer for each member of the winning team plus other prizes.

There will be a chance for visitors to experience a Scottish knees-up on the Saturday evening with an extra special performance from super band ‘Treacherous Orchestra’ in an atmospheric Glenfiddich Distillery warehouse. The Celtic super band includes some of Scotland’s most inspiring young musicians and is not to be missed. Tickets are £20 and the event kicks off at Glenfiddich Distillery at 7pm.

On Sunday, May 5 there is a unique opportunity to meet with distillers, whisky experts and writers during a three course lunch, after which the winner of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards 2013 will be announced. The mouthwatering three-course lunch will be accompanied by the six malts that made it into the final of the awards. Spaces are limited and tickets are already close to selling out.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival runs from Thursday, 2 May – Monday, 6 May 2013. Check out www.spiritofspeyside.com for up-to-date news.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Visitors needing to travel to and from festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options including a taxi voucher scheme (sponsored by Diageo) providing festival goers with a 25% reduction on fares with participating operators, various pre-bookable dedicated bus shuttles and even a “Dram Line” off-road Argocat taxi for a day long distillery tour.

Bishop Auckland Food Festival 2013

by Andrew on March 20, 2013 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

bishop auckland food festivalBishop Auckland Food Festival is a weekend of foodie heaven in the heart of County Durham on 20 and 21 April. This year there are three markets showcasing the best of County Durham and Cumbria’s food producers. You can ‘Eat Britain’ and converse with celebrity chefs at the Pop-Up Restaurant. There are special events featuring Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite, ex-Corrie favourite turned chef Sean Wilson and the Fabulous Baker Boys. For beer, wine and whisky fans there is plenty to celebrate with ‘Cheers’ – a whole new beverage-focused element to the Bishop Auckland Food Festival.

Bishop Auckland Food Festival

Saturday 20th April:
John Whaite
11am, Bishop Auckland Town Hall – £6
Talk, Q&A and book signing

The winner of The Great British Bake Off 2012 will be in-conversation, discussing his whirlwind year and passion for all things baking, after which he will be signing copies of his first book John Whaite Bakes: Recipes for Everyday and Every Mood.

3pm, Bishop Auckland Town Hall – £8
Cookery Demonstration and book signing

Best known to British TV viewers for playing Martin Platt for 21 years in Coronation Street, Sean Wilson will be demonstrating some of his favourite Northern recipes and talking about his true passion – cheese!

7pm, Eat Britain: Oldfields at BAFF (pop-up restaurant and gallery) – £25

Book for dinner at Bishop Auckland Food Festival’s Pop-Up Restaurant on Saturday 20 April and enjoy entertaining conversation with many of the chefs, writers and artists taking part in the festival this year.

Sunday 21st April

Tom and Henry Herbert – The Fabulous Baker Brothers
1pm, Bishop Auckland Town Hall – £8
Cookery demonstration and book signing. Tom and Henry will be re-creating the kind of fuss-free food that fills the belly and warms the soul in the BAFF kitchen – a perfect way to spend your Sunday afternoon!

Ivor Peters – The Urban Rajah
3pm, Bishop Auckland Town Hall – £6
Cookery demonstration, talk and book signing. Ivor will lead you through a journey of spice that will leave you revelling in colour, yearning for the delicate smells of cardamom and cinnamon and desperate to tear a chapatti to shreds and plunge it into a curry feast of your own making!

Tickets for all these events can be booked on 03000 262626.

Other events to watch out for…
Take a look at the Love Food, Hate Waste programme if you’d like help with making your weekly shop go further (as well as helping to save the planet!).

For the children, or simply young at heart, look out for The Vegetable Nannies who will be out and about wheeling an ancient Victorian Pram laden with their prized collection of vegetables.

Meet Magnus the ambitious downhill-racing watermelon, Jessica the award winning sweet potato beauty queen & even David, the talented little marrow whose ambition is to become a stage actor.

Broadstairs Food Festival 2013

by Andrew on March 18, 2013 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

broadstairs food festival Buoyed by the continuing success of the Broadstairs Food Festival that traditionally comes to the Kent town for first weekend in October, the historic seaside town is to host a Spring Festival this Easter (Saturday 30th March to Monday 1st April).

In its fifth year and now firmly established as of one the leading epicurean events in the Kent calendar, with free entry, the Festival attracts between 40,000 and 50,000 plus visitors.

The new Spring Food Fayre will feature over 50 stalls showcasing the finest food and drink produce from the ‘Garden of England’. There will also be a number of stalls featuring the best of local arts and crafts.

The Spring festival will feature a programme of coordinated children’s events, including an Easter bonnet parade and egg hunt.

Festival favourite TV chef Dev Biswal from Margate’s Michelin-listed Ambrette Restaurant, recently declared the Best Restaurant in the South East by the Cobra Good Curry Guide, award will again be demonstrating his cooking skills.

The three day weekend is followed by a ‘Garden of Kent’ supper celebrating Spring, catered by students of East Kent College with guest chef Jason Friedman, chef patron of the Minnis Bar and Restaurant.

“The Fayre celebrates, showcase and champions Kent’s food heritage and diversity from sea to shore, field to fork,” said Festival Director Jo Scott, who added, “The event promotes Broadstairs’ and Kent’s quality food businesses and restaurant, driving the county’s reputation as a progressive and exciting food destination.”

Broadstairs Spring Fair/Food Festival
Opening times: 10am -5pm Saturday 30th 1st April
Location: Pierremont Park, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1JX

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