Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in real life who is a bit of a quality food fanatic. I read so many websites, message boards and books about people campaigning for real bread, better school meals, tighter laws on transporting live animals etc etc. But here in the real world, I've got a company cafeteria selling masses of chicken dishes for £3. I'm surrounded by programming geeks who eat ready meals and takeaways on a daily basis. Even the foodiest Friand-baking girl on the Food Team likes to indulge in a bit of tinned tomato soup with a babybel floating on it. ("It melts, but never loses its shape!")**
So imagine my excitement when I had three press tickets to the Real Food Festival at Earls Court bestowed upon me! I grabbed The Husband, and our best Veggie Bowler friend, and arrived shortly after opening. One big huge freakin' MASSIVE building filled with aisle upon aisle of farmers, producers, organic advocates, people with petitions about food labeling, and hundreds of visitors who felt the same way I do about sustainable food! It took hours and hours to visit every single stall, and to taste every single sample.
We left with eight jute bags of yummy purchases between the three of us - everything from rare teas to local sausages. I spent a new record amount of dough on a special type of flour created for Andrew Whitley (author of Bread Matters) by Gilchesters Organic, and signed up for a Soil Association membership. The boys spent loads of money on wine and pickled things.
All in all, it was one of the best days of our lives. No exaggeration. Bloody brilliant. And we can't wait for next year!
**(She really is very foodie though, honest!)
