Real Food Festival - Suffolk producers where were you?

I made a rare trip to London at the weekend to visit the Real Food Festival at Earls Court. I love going back to London. It was home for over 10 years and I miss it more than I admit!

Bizarrely almost the first person I saw outside Earls Court was someone I'm more likely to see at Suffolk farmers' markets, Ian Whitehead from the Suffolk Salami Company. We're fans of their sausages and bacon (branded as Lane Farm) but I was pleased to try their chorizo which was delicious and my first purchase of the day.

Suffolk Salami was one of the few Suffolk food producers represented at the Festival, others were Munchy Seeds, Casa del Oli (olive oil) and Stark Naked Foods (pestos made with herbs grown on the family's 150 year old farm) and the big boys, Aspalls. I was disappointed not to see a stronger representation of Suffolk food and drink producers there and, with the exception of Aspalls, there was nothing there that was unique to Suffolk. Where were our micro-brewers, cheese-makers, beef or pork farmers?

Other regions were represented by their Regional Food Groups and clustered together - Wales had a very strong presence. Rumour has it that Tastes of Anglia, our own Food Group, didn't get the funding they needed to be there; but with stands costing as little as £200 each, I think that's a poor result. My friends at Grain Brewery sold so much beer they had to drive back to the Norfolk to get more to sell on the Sunday. Watch this space - next year Food Safari will be there and I'll bring as many of my friendly producers with me as I can to show the rest of the country what great foodie things are coming out of Suffolk.

In the meantime for a true taste of what Suffolk has to offer come to the fourth Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival on September 26-27, 2009. I'm going to be organising the programme of fringe events with producers, farm shops, delis, pubs and restaurants running September 26-October 4th.

Wild Meat in a Day - last chance to book

Wild Meat in a Day - prepare it, cook it, eat it
Sunday March 29th
The Anchor at Walberswick, Suffolk

Join Food Safari to round off the game season with a fun, hands-on day preparing, cooking and eating game. There are just a few places left on the event which takes place in ten days time.

The workshop will be led Robert Gooch of The Wild Meat Company. One of Rick Stein's Food Heroes, Robert started the Wild Meat Company in 1999 with the aim of taking "the muck and mystery out of buying and eating game". Wild Meat Company sell wild game from woods, forests and fields in Suffolk killed by local farmers and landowners.

Robert will share his wealth of experience about local game, habitats and seasons. The focus will be venison and we'll explore how different varieties of deer produce different meat.

Generally speaking, the smaller the deer, the more fine-grained and delicate the meat will be. Roe and muntjak are more gently flavoured animals while fallow deer have grainier, richer meat, and the big red deer give the most open-textured and gamey venison of all. Robert will explain why wild animals that have roamed freely are likely to be a little more robust in flavour and texture than their farmed counterparts, which will have had a more restricted range.

Venison is rich in protein and lower in fat than other red meats and is a good source of B vitamins, iron, phosphorus, zinc and selenium. Mike Keen, The Anchor's Head Chef will demonstrate so tasty and inspiring game dishes as well as sharing tips and ideas for preparing game at home. We'll round of the day with a tasting menu of game dishes and suggestions about complementary pairings of game with wine and beer.

Full details of the day are available on our web site: Food Safari or email info@foodsafari.co.uk

The Food Safari January Diary

January was a busy month for us at Food Safari as we spent as much time as possible out of the office and on the road visiting some of east Suffolk's finest producers and retailers and developing plans for our full programme of events in 2009. I thought it might be interest to write up some of those visits.



Tuesday 6th January - The Suffolk Food Hall

The kids are safely back at school after the Christmas hols and I whizz off down the A12 to meet Oliver Paul at The Suffolk Food Hall. It's a stunning clear, cold and frosty morning as arrive at Wherstead right underneath the Orwell Bridge, but inside the cafe is buzzing with mums and toddlers grabbing a coffee on their way back from the school run.



Since May 2007, the Suffolk Food Hall has brought together a number of local producers under one roof: Crystalwaters fishmongers from Lowestoft; Hamish Johnson cheeses from Framlingham; and Bread from local baker Helena Doy and their own Broxtead Butchery, winner of East Anglian Daily Times Best Butcher award in 2008.



As I arrive Oliver's busy with their chef taking photos of a steaming steak and kidney pie for their inaugaral Suffolk Foodies Club event 'Pie and a Pint' in February. The Foodies' Club is aimed at foodies in the Ipswich area and gives them a chance to meet some of the Food Hall's producers and suppliers and the chef, Andy, on the first Wednesday of every month. The events are very reasonably priced at £12.50 a head and I'm sure will prove to be a great evening out. The next event is on March 4th and is a chance to meet Helena Doy, from the aptly names Bread who supply farm shops and delis all over Suffolk.

Wild Meat in a Day - 29 March save the date

Happy New Year to all our readers! We're gradually emerging from a deeply restful two week holiday and raring to go with events for 2009.

Our first event on 29 March is going to be a cracker. Wild Meat in a Day will give you the whole story of game: from insights into how game is shot, through a hands on game butchery experience to cooking and finally eating the results.

Robert Gooch and Ray Kent of The Wild Meat Company (one of Rick Stein’s Food Heroes) will give you the confidence to prepare game at home as well as sharing with you a wealth of experience about local game. Check out Tim's post from September when he learned the basics of game butchery with these guys.

What's more we're delighted to be joining forces with our friends at The Anchor on the Suffolk coast at Walberswick. The Anchor has undergone a transformation in recent years under the expert hands of Mark and Sophie Dorber, well known from their days at The White Horse, Parsons Green in West London. Sophie’s insistence on the best, seasonal, local produce combined with Mark’s passionate expertise for beer and wine, ensure that The Anchor is fast becoming both a welcoming local – and a gastronomic destination.

The morning will start with locally-shot game. You’ll have the chance to pluck and draw your own bird before enjoying a cookery demonstration from The Anchor’s head chef, Mike who will share with you his favourite game dishes as well as passing on tips, ideas and advice.

Over a relaxing lunch in The Anchor’s dining room you will be treated to an inspiring tasting menu of game dishes including some of those demonstrated earlier in the day. After lunch we’ll have a look at rabbit and Ray will demonstrate how to skin and butcher a rabbit and you’ll each get to have a go too.

You’ll leave the day with the confidence and inspiration to prepare your own game at home, a handful of creative recipes to impress your friends and even some of the game you have prepared yourself!

Cost: £150 per person, £250 per couple to include refreshments, lunch and your own game to take home. To book email polly@foodsafari.co.uk or call 01728 621380.









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