There are 30 additional producers at this year's record breaking Festival showcasing juicy drinks, delicious conserves, meat feasts, sweet treats and something a little different to tantalise the taste buds, alongside well known producers from across the region. The three food and drink pavilions located in the heart of Northernhay Gardens are sponsored by South West Water and Darts Farm. New for this year, is a selection of food related stalls in the Rougemont Castle grounds, including cookware and locally made crockery.
The Exeter Festival of South West England Food & Drink, organised by Taste of the West and funded by South West England, is supported by the Festival Partners, major sponsor and partner Exeter City Council, South West Tourism, Michael Caines @ Abode, Exeter Chamber of Commerce, Exeter & the Heart of Devon Hoteliers & Restaurant Association, NFU and the Express and Echo. Media supporters include Western Morning News, Devon Today and Food Magazine.
Taste of the West Chief Executive, John Sheaves said, 'The wide range of food producers at the Festival shows the tremendous variety and diversity of produce in our region created by people who share a common vision - to create the highest quality products using regionally sourced ingredients with care, consideration and passion.'
Producers to quench visitors thirst include Countrymans Cider, Tavistock, Devon who have been making traditional cider for generations using apples from within a 50 mile radius. The Lyme Bay Winery, Axminster, Devon will present their range of award winning 'Boozy Preserves' and new yummy 'Cream Liqueurs' using the highest quality local fruit and fruit juice. Shute Fruit, Bishopsteignton, Teignmouth, Devon, produce delicious elderflower cordial using wild elderflowers grown on local hedgerows. They will launch their brand new 'Pumpkin Chocolate Truffles', with a light smooth consistency containing rum or vanilla, at the Festival.
Tasty conserves and condiments will be available from Cornish Meadow Preserves, Helston, Cornwall, with their spicy range of jellies including Taste of the West 2006 Gold award winning 'Thai Jelly' and delicious new product 'Strawberry & Chilli Jam'. Hogs Bottom Garden Delights, Tavistock, Devon, a small cottage industry, make locally sourced and produced fruit vinegars, unusually flavoured oils, traditional English marmalades, jams, chutneys, pickles and savoury jellies as well as their fantastic 'Dartmoor Dressing'. Waterhouse Fayre, Bishops Nympton, Devon believe that flavour is everything, beginning with the fruit and vegetables they grow and select for their chutneys and jams, including seven varieties of raspberries! These include more unusual varieties including the 'tummelberry' that features in their Taste of the West Gold award winning 'Waterhouse Harvest Jam'.
For 'out of the ordinary' culinary indulgence, try the traditional home-cooked Indian food from The Saffron Kitchen of Taunton where every dish is freshly prepared to order, using locally produced meat and vegetables from Somerset in traditional Indian recipes. Tasty pâtés with a difference can be sampled from Penny's Parties, Newton St Cyres, Devon who won Taste of the West 2006 Silver award for their 'Chicken & Cognac Pâté' and Bronze for their delicious 'Pheasant & Sloe Gin Pâté'. Markus, Wincanton, Somerset produce five creamy farmhouse butters 'Wholegrain Mustard', 'Spiced Honey', 'Roast Garlic', 'Lime & Chilli' and 'Somerset Cider Brandy' – each perfectly balanced with a spicy warmth or an alcoholic kick. Winning Gold last year in the Great Taste Awards, their 'Wholegrain Mustard Butter' is made using Wiltshire based Tracklements, 'Wholegrain and Dijon Mustard', ideal for stirring into gravies, mashed into potatoes or sliced onto grilled steak.
This year's Festival maintains the South West's reputation for succulent meat products. Proper Cornish, Bodmin, Cornwall specialise in making legendary Cornish Pasty and boast bizarre pasty fillings including 'Mexican Beef Pasty' and the 'Toffee Apple Bar Pasty'. Red Earth Kitchen of Kingsbridge, Devon have a unique range of homemade gourmet meals using the finest local meat and traditional cooking methods. Deli Farm Charcuterie, Delabole, Cornwall produce air-dried salami and ham, from prime Cornish meats, mixed with freshly ground herbs and spices. Their Copper Salami won a Taste of the West Gold award 2006 and Best New Product 2006. Pymans Pâtés, Plymouth, Devon, began production in August 2006 and have a delicious range of locally produced pâtés including 'Chicken Liver and Brandy, Port and Cranberry' and a vegetarian option 'Red Lentils, Roasted Red Pepper, Red Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes'. They plan to launch a new pâté at the Festival consisting of 'Duck, Apricots and Cornish Blue'.
Newcomer to the Festival Tom Pyman of Pymans Pâtés, Plymouth, Devon said 'We are thoroughly looking forward to attending for the first time this year. It's an important event for a new business like Pymans Pâtés and offers an excellent opportunity to increase our customer base and find out what people think of our products.'
Scrumptious treats to tempt visitors include 'Double Chocolate Brownies' from Manna, Kingswear, Devon, fast becoming a legend in the South Hams. They also produce luscious sticky puddings made from only the best ingredients, as well as a seasonal range of chutneys and marmalades. Teonis, Hemyock, Devon is a small, family-run bakery specialising in delicious handmade oat crunch cookies and shortbreads using ingredients of unsurpassed quality. Granny Nunns Bread Pudding, Falmouth, Cornwall was created by Granny Nunn and relaunched in 2006 after her grandson found the recipe in an old handwritten recipe book. The traditional pudding remains hugely popular. Lydia's Gourmet Delights, Redruth, Cornwall, bake a fine range of locally sourced cakes including 'Cornish Honey and Ale Cake' using locally brewed ale and 'Carrot Cake' using locally grown carrots.
Pat Rawlinson, Lydia's Gourmet Delights, Carnkie, Redruth, Cornwall said, 'We were looking for a new and exciting way to expand our range of customers and the Exeter Festival of South West England Food & Drink came highly recommended. We're attending the Festival for the first time and very much looking forward to meeting new people within this incredibly important and expanding industry.'
Producers attending from far and wide include, old favourites Styles Farmhouse Ice Cream, Minehead, Somserset who produce a wide variety of ice creams with their speciality a sheep's milk ice cream, available in four natural flavours. They have recently launched 'Silm Ewe' a low fat ice cream with only 68 calories per 100 ml, in 3 delicious flavours! Suzette's Pancakes, Salisbury, Wiltshire serving hot, fresh crêpes have now developed a range of products for retail, restaurants and foodservice. Food fans of the Somerset Ducks, North Newton, Bridgewater, Somerset will have their favourite duck recipes of stuffed duck, duck breast, duck burgers and sausages, homemade pies and speciality meats. Gilly's of Fernham, who produce high quality handmade salad dressings, marinades, cooking sauces and chutneys, will inspire visitors with their genuine love of fine food.
Finally, the brewers of the South West England Beer Festival are back once more! Join the breweries and experts in the 'Contented Cow' to sample some of the region's finest real ales and ciders and relax in the beer garden. There will be 15 draught beers from Barum Brewery, Branscombe Vale Brewery, Clearwater Brewery, Exe Valley Brewery and Otter Brewery, with ciders from Green Valley Cider. Many of the staff are volunteers from CAMRA and happy to answer questions and give advice about the styles of beers available. The Beer Festival is sponsored by Foot Anstey, and is supported by CAMRA.
A fantastic day out, the Exeter Festival of South West England Food & Drink 2007 is simply a food lover's paradise!
The Exeter Festival of South West England Food & Drink 2007 will be at Northernhay Gardens, Exeter on Friday 30th March, Saturday 31st March and Sunday 1st April 2007 from 10am to 5pm Friday and Saturday and 10.30am to 4pm Sunday. Highlights include 3 Food and Drink Pavilions, Beer Festival, Festival Café, Celebrity Cookery Theatre, Food is Fun family marquee, Restaurant Trail and offers. Northernhay Gardens is located in Exeter city centre just a few minutes walk from Exeter Central Station. Entry is £4.50 for adults; accompanied children under 16 years of age are free.
For more information about the Exeter Festival of South West England Food & Drink 2007 and a free programme visit www.visitsouthwest.co.uk/foodfestival or call 01392 440745.
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