Organic Centre Wales puts Children Centre-Stage at Festival

Heather Myers, Chief Executive of the Abergavenny Food Festival,  is delighted to announce that Organic Centre Wales has come on board as head sponsor of the much-loved Food Academy at the Castle.

“We are committed to building on our reputation as a family-friendly festival. This year, over the weekend of 21 and 22 September, there will be even more opportunities for children to get involved. With Organic Centre Wales’ support we will be re-locating the Food Academy into the Dome – a significantly larger venue. The additional space will enhance the experience for everyone.”

Thanks to Organic Centre Wales the Food Academy will feature an ‘organic takeover’ showcasing the very best of Welsh organic food, with visitors getting the chance to gain inspiration from a series of cooking master classes throughout the weekend. Children of all ages can get involved with hands-on cooking workshops, food mapping activities and much more.

Neil Pearson, Centre Manager at Organic Centre Wales said: ‘We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Abergavenny Food Academy, allowing visitors and children to experience first-hand fantastic Welsh Organic produce. The festival is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase organic food and engage with UK  consumers  to extol the virtues of Welsh organic producers’.

Food Academy sessions are free as part of the Stroller ticket experience. Children under 16 get a complimentary stroller ticket if accompanied by an adult. Full details of the programme of events will be available to view at www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com when box office goes live in early July.

About Organic Centre Wales: Organic Centre Wales (OCW) is a partnership consisting of: ADAS, The Organic Research Centre Elm Farm and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science (IBERS), Aberystwyth University. OCW is currently delivering the Better Organic Business Links project (BOBL), funded by Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.  The project is designed to support the primary producer in Wales and grow the market for Welsh organic produce in a sustainable way. 

BOBL is also working towards growing consumer demand and more information can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/OrganicCentreWales    

For more information contact: Mrs Jenny Mills, Communications Officer, BOBL  tel: 01970 823029  e.mail: Jem25@aber.ac.uk

We’re delighted to announce that Rick Stein is coming to Abergavenny

Rick Stein will be kicking off the Festival programme with a special event at the Borough Theatre (Fri 20 Sept 7.30pm). He’ll be talking to Xanthe Clay on the occasion of the publication of his memoir. As one of Britain’s best-loved cooks he’ll share with you a life in food spanning four decades. Starting off as an accidental chef when his nightclub business got closed down, Rick has scaled the highest heights as restaurateur, cookery-writer, and one of the most accomplished presenters of food on television. Xanthe Clay is food-writer for The Daily Telegraph. After the event Rick will be signing copies of his new memoir Under a Mackerel Sky published by Ebury Press – visit their website to see Rick Stein books on their list.

The Festival Box Office goes live on 2 July. You will be able to view the full programme and book tickets online at http://www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com  Sign up for our e.news bulletins to receive regular updates (see foot of home page)

NEW APP FROM ‘LOVE FOOD HATE WASTE’ HELPS YOU SAVE £££ WHILE ON THE MOVE

Help is at hand for anyone who wants to keep track of their budgets by food planning, shopping, making the most of left-overs and recipes while on the go, thanks to a new app from Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW).
Recently launched in both English and Welsh and available for iPhone and android devices, the app enables users to organise a wide range of information and features, and tailor this to their individual requirements.
The free app offers a host of features including:

• ‘My kitchen’ – store details of all the foods you’ve got at home in your fridge, freezer and cupboards. Add ‘use by’ reminders so you don’t waste food
• Portion planner and a meal planning diary
• 100s of great recipes (with new ones regularly added) with simple, step-by-step instructions
• A feast of helpful tips and ideas from LFHW
• Keep a record of your own creations by adding your recipes to a ‘My cookbook’ section
• Rate and share recipes
• ‘Shopping list’ not only tracks everything you need for your planned meals, but also alerts you if you have duplicates of any ingredients. Instantly ‘unpack’ your food purchases into your virtual kitchen

The updated app also offers a ‘My profile’ area where users can record what they’ve cooked, culinary achievements, and the chance to opt for connecting – via Facebook or Twitter – with friends and family who also use the app. Get full details and download the app here.

Company behind The Apprentice seeks best amateur cooking couple in UK

Are you passionate about cooking great food? Do you have a friend or partner who shares your enthusiasm for entertaining and cooking up a storm in the kitchen? 

Boundless Productions, the production company behind The Apprentice, is on the hunt for the best amateur cooking couples from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for a new Sky Series.If selected, each amateur cooking team will be asked to showcase their cooking and entertaining skills in front of some of the country’s top professional chefs.They  are looking for real homemade food, cooked by real people with real passion.

Whether you’re siblings, work colleagues, life-long friends or romantically involved they’re looking for couples who share a history and the ability to serve up incredible food.

If you think you and your cooking partner have what it takes to represent your region in the UK and Ireland’s ultimate cooking test they’d love to hear from you. Contact Joe on 0207 861 8248 or e.mail joe.deen@boundlessproductions.tv 

Create amazing party food with Lindy Wildsmith

Advance Party Preparations

If you want to pick up some inspiration for making party food this Christmas, you can’t do better than join Lindy Wildsmith for her Advance Party Preparations session.

For Abergavenny Christmas Fair Lindy is promising  a tutored tasting with a difference: savour the flavours of cured food, learn something about the history of our food and discover how ancient kitchen crafts can be harnessed to make getting ready for Christmas 2012 a breeze.

• Try Lindy’s stunning Christmas gravadlax and then learn how to make this simple and delicious appetiser to feast on at home; vary the cures from season to season, from winter citrus and warming root ginger to summer-fresh dill and sweet elderflower. It takes minutes to prepare and time does the rest. Serve it as a main meal with boiled potatoes Swedish style.
• Taste chilli and thyme spiked potted crab crostini and discover why potting was the forerunner of the vac-pac.
• If you think that nothing can improve on a classic mince pie; now is the time to be proven wrong with a slice of this rich mincemeat and marzipan tart.

Lindy is a hugely experienced cookery teacher and unashamedly old-school in her philosophy.

“The diet of cookery programmes we are being fed on the television is transforming cooking into a spectator pastime. Simple achievable home cooking is being snubbed in favour of sophisticated chef’s fare resulting in the belief that a sophisticated ready meal is more acceptable than everyday home cooking. The importance of eating freshly cooked ingredients cannot be over emphasised. Sitting at a table enjoying home fare with your family and friends, eating home prepared food is one of the greatest pleasures in life.”

Photograph from Lindy’s book ‘Cured’

Lindy ran the popular G2 Cookery Club in Ross on Wye which she has just relaunched as the G2 Club at Home to teach one-on-ones and  small groups.  She is co-founder, with Franco Taruschio, of The Chef’s Room in Blaenavon which was named as Best Cookery School in Wales 2012.

She is also well-known as a cookery writer. Her most recent book Cured: salted, spiced,dried, smoked, potted, pickled, raw was the Guild of Food Writers’ Recipe Book of the Year 2011 and was short-listed for an André Simon Award , the food-writers’ Booker Prize.

Lindy’s Tutored Tasting – Advance Party Preparations – takes place on Sunday 9 December from 12.30pm to 1.15pm in the Angel Hotel Ballroom, Abergavenny. Tickets cost £6.00. Buy online now and print off at home.

 

 

Barry Colenso – a chocolate clock and mulled wine truffles

What has Master Chocolatier Barry Colenso  been up to? – Lucy, his partner, gives us the latest:

“Inevitably it’s crazy here because of the season and  Barry has been madly busy creating a gigantic chocolate clock for the Dublin department store, Clerys.

The clock was unveiled on December 3^rd and Barry has been everywhere in the Irish news, on TV and radio. Read all about it.

In between jetting off to Dublin, pulling his hair out and gazing at clock mechanisms, Barry has been busy creating his Christmas chocolates.

They are a mix of simple but classic chocolate-covered nuts and fruits, chocolate Santas and also Barry’s truffles.

He has made some mulled wine truffles especially for Abergavenny;  a delicious milk shell around a port wine and winter spice truffle… almost as good as the real thing too. (I’m already addicted).

Partly as a result of the clock and also because of his exacting standards, all his chocolates have been made as close to the Fair as possible so that everyone can enjoy them at their best.

I also suspect he gets a kick out of putting me under more pressure to then pack them!” Visit Barry’s stall at the Christmas Fair, Sunday 9 December. Pick up your site map on the day.

Barry’s special Tutored Tasting  – Chocolate from Bean to Bar – takes place on Sunday 9 December at 3.30pm in the Angel Hotel Ballroom, Abergavenny. Tickets are £6.00 Buy online now (they can be printed off at home)

Entertainment at the Christmas Food and Drink Fair

Entertainment at the Christmas Food & Drink Fair
Sunday 9 December 2012

PRIORY CENTRE
11 .00am –   A Fanfare of Strumpets, a fabulous four-piece acapella harmony group. Their roots are in folk and dance songs, and they have put together a special foodie repertoire.
12.15pm -  St Mary’s Church Choir
2.00pm -  A Fanfare of Strumpets
3 .00pm -  A Fanfare of Strumpets

MARKET HALL
11.30am & 2.30pm -  Santa Lucia Youth Choir from Skaftö and Solberga, Sweden – where Santa Lucia, traditionally celebrated on December 13, is an important prequel to Christmas.

MARKET HALL & LOWER BREWERY YARD
The Big, Bad Wolf is out and about spreading Christmas cheer, telling stories of what all the fairytale characters get up to over the festive period.