The Derbyshire Food & Drink Fair 2015
Published On Monday 18 May 2015 by Sticky Beak
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My little crop is full to brimming reader, I actually feel as if I could burst, and I think the rest of the flock is equally podged too! This weekend (16th and 17th May 2015) has seen the Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair taking place in the fantastic grounds of Kedleston Hall. It doesn’t take much to get me organised if I know there is going to be a wealth of delights to sample and purchase, so the Boy Wonder and myself were soon flying down to see what was occurring.
My little eyes were all agog when we got to the venue, there was so much to see and do. We had a quick scout around along the perimeter to see what food and drink stalls there were outside (and suss out possible lunchtime treats) before we headed over to the produce marquee. First stall I spied was the chaps from the Old Cheese Shop (co-owners of the Hartington Creamery) so a nice wedge of their wonderfully creamy Stilton soon made its way into my eager arms. Daddy Bird and I would soon make light work of that at our Flock Fuddle on Sunday afternoon - we love it!
A few hops down from there was a stall belonging to Homemade Delights who were selling Risotto Balls. These sounded rather intriguing so we bought one Traditional ball and one Carbonara ball to try. Outwardly they resemble Scotch Eggs but beneath the crumb layer there is risotto rice surrounding a core of cheese (traditional) or Cheese and Ham with Bechamel (Carbonara). Brilliant idea and they were ideal for our fuddle and would be equally great for a picnic outdoors; indeed they were being bought at speed by visitors who were going to eat in the grounds at the fair seeing as the weather was so good.
Our friends from Croots Farm shop were also here, so we got one of their scrummy Pork Pies with a Chilli jam and Cheese top - always a winner in our nest :) Across from them was Hedgerow Products so we had a nosey at their conserves and chutneys and ended up trying a vast array of treats. Our favourites were the Apple and Real Ale Chutney (which apparently is totally amazing on top of cheese on toast) and a beak splittingly fruity Raspberry Conserve, so we got one each of those to take with us.
The team from Brock and Morten were selling their fantastic infused oils and I really rate their Lemon Oil so I stocked up on another bottle of that, and His nibs also got a bottle each of the Chilli Oil and Garlic Oil.
Even though we had had Breakfast before leaving the nest when you’re surrounded by a plethora of tempting morsels the will power is bound to crack sooner rather than later, so a hunk of Rocky Road was purchased from Alice in Bakerland and very Choco-licious it was too J. We spied Bloomers Original Bakewell Puddings so decided to grab one for Sunday Lunch dessert at Mummy and Daddy Birds (easy Brownie Points for us!).
Next to them were the lovely Ladies from the Made in Derbyshire team doing some sterling work to big up our great producers in the county and to launch The Derbyshire Cook Book - which contains some absolutely superb recipes from across this Great County (including Haunch of Venison from the Chatsworth Estate which we had a Bourguignon of at the Devonshire Arms in Beeley - highly recommend you go and eat there if you haven’t already).
The Man Bird as you know has a rather sweet tooth so he soon locked on to the Buffalo Brownie stall and got stuck in to their dizzying array of Brownies and Blondies. Six of their awesome treats were soon in his clutches, and I can say that every single one was crazily amazing - the whole Flock are total converts. So if ever you need a team of taste tasters for new recipes guys we’re available 24/7! ....
We made our way outside in search of liquid refreshment, narrowly avoiding the temptation of the Cider tent and got a couple of Lattes from the Vintage Split, who were really friendly and smiley, and the coffee was lovely and smooth.
My little beak caught a sniff of something yummy in the air so I had to go and investigate and soon came across a dazzling array of Focaccia breads from the Focaccia Bread Company. They all looked so good I couldn’t resist (and they would be great to dip into the infused oils from Brock and Morten), so a slice each of Black Olive, Garlic, Tomato and Cheese and Onion made their way into my basket.
As if that wasn’t enough the guys from Spondon Bakery had an gorgeous smelling Sour Dough bread with Rosemary and Feta that I just couldn’t resist , so that was yet another morsel for the fuddle making its way home with me.
By this time my little legs were ready for a sit down so we said hello to the ladies from Smooth Radio on our way to the straw bales in front of the music tent, where we were happy to listen to some laid back tunes from a variety of musicians.
Sitting down is all well and good but it was approaching lunchtime and my tummy started making itself known by rather loud rumblings, so lunch hunting was the order of the day. The Mussel Pot had a cheeky dish of Red Thai Mussels that I had decided on until I saw a Homemade Crab Burger they were offering and just couldn’t resist. The burger itself was a proper juicy beastie and you could really taste the crab meat in there and the white fish and potato bound it together very well; a Brioche bun, sweet chilli mayo and mixed salad just topped it off beautifully.
The Man wanted something a bit meatier so it was over to Ank Marvin’s Exotic Game for a Buffalo Burger, which hit the spot perfectly in his eyes :)
No visit to a food and drink fair would be complete without a visit to the bar would it? So we dutifully hopped over to say hi to Amber Valley Wines and tried their first vintage from their vineyard just down the road.
Both the Lindway White and Lindway Rose were equally luscious and it was lovely to hear the story behind this 2 man team and their vision to produce top quality wines. We bought a bottle of the Lindway Rose to accompany the food at our fuddle and both Mummy and Daddy bird agreed with us in that it was a supremely drinkable tipple. The English Wine Shop stock both these wines so stock up while it’s available :)
Every chick should treat their Mummy Bird occasionally, so keeping in mind how much pleasure my Mummy gets from being in her garden I couldn’t pass by the Trickleband and Roses Basketware and Fripperies stall without buying one of their exquisite gardeners Trugs ( complete with tools and accessories ). To say she was trilling with happiness would be an understatement!
Lastly, but by no means least, a mention surely has to go to the team at Derbyshire Life magazine. My Daddy Bird loves reading his monthly copy, not only for the informative articles but also for the stunning pictures from each corner of our beloved county. Keep up the great work guys, team Beak think you’re fantastic :)
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