taste of london - the festive edition happened again this past weekend, and i was lucky enough to head along. again. this was my like, fifth time going in the last few years, and yet every time i get invited along, i am as giddy and excited as if it's my first. why? because there's always so many tasty foods to sample and buy, and ~always some amazing new brands to connect and chat with about their products and ranges. and free booze. there's ~always free booze.
i've never really considered myself to be a "foodie", but over the last decade or so - since learning about my food intolerances especially, i've had to take a real interest in what goes into my body; as a result i would say that i am curious about food, and love being able to talk to the producers about ingredients, cooking methods, and alternatives. so, a festival that celebrates all things food is a dream come true. plus, there's always loads of free booze. not sure if i mentioned that or not.
thanks to principle sponsors aeg uk, rebekah and i were also able to once again hit a "let's taste live cooking" session with head chefs from london's school of wok, and learn a thing or two about a thing or two. like induction hobs and sous vide steaming, and how to wrap up stuff in lotus leaves. things that mean nothing to me in my current renting lifestyle, but that hopefully one day will mean something to me in my very own kitchen lifestyle. fingers crossed for that day, please.
after our cooking session we hit the main hall with a glass of laurent-perrier's finest, and checked out the epic range of delicious foods on the menu. some would say there was once again "too much food" to choose from, but i say there's no such thing as "too much food", and my decision was always going to be a sticky pork bao from 'm', because: yum.
with a final wander around the food markets, sample and purchase of a range of craft beers, cupcake devouring and laughing at the guy whose sole purpose in life is to defend the small scale king's landing made out of gingerbread, our four hours had come to an end, and we made our way out in to the freezing night air. i mean ~seriously freezing. this winter's event was possibly not as busy or as well curated as previous years - and certainly not as great as this past summer's event, but bex and i still had a fab time, and certainly left full of tons of food and drink samples, so i certainly can't complain about that.
if you ever have the chance to go, i would definitely recommend it. at least once. thank me later.
