By contributor Claire Zakiewicz – a healthy eating enthusiast and keen marathon runner.
I always set December aside for family and friends and look forward to a month of winding down work, being social and reflecting on the year. This year things unexpectedly turned out differently and I found out, just as I was arriving at Taste Of Christmas 2013, that I had been offered an arts residency in New York starting a week later. Hell yeah! I was in the mood to celebrate, but also to make the most of the festivities. My party season was going to be cut short so I made up for it that night.
Gin & Tonics
My first stop, was the Bombay Sapphire VIP lounge in association with Champagne Laurent-Perrier and it was an evening of Champagne for me. The waiters were fun and made delicious but ridiculously strong and huge Gin & Tonics for my friend. The festive season was kicking off!
Last year I visited the festival with Tash shortly before I started contributing to Food I Fancy. This time it was in the atmospheric Tobacco Dock near Tower Bridge. It’s a gentrified historic dockyard with open areas selling mulled wine and mulled slow gin next to riverside views. Indoors there are many rooms and levels to explore, a live bandstand, theatres and a whole host of all things foodie.
There were restaurant stands for dinner although disappointingly few that catered well for vegetarians and nothing for vegans. Strangely the meat restaurant Beard to Tail and gastro pub The Truscott Arms were the only two out of twelve restaurants with vegetarian mains. There were also extremely long queues for meals on the Friday evening so it was lucky that I was more interested in the stalls and drinking establishments.
Black Garlic
The Producer’s Village area introduced a number of excellent products and producers. My favourite was black garlic from The Garlic Farm. They heat the garlic bulbs for a month, increasing the antioxidants and it won’t give you bad breath. It was so delicious with a rich, sweet flavour, super healthy and great in winter cooking.
White Balsamic Vinegar
I also bought Flower tea from the Waterlily Tea House and white balsamic vinegar from Danilo Manco, which is the best I’ve tasted. My friend bought a black bomber cheese, but as I keep my kitchen vegan I didn’t buy one myself. I did taste it though, and can vouch that it was the most perfectly intense, creamy and crumbly cheddar.
Green & Blacks Chocolate
I particularly enjoyed the Green & Blacks chocolate room, which had a tasting section pairing varieties of chocolate and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. They have launched a box set with a selection of their bars and a pairing guide. I always eat chocolate with drink as I like the way it melts in the mouth that way, so I was a big fan of this idea.
Tom Kitchin (image courtesy of elextrolux)
There were so many other things going on such as book signings, a chef theatre and baking theatre kitted out with Electrolux equipment and appliances, as well as cooking lessons and demonstrations from top michelin star chefs such as Tom Kitchin. These events were popular and on a first come first served basis, but for anybody with determination they were great fun and a good way to pick up new tricks and skills in the kitchen. I would recommend putting at least a few hours aside to make the most of everything. Despite the poor menu choices for vegetarians, the location, live music and quality of exhibitors made for a great festival.
My last stop was the expresso martini bar where artist/designer Tony Miles was selling some really great lamps. In fact, there were all kinds of festive gifts and artisan goods for sale for early bird Christmas shoppers.
Festive Gifts
I went for a somewhat drunken meal after the festival ended, which I felt was far too early at 10pm. It was a good evening though and I apologise to the security men for being the last person out!
I managed to stagger home with all my shopping but it’s worth noting that there is a Home Delivery service in case you buy more than you can carry.
Many thanks to Electrolux for the invite.
