Bex heads to Wales for a weekend of foodie fun-times.
Very worse for wear and desperate to sit down, I find myself, faggot roll in hand, watching a Welshman slice up a three foot long carcass with the grace and skill one would expect of a seamstress or ice sculptor. Nauseous yet enthralled, I keep watching the butcher slice through the cow as his colleague explains to my fellow 50 or so spectators the importance of each joint; why some are more tender than others, and how best they should be cooked.
Luckily for me I have a strong stomach – I challenge others to face faggots and live butcher demonstrations having spent the best part of the night before ‘sampling’ the delights of Abergavenny’s night life. Luckily for me too, I am at the Abergavenny Food Festival in South Wales; a must visit for anyone who loves food, and a welcome retreat from the savage commercialisation that is eating away at the fabric of our society. Woah! Really? Yes.
The festival brings together, showcases and educates hapless eaters (like myself) on what we sit down in front of three times a day or, worse still, eat on the move whilst rushing between meetings. In the small medieval market town of Aber (as it’s known to locals), farmers, producers, sellers, chefs and food writers converge in a celebration of all things digestible and delectable. The streets are transformed into dazzling arrays of fresh produce, from green tomato chutneys and homemade scotch eggs – like you wished your gran had made – to the most complex and sophisticated of Roquefort and wild boar cured sausage. There is no hierarchy here; provided it hails from a genuine concern for tasty nutritious food, and not from a sole concern to make money, the produce is awarded a place.
My stomach settled, accompanied by a silent vow to visit my butcher more often, Elsa (my food wife) and I stroll over to the Borough Theatre to watch Jay Rayner give a talk on restaurants. In the past, the festival has been described as ‘intimate’ and ‘cosy’ – despite the 40,000 visitors it now attracts. Sat snug in the theatre with Jay’s wife sat directly behind me, it certainly feels intimate; and this is a feeling that pervades throughout – Elsa and I make new friends everywhere we turn (this is possibly helped by the various local ales, fruit wines and meads we must try in the name of research).
Continuing our holiday from cling film wrappers and refrigerated sarnies, we stroll up to the castle – I mean what food festival would be complete without its own castle? – where ornate tents and picnic benches provide a welcome respite from the hungry crowds. On our way we pass a French skiffle band and a man wearing an A-frame sign that reads, ‘Bet ewe Glam Lamb is here today.’ And I’m sure it is, but before we can hunt the lambs down we’re sidetracked by Jane Mason of Virtuous Bread.com ranting about the Pope and the scandal that is communion bread. The castle’s rant stand provides the chance for individuals to air their food gripes. The subjects of rants include lovers not making loud enough noises when eating each other’s cooking and cooks being too noisy in the kitchen – according to one ranter, a good kitchen is a silent one.
At the castle, however, it isn’t silent and doesn’t remain quite so tranquil for long. The Saturday night Party at the Castle event, which takes place every year, kicks off with a fantastic firework display and it's followed by a steady stream of excellent bands. Elsa and I waddle away to the music, raspberry wine in one hand, Persian lamb kebab in the other, deeply satisfied.
Return to Spoonfed's Festivals homepage.
Add an event
Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
Frieze have today announced details for the 2012 edition, their tenth art fair in London. Taking place...