Good Food Brum

(by peter & susie)

Chocolate ‘champagne’ pizzas, Seville orange gin (thanks Mark & Angus at Demijohn) and a salted caramel brownie bomb (thanks Rachael at The Brownie Bar) were just some of the quirkier taste experiences we encountered this past weekend at the winter Good Food Show in Birmingham.

For those that haven’t made the pilgrimage to this annual gastronomic feast for the senses, it’s hard to describe the sheer scale and buzz.

Some 25,000 people came through the doors on Saturday. We were on the Saturday Kitchen and Supertheatre stages at the weekend and the interaction and feedback was brilliant. So thank you to everyone who came and made it such a special event!

Here’s a recap on the wines plus the odd beer & cider we used at the show (the supertheatre was sponsored by Tesco):

• For Tom Kerridge’s slow-roasted pork cheeks with taramasalata – Bellingham The Bernard Series Grenache Viognier 2012 (£10.99, Tesco) and Old Tom Strong Ale (£2.15, Tesco)
• For Lawrence Keogh’s grilled aubergine wraps with chickpea, spinach, cucumber chilli and mint salad (which later morphed into pumpkin risotto, but hey!) – Thymiopoulos Malagouzia 2012 (£8.99, M&S)
• For James Martin’s fresh pasta with griddled asparagus and lemon and breadcrumb topping – Finest Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (£7.99, Tesco)
• For Michael Caines’ curried carrot soup – Waimea Estate Pinot Gris 2012 (£10.99, Majestic)
• For James Martin’s fresh gnocchi with creamy spinach and broccoli sauce and deep-fried broccoli florets – Finest Falanghina 2012 (£6.99, Tesco)
• Glynn Purnell’s red mullet with goat’s cheese and marmite cabbage – Finest Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (£9.99, Tesco)
• To go with Tom Kerridge’s assorted bar snacks (spicy roasted nuts, popcorn cookies, salt cod stotch eggs with pepper sauce) – Waitrose Leckford 2012 Vintage Cox’s Apple Cider (£2.29, Waitrose) and Codorníu Selección Raventos Brut NV Cava (£9.99, Waitrose)
• For Michael Caines’ crab cakes with Thai red pepper sauce – Cono Sur Reserva Riesling (£8.99, Tesco) and Finest Marlborough Riesling (£8.99, Tesco)
• For James Martin’s beef stroganoff with sautéed potatos – Tim Adams Protegé Tempranillo 2009 (£9.99, Tesco)
• For Lawrence Keogh’s roast rib of beef with turnip and onion dauphinoise – Helderberg Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (£9.99, M&S)
• For James Martin’s courgette risotto with deep-fried courgette flowers – Finest Gavi 2012 (£7.99, Tesco)

Many thanks to all the teams at River Street and Saturday Kitchen for another fabulous show. Roll on 2014!

Here are some pics from the show. Some more tongue in cheek than others…