Thank you Ludlow for a lovely day!

Ludlow Food Festival is such a good place to catch up with friends and colleagues. Saw lots of Lesley Mackley; leading light of the festival. Even managed an end of the day Prosecco from Ludlow's Twin town in the Veneto, San Pietro in Cariano (where the Valpolicella comes from) with her and Mark. Henrietta Green turned up too. Saw Will Holland from La Becasse (wonderful restaurant) next year I will get organised and stay the night and have a meal there - should I book now? Then I bumped into Alan Murchison from L'Ortolan - both chefs contributed to Cured.


I had a chance to chat with Wendy from Peter's Yard with her delicious Scandi type crisp breads, Katie, compare from Wot's cooking, Diana from Books Books Books all so supportive! I have been liaising with Sue Chantler over my taste workshop for some time and finally got to meet and work with her too.

My Slow Food Taste workshop on Italian finger food made with local produce went well, Trish in the kitchen did her stuff brilliantly and managed to fry 40 quail's eggs without any trouble. Rather her than me!The Beacon Rooms are beautiful and the workshops with Sue Chantler are very popular. I then did a demo on the Olive Stage in the afternoon. It was advertised for some reason as Dolce Vita but was "not raw at all" ceviche, carpaccio, crudo, tartare, sashimi, raw fish recipes from Cured. The book sold well afterwards.

Naturally you can't go to a food festival without buying lots of goodies. Cureton's moist and meaty pork and pheasant sausages www.curetonsfinefood.co.uk , a variety of charcuterie products from Wenlock Edge Farm www.wenlockedgefarm.co.uk, warm kippers straight from the smoke www.ludlowtraditionalsmokehouse.com Grana Padano, Speck and Sopressa from Ludlow's twin town www.prolocosanpietroincariano.it www.valpolicellaweb.it

I did not buy but loved Ursula Evans sensational traditional fruit cakes www.mycottage kitchen.co.uk If you do not make your own Christmas cake, order now. They are not only delicious but the presentation is gorgeous too. The cakes won Great Taste gold 2011 and her Christmas cake was cited as "Best classic Christmas cake" by Felicity Cloak (Guradian.co.uk) Talking of Christmas, Kelly Bronze www.kellyturkeys.co.uk bred to be wild, also a Great Taste gold winner in 2011 is a veritable feast of flavour and available mail order. Cheese producer Sarah Hampton of Brock Hall Farm Dairy won coverted 3 star gold for her Capra Nouveau at this year's Great Taste Awards and it was voted one of the Top 50 products in the UK. She has an original marketing slant on all her cheeses. The collection is called The Art of Artisan Cheese and individual cheeses are associated by their names with famous Art movements. This is no gimmick the product is outstanding made with milk from her pedigree heard of rare breed goats.

In a moment of calm during the day I sat in the sun, enjoying the scene of crowds of British foodies enjoying the prospect of so much regional produce, all the while eating a raspberry sorbet, Hillbrooks ice cream www.hillbrooks.co.uk made on my own doorstep and of which I had never heard but will never forget as the intensity of the taste transported me to field of raspberries.

Thank you Ludlow for a lovely day.