Last Thursday our bookclub gathered at La Colombe for a long planned and much anticipated dinner.Â*Â*I am always filled with excitement when I go to my favorite restaurant, and once again a truly memorable meal and evening was had.The American couple celebrating a romantic anniversary may have found the eight quite loudÂ*womenÂ*slightlyÂ*less than ideal, but [...]

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Thousands of people are employed in the manufacture of confectionary in York, the city of Quaker chocolatiers, Rowntrees and Terry’s. This year the city is to mark that heritage with a celebration of chocolate. The York Food Festival is bringing high quality artisan chocolate centre stage in September 2010, running a ‘Chocolate Day’ in the Market, chocolate demonstrations at 5pm daily in the Festival market place and the Festival launch event will be a chocolate show in the historic Guildhall. Meanwhile the local authority is running a “Big City Read” project in the run up to the Festival, centered on the contemporary novel ‘Chocolat’.

Key Events:

The Chocolate Launch Event: Friday 17th September, 7pm
The event includes,
• a history of chocolate presentation,
• a demonstration using chocolate in 'savoury' cooking,
• a chocolate taste workshop - comparing different estate chocolates,
• a 'make your own' chocolate cookery workshop,
• a chocolate cocktail demonstration and
• a matching chocolate with wine tasting session.
Death by Chocolate: 18th September, 7pm
For lovers of chocolate, this event is a must. Join Ivan Day, world famous food historian, for a mouth-watering introduction to the history of chocolate.
Kit Kat ‘Town and Gown’ Lecture at University of York St John: Monday 20th September, 7pm
In 1935, KIT KAT started life in a York factory. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, David Rennie, Managing Director, Nestlé Confectionery UK and Ireland, delivers this York St John University Public Lecture.

The Chocolate Fountain Market: Tuesday 21st September, from 9am Free entry

A range of artisan chocolate makers take stands at the centre of the Festival’s market, around the Fountain in Parliament Street. Stand holders include local chocolatier Sophie Jewett who is winning a reputation for highly original chocolate fillings including York Ale, Local Honey and Yorkshire Blue Cheese. Others include Choc Affair, a local hand made chocolate producer, who uses Fair-trade chocolate to make their luxury gifts. Also, see the Award winning White Rabbit Chocolate Company whose gifts and chocolates can also be purchased on-line.
A Taste of History (with York Chocolate Club) Saturday 25th , 6.30pm
Join expert the museum's curator along with local chocolatier and founder of York Chocolate Club, Sophie Jewett as they take you on a sensory exploration of York’s rich chocolate history.

For the first weekend of October the streets of Dingle, Co Kerry, Ireland, will come alive with the fourth annual Dingle Peninsula Food & Wine Festival (1-3 October) featuring taste trails to tantalise your taste buds and cookery demonstrations to send your savoury senses wild! Perched on the Atlantic coastline of the west coast of Kerry, Dingle is one of Ireland’s top tourist destinations and boasts some of the top seafood restaurants (and the most spectacular scenery) in Ireland.

The line up will features oyster tasting, charity auction, wine tastings and tutored workshops (including, bee-hive keeping, grow your own food, hen keeping and coffee tastings.) Other highlights include a taste trail in over 40 outlets, where festival goers can purchase taste tickets and sample local cuisine in locations that vary from pubs, and galleries to shop and restaurants. Over the three days of the festival Cookery Demonstrations, including a cook-off between the county’s top footballers, will also take place in the beautiful old St. James Church and are free for all to attend.

Uniquely, the festival hosts the annual Blas na hÉireann, National Irish
Food awards. Now in their 3rd year, these all-Ireland awards celebrate the quality and imagination of the best Irish food producers, with gold, silver, and bronze medals in over 30 categories, for companies creating the best-tasting foods made in Ireland. There will be a special showcase for winners, creating the biggest and best farmers market in the country. Check out irishfoodawards.ie.

For the adventurous there will be a guided foraging walk and the Framers Forum will discuss “Growing for the tourist industry”.

The 2010 Exmoor Food Festival, which will runs from Saturday 2nd to Sunday 10th October, will provide a showcase for local produce from a variety of independent food and drink producers based in the scenic Exmoor area. Visitors will be able to experience a taste of the very best in local produce from this beautiful part of the West Country.

A tasty programme of around 50 events will include food fairs, farmers’ markets, tasting platters, themed evenings, cookery courses, farm visits and indulgent cream teas. Some events will take place every day throughout the festival, while others will be on specific days. Local inns and eateries will also be offering special Exmoor Breakfasts and food festival menus over the ten days.

Since the festival dates coincide with the North Devon & Exmoor Walking Festival (1st – 4th October) there will also be several food themed walks. These include a circular, 7.4 mile moorland walk on Friday 1st October, which then drops down to the river Barle for lunch at Tarr Farm beside the famous Tarr Steps clapper bridge. A more strenuous walk over Selworthy Beacon on Monday, 4th October stops at Hindon Organic Farm for a delicious Exmoor Brunch and a chance to sample the farm’s own award-winning sausages, bacon and Aberdeen Angus beef.

The foodie outings also include a coast walk with a break at Hunters Inn for a ploughman’s lunch with local Exmoor cheese or home-made game pâté, and a more challenging hike to some of Exmoor’s highest points with lunch at Exmoor House. Two further walks finish with delicious cream teas at Brendon House in the East Lyn valley and the Fox & Goose at Parracombe.

Other special food festival events include advice on growing your own fruit and planting an edible hedge, both around Porlock; pumpkin carving sessions in Minehead ready for Halloween at the end of the month; chocolate making demonstrations in Dunster and a tour of the Victorian kitchens at Dunster Castle.

Events the first weekend will take place mainly around Lynton and Lynmouth on the North Devon side of Exmoor, while the second weekend will see emphasis on the Minehead, Dunster and Porlock region in West Somerset.

Prices start from £2 per child for the Pumpkin Party at Minehead Eye on 8th October and £6.25 for adults and £4 for children for an Exmoor breakfast at Moorland Hall, Wheddon Cross on 3rd and 10th October. A four-course Italian dinner with matched wines at Le Bistro, Lynmouth on 7th October is priced at £29.50 per person. Some events such as the Farmers’ Market at Lynton Town Hall on 2nd October and the Exmoor Food Fair on 10th October at Porlock offer free entry.

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In case you didn’t know I come from a bit of a marketing background., I was a brand manager for many years in Joburg. So when I see good branding and packaging I get all excited.Very excitedÂ*is exactly how I felt whenÂ*I first clapped eyes on the very stylish, uber South African BOS iced tea [...]

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Last week I got to attend theÂ*petit gateaux course at the Lindt chcoloate studio, whichÂ*I had been looking forward toÂ*for months. I love baking so thought this particular course would take the skill level up a notch.Â*Over two days we learned how to make 8 beautiful little cake creations, all of which incorporated in some [...]

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This recipe was given to me by a foodie friendÂ*who said they were sensational, and its been in my ‘blogÂ*-to-do-file’Â*for a while. I tweaked it to include the very delicious Verlaque Balsamic Reduction with raspberries,Â*and what a win it was. What you need to make: 500 gms Button Mushrooms 4-5 Cloves Garlic finely chopped or squashed 1/2 Cup Olive Oil 3 [...]

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I have recently become quite enraptured with smoking food and have been dying to get stuck inÂ*and try itÂ*out.Â*I have neither the hot smoker nor the inclination to light a fire, but armed with a solid understanding of the technique, I decided to try a stove top, hot smoke version using an ordinary pot with [...]

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