Displaying items by tag: hospitality

Well we think it has got a bit tired really - the magazine is thin, the 'street food corner' announcing the commercialisation of street food - uninspiring, sold out of brand new H vans by bored staff, pricey, using weird ingredients (when was Sangria ever made with sherry and sugar-free lemonade?) The sales pitches out of touch (with the exception of the coffee machine suppliers who gave us a great coffee and the best, most relevant and interesting information) and the stands with just a jar of sweets...well...is your budget REALLY that bad? And what happened to wine tasting?!

But I did get a years supply of quite nice pens, spoke to a few genuinely well informed and passionate foodie suppliers (mostly the ones who we already know who actually make what they sell like the cheeses, the bread, the juices and the ice cream) and we found just one brilliant and inspiring brand new idea - from Croatia - that we really want to keep to ourselves but will feature as Dish of the Day when we get back in touch with them.

• New cheeses from Butlers
• Breckland Orchards award winning juices
• a great summer equals lots of great ice cream makers
• our lunch starter
• our lunch main course
• One of the better Street Food menus
•  

Off we go again to sample the delights of the Restaurant Show trade fair at Earls Court. Our first mission - to get the best coffee we can find, as fast as possible, and free. Inspector X won. Then to lunch at the the disappointing street food area (this years theme) where I had the worst 'street food' I have had all year, I should have realised - there was no queue! Then off to taste Orange wines. Here are some of the pics - starting with Tuddenham Mill chef Paul Foster doing a demo.

Suffolkfoodie was created by my sister Claire in 2007.  Although Claire has lived and worked in the UK, nowadays she spends most of her time in the Caribbean with her family. Not in a 'living on a luxury yacht' kind of way, but on her smallholding where she raises goats and cattle. Claire is a great cook, a published writer and has a life-threatening addiction to hot sauce and makes it in Barbuda.

This leaves me to look after SuffolkFoodie. My name is Ruth and I've worked in the food and hospitality industry since I was 19; now I'm a Nonna! I still have the passion for cooking and good food that I had in my youth. Whether I've made it myself or someone else has cooked it I like good home-made food. I'm not fussy about what I eat; give me a good stew or a burger from a street food stall and I'm happy. You can see my food stories and recipes here! For those that would like to know even more about me I moved from catering, service and hospitality to the tourism sector when I got weary working behind a hot stove. I currently work as a freelance quality assessor within visiitor attractions and the leisure and sports industries. (My eight years as a full time hotel inspector taking their toll on my waistline and leaving me craving to eat my own cooking and sleep in my own bed again.) In my years as a cook/chef I've owned and run my own restaurant in Bury St Edmunds and also had my own outside event catering businesses. I've worked as a lecturer at West Suffolk College teaching cookery and life skills to vulnerable adults as well as teaching adult education evening cookery classes. I understand the complexities of running a food led business and the energy that it takes to keep all the plates spinning (literally). I love to keep up with food trends and writing the odd blog post or two. My relaxation pursuits include growing pumpkins, discovering more about wine and experimenting with my cocktail trolley - as Jimmy Buffet sang ... it's five o'clock somewhere; pour me another one!  

Suffolkfoodie is 17 years old! The blog is noted by many for it's longevity and covers all aspects of the world of food and drink. It's hoped that you find it upbeat and entertaining; it includes reviews of Ruth's experiences when at home in Suffolk, out and about for work or when travelling for leisure. The aim is to include small independent businesses and producers, to tell you about what we've found on the side of the road or what we've enjoyed eating or cooking. If you invite paying guests to your pop-ups or to your supper club, then invite us! If you want to share a recipe or a food story send it to us. We are always on the look out for new trends, exciting new producers and innovative businesses in the world of food and drink. Ruth has considerable food and wine knowledge and as a freelance quality assessor is able to give objective and constructive feedback to producers and hospitality businesses within the industry. Ruth works with PR companies to promote new openings and food events as well as providing expert judging services for food and drink awards. We don't take bribes...but we do accept products for review and are happy to provide feedback on your product or business. Where a fee is charged or products/services gifted we make this clear.  However we do consider carefully whether products or services are appropriate for our blog.  If we like it we will tell others. If you would like more information email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A great day out of free tastings and sous-vide immersion into the world of culinary arts. There were olives, ice creams, huge parmesans, coffee, pastries, salami and of course plenty of wine and we tried it all.  I correctly matched a Pinot Noir to Jimi Hendrix in the completely mad music-with-wine tasting by Mickey Narea - the sommelier at Launceston Place, and afterwards went to eat at beautiful Benares for their early supper at £25 for three courses. Not much Suffolk in this show though.