Food for Thought at Good Food Show

Published: 02 Dec 2011   updated: 23 Jan 2012

On Thursday 4 November, three intrepid A Level Home Economics girls and our very own Good Food Show 'foodie', Mrs Lampard, voyaged to the NEC for the Good Food Show. It was set to be an amazing day and we were not disappointed.

With our bellies empty and ready to be filled up with an unimaginable array of free samples, ranging from air-dried fruit crisps, Greek olive oil and hand-made Scottish oatcakes, we entered the arena ready for anything. Our venture began with a taste of a delicious, creamy British brie, inspired by the cheese from the north of Spain. It was an amazing experience to hear a first hand account from the maker of the cheese how he made it and the importance of British produce to him.

We then continued to meet Amy and Chris, a young couple who had just set up a new company, the Northern Dough Co. Their ingenious idea of roll your own dough was both imaginative and unique and their determination to highlight the importance of healthy eating was an inspiration.

When lunch time came there was no question of what we would have: a delicious hog roast. Talking to the chef we learnt about the rearing of his British hogs who are allowed to roam free in the fields - he assured us that a happy hog is a tasty hog! After lunch, we prepared for the main event, an audience with our good friend James Martin! His assurance that he could cook a three course Christmas lunch, comprising lobster bisque, roast pork with mashed potato and apple sauce and a delicious melt in the middle chocolate fondant with a caramelised clementine, was met with scepticism. However, he proved us wrong and despite a round of verbal jousting with the presenter, Ollie, he managed to be both amusing and charming along the way.

The Good Food Show was an amazing experience and we left exhausted and loaded up with a variety of goods, including Tiffin, fudge, oatcake, a piping bag and, strangely enough, a birdcage! It was both exciting and educational and we are all looking forward to the Summer Good Food Show.

Rachel Gordon

Time for a quick photo before we enter the show:

Us, Mrs Lampard and 'Mr Robinson':

Sampling the culinary delights (the first of many!):

The Northern Dough Co. demonstrates how to roll and create the perfect pizza:

TV Chef (and our old friend) James Martin gets cooking:

There were many scrumptious treats on offer...

...but which ones to choose?!

Forcing ourselves to taste another sample, all in the name of research of course...

Foc