The ‘Great British Menu’ College Lunches - 3 local catering colleges – Fareham Higbury and South Downs - took over the Brookfield Hotel and designed, prepared and served a ‘Great British Menu’. All three lunches were fully sold out with over 250 guests enjoying seeing young people in a professional restaurant environment who will be the food industries future. In all more than 60 catering students were involved.
The Food Fortnight also hosted a wide range of cookery demonstrations, workshops and tastings., aimed at both being fun and also informative. Emsworth Cookery School had a series of classes including a Bread Master-class and a Knife Skills workshop and Jake’s Artisan Food held a Traditional Pork Pie Master-class – all of these sold out. There were also cookery demonstrations in Emsworth Home Hardware as well as a cookery demonstration given by local restaurant Fat Olives at Tuppeny Barn entitled ‘Local, Seasonal & Sensational’.
One of the quirkier events was The Hungry Writer where participants could explore the pleasures of taste through this creative writing workshop led by local author Lizzie Chittleboro. It took place at the inspirational organic small holding Tuppenny Barn.
The Emsworth Wine Fair was oganised by the areas 4 local independent wine merchants, this is a wonderful opportunity to taste over 40 wines and spirits, together with some local cheeses and artisan foods. Focusing on award winning English wines, which will included amongst others Hambledon Vineyard, Chapel Down, Albourne Estate and Wickham Wines as well as the new wave in artisan Gins and other British spirits. All proceeds from the ticket sales went to Stonepillow - £250.
Once again Emsworth has shown itself to be a real foodie destination but more than that it has shown it truly embraces its community. This year perhaps for the first time Emsworth British Food Fortnight has achieved a reputation that attracts people from further afield than the local area.