Taste of London

Cowie and I are off to Taste of London on Friday and are very excited about it.

Here's a preview from the London Blog:

"Now in its fourth year, the Taste of London festival is the highlight of every gourmet’s social calendar. Set in picturesque Regent’s Park, it’s a four-day food and drink spectacular which gives visitors the chance to meet and learn from top chefs from all over the world and experience the delights of 50 carefully selected restaurants and 140 food and drink exhibitors.

One of the highlights of this year’s event will be Gordon Ramsay, Janet Street-Porter and wine expert Olly Smith bringing their infamous TV show to life at the fantastic ‘F Word Live’. The new series sees the launch of a nationwide quest to find a new, talented woman to fill the shoes of legendary TV cook, Fanny Cradock. ‘Find me a Fanny’ will give ladies a chance to show off their skills and become the new Fanny Cradock of Taste of London, so if you think you’ve got what it takes, come along and show off your culinary skills.

If Gordon’s fast-paced and foul-mouthed style is not to your taste, then head for The Times Chefs’ Theatre where refined meat-lovers Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and John Wright will be giving delicious demonstrations, tutorials and Q&A sessions. There will also be wine tasting and advice from leading wine connoisseurs from around the world at The Wine Experience, and a haven for lager lovers at The Speciality Beer Masterclass. This is a rare opportunity to learn about premium-imported beers from across Europe with master beer sommelier and Belgian beer ambassador, Marc Stoobrandt. Guests can taste and learn about five different types of speciality beers and how to pair them with food. You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted Leffe Blonde with Crème Brulee!

Other gastrofeatures include jazz and Cuban bands performing on the music stage; port-tasting at the Cockburn’s Port Hole Lounge Bar; the Alessi cookery school; a Champagne and Seafood bar; Ferrarelle Water Bar and the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup 2007 - UK and Ireland final. If all that doesn’t tire you out, you can also buy local produce at the ‘delicious.’ magazine Producers’ Market; which features organic beers from ‘Brothers Brewing Co Ltd‘, marinated olives and antipasti from ‘Olives et al’, organic chocolate brownies and truffles from ‘Cocoa Loco’ and much more!

Taste of London will be held at Marylebone Green, Regent’s Park, and the entrance to the event is opposite Park Square Gardens on the Outer Circle. It runs from Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th June and opening times and maps can be found on the website. Standard entry is £21 and Premium entry is £35, which includes £20 worth of Crowns - the official currency of the festival. The nearest tube stations are Baker Street and Great Portland Street, but there are also plenty of buses that serve the area and 1,000 Pay & Display parking spaces within the park."