Winter Good Food Show, Birmingham

The Winter Good Food Show, has kick started the festive season for me the past three years now and this year was no exception.
For those of you that have never been before, the show is absolutely huge with various food theatres  (there seemed to be even more than ever this year) as well as hundred of food and drink stalls all offering free samples of their specialist produce - so go hungry, and ideally without a car so you can drink!

One corner of the show!

Our day this time began with our complementary show in the super-theatre - the biggest stage at the show. We opted to go for the first show of the entire exhibition which took the Saturday Kitchen format and starred James Martin as the charismatic host and Tom Kitchin as the celebrity chef. Brian Turner also made an appearance for the infamous omelette challenge and overall the 30 minute show was great fun and a bonus as one show comes as part of the normal entrance fee.

Super-theatre

James and Tom on stage.

The food stalls are incredibly varied with highly specialist produce such as flavoured butters and also more varied stalls with various types of cured meats or pastries. The show also has many stalls serving all kinds of cuisine from around the world, from the fail safe hog roasts to more daring options such as lamb kofta or paella.

Oils

Cured Meats

Cheese

Flavoured Butter

Sweet Treats

The drink stalls are just as varied too, with the very best gins, whiskeys and vodkas on offer as well as more unique flavoured spirits and liqueurs. What I feel makes this show so special is the passion the producers have when you ask them about their products. You can ask any question you want and they are all extremely knowledgeable, you really feel like each have invested so much time in their specific speciality, you really feel you are getting a little piece of them with each thing you buy.

World Cheese Awards

Every year the World Cheese Awards is judged during the Winter food show too, this takes place on the Wednesday (the first day) however the cheeses are able to be viewed, and some of the prize winners sampled over the remainder of the show. If you love cheese this really is the show for you, you're spoilt for choice with almost every kind of cheese you can imagine and all of the stalls offer as many samples as you could need or want, we always end up buying our Christmas cheese board every year and it never disappoints.

British Bake Off Stage

As well as the super-theatre there are various other stages giving cooking demonstrations. Marks and Spencer, Belling and Master chef all have their own areas, however one of the most popular is the Great British Bake Off stage with appearances from previous competitors of the show as well as Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.  New this year was also a Bake Off restaurant serving afternoon tea which looked very popular, alongside the Master chef restaurant serving up popular dishes over the previous seasons. It always looks and smells delicious, unfortunately we are never hungry enough to sample when we go though, we eat far too many freebies as we go around!

In previous years we have also taken advantage of some tasting sessions, which cost a little extra but are great value for money. We have sampled cheese in one before with a very knowledgeable magazine editor, and also tried various ales in another, and I'm sure this year there was a wine tasting one too, I would highly recommend.

If you are a self-confessed foodie I think going to the Winter food show is an absolute must even if only to get you into the festive spirit! There are often on line discount for the ticket prices prior to the show too, and if you go hungry you certainly will not be disappointed. Each year the show takes place inside a few exhibition halls within the NEC and usually comes the last week of November.

http://www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com/