BBC Good Food Show 2012 (London, Olympia) - Part 1

BBC Good Food Show 2012 (London, Olympia) - A Birds Eye View

If you've never been to the BBC Good Food Show, then you've been missing out.  The picture above was taken using my phone, so not great but I hope it gives you an indication of the scale of the show.  I should also say that what you cannot see is the Supertheatre on the far left.  It costs £5 to enter the Supertheatre, which you had to do 15min before the show starts.  As I only had a few hours at the show I unfortunately did not have enough time.  However, if you squint, the picture below shows the Supertheatre with Mary Berry on the left and the Silverback Paul Hollywood himself on the right.

Super Chefs at the Supertheatre (BBC Good Food Show 2012)

The exhibitors were mainly artisan producers showing their wares.  I have to say that now that I have attended and exhibited at a few shows, I was surprised to find that that the main aim of the producers was to SELL, SELL, SELL.  Lots of SELLING going on.

I bumped into one of the guys from Cham Cham (forgot to ask his name).  Cham Cham is a local Reading based family business selling hot pepper and Cook-in Sauces.  He told me that the majority of their sales comes from what they sell at shows like the BBC Good Food Show.

Cham Cham - He even posed for me.

There were lots of chilli oils, olives, truffles, ice creams, fish, meats, breads, teas, the list is almost endless (But not quite).  However, the exhibitors that tended to to catch my eye were the patisseries, selling cakes, cup cakes, fudges and chocolates.

I met Nadia Padidar of 'Choux'.  Choux are handmade bite sized pastries, topped with a smooth fondant, filled with a flavoured creme patisserie.  I believe that choux could be the next cupcake.  The company had a range of flavours on offer, ranging from strawberry to passion fruit.

Choux - Great Display, but no freebies on offer.

Can you guess which flavours they don't have?  You guessed right.  They are seriously lacking in Pistachio and Hazelnut flavours.  So I handed them my card.

It seemed I had to keep my cards in my hand ready to give out, as my next stop was 'Lucy Armstrong Chocolates', who again, did not use Pistachios.  Will definitely be sending them samples from the WhyNut range of Pistachio Paste, Hazelnut Paste and Pistachios.

'Lucy Armstrong Chocolates'

I am featuring 'Cupcake-A-Licious', simply because I totally love their bold colours.  Nothing subtle and understated here.  It seems likes its all about the frosting.  Apparently their tag line is; 'The Sparklier the Better'.  I would have bought some for the kids, but my experience travelling on public transport with delicate cupcakes with glorious frosting is not a good one (As I did on the journey home from the Eric Lanlard Masterclass-See Blog).  So I left well alone.

Cupcake-A-Licious - The Sparklier the Better

I suppose the direct opposite of Cupcake-A-Licious, were the creations below:

Simplicity at its best !

Regal Cupcakes

Here ends Part 1 of my visit to The Good Food Show 2012 (London).  In Part 2 I'll tell you all about the sensory experiences I had with few scientists funded by The Welcome Foundation...