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Chill Food With Mel Morris
Mel Morris's overview of the food on offer at The Big Chill Eastnor 2004It's taken me some time to put my thoughts in order to write about the food at this year's Big Chill - there was just so much good stuff on offer. Luckily, this year I also had a few friends reporting back on their experiences too, so thanks to Jamie, Karen and Scott. We ate nearly everything on offer I think.
There were many plus points on the general organisation, not least that food seemed to be available almost all the time. Karen reported a jacket potato at 1am being one of the best she had ever had and an early morning carrot juice set me up for a good day's chilling on Sunday. As someone who has recently become allergic to dairy, I often find eating out a bit of a chore but at the BC all the staff serving food were knowledgeable about what went into the food and didn't make me feel like a freak either.
Last year it was hard to pick a favourite stall or dish and this year it was even harder, I think. Scott and Karen put their vote in for the pizza they enjoyed, saying it was light and herby and delicious. They were also impressed with the wooden tray that the pizza was served on and the waiting area for the stall was apparently nicely thought out too.
Speaking of decor wasn't the Arabian Nights stall fantastic? With the authentic looking cushions and low tables and those lanterns everywhere, it had atmosphere that a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants would give their right arms for. And the food was pretty good too. Jamie put his 'top of the class' star on their end of festival report.
I'm a real 'Espanophile' so I made my first food stop the Sancho Panza paella stall. It was better than I'd anticipated. Loads of chicken in creamy, saffronny rice. It had lots of great flavour and was really good value for money. I also enjoyed the olive stall though I would have preferred smaller portions for less money there.
One of my best moments queuing for refreshment was at the lemonade stand. They only sold one thing, done in the same way. And yet, those more used to Starbucks still found a way to overcomplicate things! I couldn't believe it when the lady in front of me ordered "3 with half sugar, one with extra lemon, two with extra sugar and one without sugar at all". Well done to the boys there that they kept smiling through it all. Bless 'em!
Another reward for culinary services beyond and above the call of duty goes to the lady in the Thali tent who at the hottest point of the hottest day carried on serving curry in full wig. Both she and the curry were good and hot, and I enjoyed them each in their own way.
On Friday evening, looking for a quick bite to eat, I plumped for a vegeburger. It was at this point that I realised just how special Big Chill food is. I'd expected a normal bean burger on a normal burger bun with may be a sachet or two of tomato ketchup if I was lucky. No, this came on a nice springy bap, with crunchy salad, coleslaw and salsa. I was enjoying it so much that I failed to notice the salsa dripping down my tutu... but luckily my friend Scott saved me with a handful of napkins. Likewise the lamb kebab and chips we tucked into on Sunday came with lots of lovely salad and were cooked to order, just like a real kebab shop!
With all this going on it's been hard to select my favourite but I think I am going to have to go with the sausage sandwich I bought from the French food stall La Grande Bouffe. The reason I am picking it was that their food was so simple yet so perfect. The sausages tasted properly 'French'. And they probably were because I know they didn't contain any cereal at all. They were so deliciously meaty, slightly livery, with the wine adding aromatics and, importantly, delicately cooked - not burnt to a cinder like bangers all over the British Isles. My boy also enjoyed the tartuflette which, given my dairy allergy, I could not taste but it smelled as cheesy as a Frenchman's larder and he enjoyed it immensely.
I don't know the statistics, like how many carrots the juice bar gets through over the festival or how many pints of salsa are dispensed. But I do know that the toastie stall sold more toasties in one day this year than they sold during the entire festival last year. However, there is one plea from the chef there - next year will you all try something other than cheese and ham?
Mel Morris's tips for Festival nosh
Written: 6th Sep, 04
Read: 2885 times
