Wye Valley Diary
SweetieFest comes to town.
Sweet Temptation
The tempting taste sensations on offer at this year’s Abergavenny Christmas Food and Drink Fair will include an array of top-class traditional confectionery as SweetieFest comes to town.
The new event is a unique and quirkily irresistible celebration of the Great British sweetie, featuring stalls, toffee-making, sugar sculpture and a chance to discover the explosive secrets of gobstoppers! It’s all been conjured up by Adele Nozedar, author of a forthcoming book: Great British Sweets: A History of Old Fashioned Sweets and How to Make Them At Home. It’s a chance to buy great stocking fillers and learn how to make your own delicious gifts.
Proving conclusively that sweets are definitely not just for kids, there’s also a most unusual cocktail party on December 7 from 6pm to 7.30pm at Homes of Elegance, Abergavenny. SweetieFest Pick ‘n’ Mixers shows that certain traditional sweeties transform from playground treats to a distinctly more grown-up pleasure when infused in spirits. Sample several different flavours, marvel at the weird and wonderful stories behind your childhood favourites, and, best of all, find out how to make your own in time for Christmas.
The Abergavenny Christmas Food & Drink Fair takes place on December 8 from 10am to 5pm, providing the opportunity to stock up for Christmas with every imaginable seasonal treat. Discover the delights offered by around 90 hand-picked local
and regional food producers − fresh and cured meats, poultry and game, cheeses and chocolates, cakes and desserts, wine and liqueurs, ales, ciders and more.
As well as shopping and tasting, visitors can absorb some festive foodie know-how from the rolling programme of chef demonstrations in the Market Hall. Liz Knight and Kather Marland, creators of Forage Fine Foods and Kather’s Kitchen use rosehips to make things that little bit wilder; Denise Baker-McClearn of Moel Faban Suppers dishes up the perfect pâté; and Iain Sampson (The Bear Hotel, Crickhowell) teams up with Jim Hamilton (The Kings Arms Hotel) to produce a lip-smacking three-course dinner in 30 minutes. Karl Cheetham and Steve Williams from Gliffaes and Buckland Hall cook meat and vegetarian versions of the same dish and Penny Lewis, creator of the Culinary Cottage Cookery School demonstrates how to make quick and easy five-minute edible gifts.
And remember the Curly Wurly? The last demonstration of the day sees Adele Nozedar and Karl Cheetham attempt to make history by creating the largest one ever. Will they pull off this giant chocolate-coated piece of caramel heaven? Could be sticky.
Find out more and buy advance tickets at
www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com or through the Borough Theatre (01873 850805).
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