Foodies Festival Flashback + Ticket Giveaway

Sometimes life swings past so swiftly, even when most of mine is spent delving into the past with Fanny Cradock! The Edinburgh year is punctuated with many sensational events, but it is always August that either fills Edinburgers hearts with joy, or dread... It's festival time! Personally, I love it, the whole city is full - full of people, full of fun, full of excitement and full of festivals! Depending on your viewpoint too, Edinburgh can be full of Fannys.

Celebrating it's 10th year as part of the Fanny-less fun is Foodies Festival. Last year I chatted to a few celebrity chefs who were appearing in the demo tent, asking them about food, festivals and Fanny! Poor them, I don't think it was their usual kind of interview... Three of my favourites are set to make a welcome return this year, and I am excited to see what they are up to for 2015!

Adam Handling made his debut last year, and chose to wear his 'lucky pants' instead of a Fanny-inspired ballgown. They seemed to work - he was a hit with the crowd. His motto is 'smile or get out of the kitchen' but Adam himself admitted to being a little nervous about his appearance... Surely not this year though as 'Team Adam' returns?

Mark Greenaway claimed to be way too modern to remember Fanny, but he captured some of her cheeky spirit by having a laugh with the audience while he cooked. Interaction was a key feature of Fannys performances too, but Mark reckoned that he wouldn't look as good in a ballgown. I think we need to start a campaign to bring the ballgown back to food demonstrations? Or just to life in general.

Edinburgh's very own incredible Spice Man, Tony Singh, was a natural highlight of Foodies last year, with his inventive dishes that could be easily recreated at home. Tony told me he was more influenced by the late great Marguerite Patten than Fanny, but brought some of Fannys flair and colour to wow the audiences. This year Tony has stripped down for a pop-up restaurant 'Road Trip' at the Apex Hotel in the Grassmarket during August. It's the food that's stripped down, not Tony but there still will be lots of spicy fun to be had! Stripping and spice, but still no ballgowns. Sigh.

If you fancy joining Adam, Mark and an impressive list of others at Foodies between 7th and 9th August then what better way than to win some of the free tickets I have to giveaway? Just leave a blog comment saying what your preferred day would be, complete the Rafflecopter thingy-me-jig below, which will select winners at random after the closing date of 27th July 2015 and keep your fingers crossed! Previous entires from last weeks post will be collated with these. If you are the less optimistic type you can buy tickets instead direct from the Foodies Festival. If you win, you don't *have* to speak me at the Festival, but I will be there enjoying it all again - watch out for more Fanny Foodies Fun blogs in coming weeks,  and maybe some ballgowns...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am delighted to be an Official Foodies Festival Blogger. Prizes are offered by Lanyard Media representing Foodies and will be sent directly from them to you if you win. See you at the Festival!

Tickets:

Tickets are on sale now at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111

Friday adult day ticket £10.00 (£8.00 concession)

Saturday or Sunday adult day ticket £13.00 (£11.00 concession)

3-day adult ticket £20.00 (£16.00 concession)

Friday VIP ticket £35.00

Saturday or Sunday VIP ticket £38.00

VIP tickets include a welcome glass of bubbly, access to the VIP tent with private bar and refreshments throughout the day, priority entry to food and drink masterclasses, a goody bag and a showguide.

All children aged 12 and under go free to all Foodies Festivals when accompanied by an adult.

Open times:

Friday 7^th August: 11am – 7pm

Saturday 8^th August: 10am – 8pm

Sunday 9^th August: 10am – 7pm

Singh along with Tony at the Foodies Festival!

I was thrilled this week to witness my very own private food demonstration in the kitchen of Edinburgh's one and only Incredible Spice Man, Tony Singh. The front of house staff at the Old Bakehouse in West Linton, just 20 miles from Edinburgh, Tony's new restaurant home, warned me when I arrived that he had a cleaver in his hand and that I'd be 'lucky to get out alive, but go on through to the kitchen'... Was he channelling Fanny? Would I find a pile of poor assistants whimpering in the corner? Was he about to set to on an unsuspecting carcus with a sharp set of secateurs? Actually he greets me with a huge smile and a warm handshake 'I bet Fanny never had a restaurant, eh?'. I had a feeling this was going to be fun!

Tony was in full service prep mode, and a nosey blogger asking him a few questions about food demonstrations and old TV cooks wasn't going to slow him down. In what seemed like pure kitchen magic to me, without skipping a beat a whole box of tomatoes was expertly chopped, fried and transformed into something tasty, several phone calls were made, assistants given instructions and he even made me a cup of tea. 'Its only polite' he told me. Fanny would never have done that. 'I've got a fantastic kitchen team here, I couldn't do my demonstrations and TV stuff without them back at base'. Fanny would never acknowledge the team, but then again Fanny did an altogether different kind of foodie demonstration back in the day.

'I didn't know Fanny played big gigs and that' he told me when I asked what was in store for Foodies, referring to Fannys sell out performances at the Royal Albert Hall and Edinburgh's Usher Hall. 'I prefer more intimate venues where I can talk to people, get them asking questions and taste my food, even if that gets me in trouble with the health and safety folk. "Have they signed a waiver?" they ask me? I want to get folk excited about food and interact with me, otherwise it's just like being on the tele'. Tony admits he's more a fan of Julia Child than the 'funny montages' of Fanny he's seen on YouTube, but it's Margeurite Patten who has given him the best advice for performing. 'She was amazing, the original, and really inspired me - she was a revelation to me. She brought it home to me that people watching you on TV can't smell what you smell, can't taste what you taste, in her day they could only see her food in black and white. Amazing. She told me I had to reach out to the audience and capture them'.

Tony won't be doing any fancy nancy chef-y dishes at Foodies. So no soufflés wheeled in on ice sculpture swans like Fanny was famous for - his demo will be simple, fun and filled with inspiration for recreating his dishes at home. 'There's a time and place for foams, potions and fancy equipment, but my demonstration at Foodies is not it. I want folk to think "I'm going to try that home" and have a laugh while they learn'. So, expect to see Tony's Nutella Gateau or other delights from his recent book, Tasty. 'We use Valrhona Single Estate Hazlenut Chocolate in the restaurant, but at home it's Nutella!' he tells me, with more than a flourish of Fanny. 'I was challenged at a party to make something and that's what I came up with - simple, fun and folk loved it'. As quickly as I was ushered in my time was up, well nearly. Ever the showman, Tony was keen for me to capture a photo of him with Ronaldo in the restaurant. No tiaras, no ballgowns, but plenty of panache.

As I left the front of house guy seemed shocked, 'You got out alive then? He must've liked you!'. I liked him too, and I think you will. Get yourself along to Foodies from Friday 8th until Sunday 10th August 2014 at Inverleith Park, Edinburgh, to see him in action, and be prepared to be part of the performance!

I'm delighted to be part of the Official Foodies Festival Blogging Team! 

Ticket Information

2014 Foodies Festivals tickets are now available from www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111.

Tickets:

1-day adult ticket for Friday £10.00
1-day adult ticket Saturday or Sunday £12.00 (£10.00 concession)
3-day adult ticket £18.00 (£15.00 concession)
1-day VIP ticket £38.00 (Friday VIP ticket £35)

Opening times: 10am until 6pm.

VIP tickets include a glass of Nyetimber English Sparkling Wine on arrival, access to the VIP tent throughout the day, a goody bag and priority entry to theatre and masterclass sessions as well as a private bar with refreshments throughout the day and great views of the entertainment stage.

All children aged 12 and under go free to all Foodies Festivals when accompanied by an adult.