Talks 'n Tasters at Newport Food Festival

One of last year's great successes was the Talks 'n Tasters stage, where visitors could see chefs and producers close up, taste their offerings and often get hands on experience in making them.

This year there are more sessions and three venues!

Tickets will go on sale on 5th August so here's a preview of these popular sessions.

From a start in an unoccupied stall in the Market Hall the sessions have expanded into a designated area of the Hall, Waterstones in town and the Lamb public house.

In the Market the sessions start at 10 am with Nia Thomas running a Cup Cake session. Love em or hate em there is no doubt that Cup Cakes have been the latest Big Thing and Nia will bring 16 years experience to the session. She also does courses for Newport Community Education so you can find out how to develop your skills as well.

As a huge coffee fan the Coaltown Coffee session on Top Tips for Home Brewed Coffee is a must for me. Scott James started the company and also runs a Barrista School so yu should learn lots and perhaps make that perfect cup of Joe!

Next up is Isla Black of Tasty Bites who brings her Jamaican background to producing some extremely tasty food. Her Jamaican Beef Patty is amazing and one of my favourite snacks at Llanyrafon Manor Market.

For the Wine Lover Neil Cammie offers some insights and the chance to Know your Merlot from your Cabernet in a wine tasting session. Neil is an expert in his field, writing a Western Mail Wine column and his company Fine Wines Direct does what it says on the tin.

Welsh Food Heritage is the subject for Sian Roberts who will show that Wales has a strong food heritage and we do more than Welsh Cakes and Cawl.

Abergavenny based Barry Chantler of Chantler Tea will reprise his very successful Tea Tastings and offer an insight into finding your perfect blend and making a great cuppa.

Finally I will be doing another hands on dough making session where we learn that bread isn't too hard to make, needn't take up all of your day and tasted better than supermarket pap. You get to make your own dough and take it away, with a recipe, to finish at home.

Over in Waterstones, Coaltown Coffee will do a Latte Art demonstration twice during the day so combine these with the Market sessions to seriously up your coffee making skills!

Diane Corister from Honeybunch Cake Company will demonstrate Cake Icing and Decorating.

Lucknam Park chef Luke Woodward will be demonstrating the other Big Thing of recent times Macarons. Dainty little Almond based meringues that come in many colours and flavours.

Nia Thomas runs a Cup Cake icing demo after Luke and I would not be surprised of elements of Nia, Luke and Diane's sessions come together for the final session where Luke will create Afternoon Tea,

The third venue for the Talks 'n Tastings is The Lamb public house which will feature Beer Tastings from 5 local breweries. Gareth from Tiny Rebel, Jamie from Tudor, Martyn from Untapped, Natasha from Rhymney and Simon from Pipes will each showcase their fine ales and beers in tutored tastings.

Tickets for these events, and many are free, are available from the Riverfront Box Office.

Humble by Nature, Great by Design

I have followed the progress of Humble by Nature since my days as an officer with Monmouthshire County Council.

At a time when the County Farms Unit was reviewing the number of farms and small holdings which it owned, Upper Meend Farm, in Penallt near Monmouth, came vacant.

Rumours began to circulate suggesting that Kate Humble was interested in buying it and establishing a rural skills school.

Gradually the plans came to fruition, and Humble By Nature was born - offering a range of classes and courses including Animal Husbandry, Small Holding and Wood Fired Oven building. Indeed on our visit a small group were actively involved in Dry Stone Walling.

We were there, however, for the latest part of the development the opening of the Farm Shop and Café.

Kate and her team have gathered together some superb local products, and we are lucky that South East Wales has more than its fair share of Great Taste Award winners. From Liz Knight’s foraged foods to Graham Waddington’s Native Breeds charcuterie and Halen Mon Sea Salt the shop is a foodie dream.

I was very pleased to see both Angharad Underwood’s PreservationSociety jams and pickles including the epic Candied Jalapenos and Rhian Short’s range of Usk River chutneys, Tudor Brewery ales and beers, Calon Wen organic cheeses and butter and possibly the most local product Wye Valley Cheese made on the adjacent farm. The shop reminded me a little of Wright's Food Emporium, though without the Continental Selections, and seeing a display of Wright's Tomato Catsup reinforced that feeling.

As well as Kate’s own books the shop stocks a number of publications aimed at getting you to produce a little yourself, even if you only have room for a grow-bag or a couple of pots.

Most of the items sold in the shop are used to make the delicious meals available in the adjacent café.

A wide range of teas and coffees are available, and the coffee roasters and tea blenders have also made the bespoke House Blends for Humble by Nature.

Breads are by Alex Gooch and they taste as good as they look.

The menu is seasonal, changing monthly, and offers a good choice of light meals, mains and desserts.

We opted for the Pulled Pork Sandwich which came on toasted Sourdough - which had a malty taste- and was accompanied by a small salad with edible flowers from the Edible Garden next to the shop,

 and the Farmers Lunch. That would have fed a very hungry farmer indeed!  Two thick slices of ham, Wye Valley Cheese, A small frittata, Beetroot, chutney and jelly with huge hunks of bread filled one plate whilst a salad covered the other.

All made to order in the kitchen the food was superb and just what you would need after a morning on the farm, or indeed a good shopping experience! The mains were so filling that , despite the desserts looking and sounding delicious, we could not manage one.

The shop and café will become destinations themselves, as well as the range of courses and events on the farm.

Humble by Nature has come a long way since inception and will develop further.

Already though it deserves to be called Local and Great.

We paid for our lunches and most purchases in the shop but did receive a small goodie bag of shop goods and a free tea and coffee.