London's Borough Market hosts Hampshire
Last week, Hampshire Fare took a taste of the county to London’s Borough Market to host the two-day Hampshire Food Fare.
On Friday 7th and Saturday 8th June, Market Hall at Borough Market was taken over by sixteen Hampshire food and drink producers. Market goers were able to sample and buy produce including wasabi, watercress, wine, trout, cheese, gin, biltong, oils and fish cakes.
Nancy Judge, PR Officer at Hampshire Fare commented on the event:
“There has definitely been a buzz about Hampshire here at Borough Market. It has been brilliant to talk to food lovers from all over the world about the quality of Hampshire produce. People have gone away understanding that we make award-winning wines, that we are home to beautiful chalk streams, that watercress is a versatile superfood, that we are the only place wasabi is grown in the UK and so much more.
"Many people didn’t realise how close Hampshire is to London and lots picked up our Hampshire Food Festival guides hoping to make it to one of the events happening this July.”
Hampshire ingredients were showcased in the demo kitchen with delicious recipes cooked up by Borough Market’s consultant chef Hayden Groves and James Harper from The Watercress Company. On Saturday the head chef of Winchester’s Chesil Rectory, Damian Brown cooked a mouth-watering menu including cured chalk stream trout, wasabi mayonnaise, puffed rice and cucumber bavarois.
Andy Revell from Stag and Bull Biltong commented on his experience as trader at the event: “Showcasing Stag and Bull Biltong at one of the world’s most famous food markets was a unique experience. It was like playing at Twickenham! The ‘foodies’ and tourists loved to sample new and innovative products and our local, Hampshire Venison and Beef Biltong was a hit!
We promoted our new biltong subscription service and got ideas for new products too. Converting biltong savvy South Africans in to trying and then buying our award-winning biltong was just one of the highlights!”
Market goers had the opportunity to enter to win a stay and experience in Hampshire run in conjunction with Visit Hampshire who supported the event alongside Winchester BID and Test Valley Borough Council.