Abergavenny Food Festival 9th Dec 2012

On Sunday I visited the food festival in Abergavenny.  

I have been to Abergavenny many times, majority of the visits have been for work, but more recently I have visited for pleasure and seeing some friends who live in the area.

They actually run the coffee bar company "The Miserable Cow Cafe" in Cibi Walk. They make great fair trade organic coffee and the nice thing is that you get to sit outside and take in all the lovely fresh air.  There are canopy's with heaters to keep you cosy, so in a winter like this, it is perfect.

They have recently opened a deli called the The Greedy Cow Deli. You can see the theme :-)  Anyway they stock fantastic local produce. Check it out if you do go and follow them on twitter @MIserable_Cow

Abergavenny is famous for quality food, if you didn't know this, you do now, so plan a visit.  The market on Tuesday is always very busy.

The Food festival in September attracts thousands and has been established for numerous years now, the winter food festival is three years old, and it didn't disappoint me.

Breads, meats, cheese, wines, beers, ports, sherry, chocolate apple juice.  You name it, they had it.

I could not resist the port after a little taste test.  
I tried a wild boar sausage and goat sausage whilst there.  I have to say I was impressed and it has changed my opinion on keeping goats (if I can ever find land , that's another story).

I do like the fact that a lot of the stalls are local or at least welsh. 
Some had travelled from afar to be there, but I think that says allot about the Abergavenny reputation for quality food and drink.  

Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!

Cheers

Barista training!

Where are the chickens and eggs?  Well in this entry nowhere.  Sorry!

I have taken a brief break from chicks, hens and other animals.  Only a very brief break you understand.  Tomorrow I will no doubt be back on track. :-)

In the last week I have been to Waterloo Tea in Cardiff for a great training session on coffee.  Not the freeze dried variety.  The freshly brewed, I get a kick out of you (up the rear end) type of coffee.

I have been interested in coffee for many years and own a variety of machines, from a Espresso/capuccino machine to a cafetiere and moca stove top.  With all of these I have managed to cover most of the available coffee brew types.

The course was a beginners course.  The nice thing is that we were a small group of 4 and not only did we taste a variety of coffee's and coffee types, we also spent an hour or so having a play on the commercial coffee machine making espresso's, cappuccino's and latte's.

It was brilliant, although doing this much tasting at 6pm until 8pm at night did have its disadvantages.  For me it was mainly an overactive/stimulated brain.  I think it was midnight before I fell asleep and with 3 boys under the age of 5 this is not a good thing!

I would highly recommend that if you are ever in Cardiff, visit Waterloo Tea in Penlyan.  There is a fantastic range of tea and coffee.  They are also very helpful and friendly.

Its amazing how much detail barista's go into when making coffee.  If you think it is the case of just turning a machine on, slapping some coffee in and adding hot milk you are mistaken.
For example, at any point during the cappucino making process you could end up with a "rank" coffee.  Not enough coffee, wrong grind, wrong flow rate of water, wrong temperature, incorrect tamping (pressing the coffee into the basket), leaving the coffee in contact with the head for too long to burn and perhaps something many coffee shops are guilty of.................leaving the ready ground beans in the dispenser.

A basic requirement as far as I can see to great coffee is ensuring you grind on demand.  This way you get the freshest coffee and the best flavours and aromas.

So next time you visit your nearest coffee shop, check if they grind the beans on demand.  If they are left in the hopper ready ground, you may be getting a poorer quality coffee that you deserve.

The photo on the right shows the new toy I purchased whilst at Waterloo Tea.  Is a V60 Drip Decanter.  Makes coffee that is clear, clean and pure, a little comparable to tea.  A total contrast to espresso.

If you get opportunity, try some, without milk I would add.  You will not be disapointed especially if you drink it at Waterloo tea in Cardiff!

Thanks for reading!