And the winner was…
Anyone who follows The Pork Belly List of holiday competitions will know just how many he finds every day. And, of course, he goes in for some of them – only the ones he really fancies and always under his own name, in the interests of fairness.
Successes are rare but when they come we celebrate – as we did in Padstow this year at their annual Christmas Festival.
We love a good food and drink festival and list some of the best in the UK here, but we can’t possibly get round them all. A win like this was brilliant for research purposes – just not so good for the pre-Christmas waistlines!
It was festive from start to finish.
We stayed in a smart little cottage, courtesy of Cornish Horizons, a short walk away from where the main events were happening.
The festival runs over four days, so staying local meant we could dip in and out and still see almost everything. Good timing was essential – when the rain came or the wind whipped up sharply, everyone packed into one of the three marquees.
But were lucky with plenty of long sunny spells in between the hailstones so we could stroll around the town, the harbour and even take the ferry across to Rock without missing too much.
Celebrity chefs
With a long line-up of celebrity chefs and just a few hours of demos each day we had to be selective about who to see.
Jack and Charlie Stein’s cooking and wine pairing conversation was engaging and entertaining, especially when heckled from the sidelines by their celebrity chef dad Rick!
Jack’s demo dishes were accessible and introduced some new flavours to try. Charlie’s wine notes were non-pretentious and helpful. You’d expect that from the Steins whose whole ethos is around good ingredients prepared simply but well.
Clodagh McKenna was funny and self-deprecating. She may not have the sort of lifestyle most of us can identify with (how many of us have walled gardens and orchards for rearing our own supplies?!) but her enthusiasm and hard work shone through.
Emily Scott and Mark Hellyar bickered their way good-naturedly through their set. Although Emily loves to bring friends and family together around a table, it’s quite clear who’s in charge!
Most fun were the two events by Rock based Sharp’s Brewery, aiming to give beer the same focus as wine when it comes to taste-tests and food pairing.
We won’t spoil the surprise by giving too much away but if you get the chance to take part in either their Secret or Silent Bistro events just go with the flow, laugh and enjoy the whole experience. At the end of it we guarantee even non-beer drinkers will find a brew they like.
The festival is clearly a big draw, bringing in coach loads of visitors and, as with all such events, it’s not perfect.
What’s good about Padstow Christmas festival
- It’s free – you’re just asked to donate to any of the local charities it supports
- It has a real community feel
- Lots of non-foodie activities for families like the lantern parade, Santa Run, Santa Cycle race and firework display
- Almost 100% local producers – a real showcase for Cornish goods and services
- VIP seating limited, so lots of people can take part
What’s not so good about Padstow Christmas festival
- Queues – because it’s free the queues for the most popular demos are huge and people stand in line for ages. Some events had very limited capacity and we heard a few disappointed grumbles.
- Limited range for those with dietary or lifestyle choice needs. There wasn’t much for vegetarians or vegans specifically. The food trucks saved the day for me; I had the choice of 3 vegan dishes, although they were all variations on a curry. Most of the chef demos made use of the local produce, which of course for Cornwall means plenty of seafood, dairy, pork and sheep!
- The local music stage was removed after day one, after complaints from a few locals. A shame as we enjoyed the acts we heard. Perhaps something could be worked out for next year.
What was in our Padstow Christmas Festival shopping bag?
That’s the big plus point of a food and drink festival, discovering little gems of deliciousness that haven’t crossed your path before and Christmas is the perfect excuse for pushing the boat out a little.
So many tastes, too little time but here are our highlights.
Quicke’s Cheese. Not just their traditional cloth-bound cheddar, which Pork Belly loved, but also that rarity – a hard goats cheese that is smooth and creamy without an overpowering goaty tang.
Trevibban Mill Vineyard‘s dry white Merope, a blend of Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay and Orion grapes with a crisp and fruity finish.
Knightor Wines‘ Pinot Noir is a light bodied fruity red with cherry notes and a hint of strawberry and spice.
Cornish Moonshine where smart marketing meets an unusual product. Whisky-based with a variety of intriguing flavour options like apple pie and sticky toffee. Or just buy the plain Devil Water and add your own. Be warned, this hooch packs a punch!
The Cornish Cheese Company is well known as the home of Cornish Blue but we preferred their Cornish Nanny goats milk version. A mini truckle is now nestling in the fridge waiting for the festivities to start.
Freda’s peanut butter is quite simply the best I’ve ever tasted. They do a variety of interesting flavours but the original with Cornish seasalt is the bees knees.
Wonky Kitchen Fudge. Pork Belly’s absolute favourite since we found them at Brighton Foodies Festival several years ago. They’re hard to find online and Pork Belly’s been pining for it ever since! They produce a handmade smooth, creamy fudge in a host of exciting flavours at their base near Holsworthy on the Devon/Cornwall border.
Around Padstow
We also spent a little time in the town itself, strolling the narrow streets, popping in to the shops, cafés and restaurants and taking a brief look into the small but fascinating Padstow Museum.
With such a high concentration of celebrity chefs in town you can expect fine dining, but the prices weren’t off the scale.
If you don’t want a Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth or Nathan Outlaw approved meal, try Green’s, the cafe with the best view overlooking the harbour. A three course meal there was part of our prize and it was well cooked and well presented, featuring local produce with plenty of options for my vegetarian and allergy requirements.
And how to round off a successful foodie weekend? With a visit to a gin distillery of course!
Tarquin’s Cornish Gin in nearby Wadebridge prides itself on its innovative and creative approach and the tour itself is engaging, fun and hands-on. After a welcoming g&t and a potted history of Tarquin and how he set up the business, you get to see the stills, bottling and labelling plant where everything is still done by hand, despite the gin’s growing popularity.
Then it’s back for a tutored tasting of four gins, each with their own distinct style and back story.
Finally if you care to purchase a bottle you can hot-wax-dip it, aiming for the perfect drip effect to crown your own, unique bottle. After several gins the effect is likely to be less precision, more hilarity. It’s the type of tour that you start as strangers and leave as friends, and what could be a better tribute to the gin than that.
Getting to Padstow
Padstow is a very popular tourist destination and you can get there by train, car, bus, or plane to nearby Newquay. But remember it is in the depths of Cornwall, almost the furthest west you can go, so your journey is likely to take a long time however you choose to travel. Accommodation ranges from luxury hotels to holiday homes. We loved our Cornish Horizon’s modern cottage.
Disclaimer: We won the trip to Padstow Christmas Festival. All opinions are our own.
Want to win a holiday yourself? Check out Pork Belly’s holiday and travel competitions page
Where to next?
• How to win holiday competitions
• Postcard from Cornwall
• John Whaite