Showing posts with label market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label market. Show all posts
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Farmers Market at The Outdoors Show
It seems to be the season for lots of fun events happening in London, which is great if you live in and around London or maybe its just that there are always lots of things going on in London!
One of these events is The Outdoors Show Even if you are not an outdoors person, if you are visiting my blog, the chances are you will be interested in the Farmers Market where you can taste a range of local foods from small food producers.
I have TWO pairs of tickets to give away so two lucky readers will win one pair of tickets each.
Here is what the organisers say about the show:
The UKs No.1 show for outdoor pursuits, The Outdoors Show, returns to ExCeL, London from 17 – 20 January 2013. Promising a great family day out, the show provides a fantastic opportunity to buy all the latest clothing and equipment at great prices, as well as offering FREE have-a-go attractions, special guest speakers and more.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest in 1953, The Outdoors Show will be hosting an exhibition, 60 Years on Everest. In conjunction with the Mountain Heritage Trust and the Royal Geographical Society, the exhibition will feature photographs, clothing and memorabilia documenting the key dates in the history of Everest, from 1953 through to the modern day - providing visitors with a fascinating insight into the amazing mountain.
The focus on Everest doesn’t end there. The Adventure Stage will be headlined by Everest legend Kenton Cool, one of the world’s leading alpine climbers with ten successful Everest ascents to his name, more than any other European climber.
TV adventurer Charley Boorman is confirmed to speak on the stage, as well as Children’s TV presenter, Helen Skelton. They’ll be joined by a host of other mountaineers and adventurers, all with fantastic stories to tell. All talks will be free of charge to visitors upon entry to the show.
TV adventurer Charley Boorman is confirmed to speak on the stage, as well as Children’s TV presenter, Helen Skelton. They’ll be joined by a host of other mountaineers and adventurers, all with fantastic stories to tell. All talks will be free of charge to visitors upon entry to the show.
New for the 2013 show is the Outdoor Photography Photobox. Featuring talks from top photographers including wildlife photographer Andy Rouse, BBC Human Planet photographer Timothy Allen, Planet Earth photographer Sue Flood, Julian Love and others. WEX Photographic, formerly known as Warehouse Express will have a large retail presence at the show making the event well worthy of a visit for photography enthusiasts, whether looking to buy some new photography equipment or looking to learn a thing or two from some of the world’s best photographers. There will also be numerous competition galleries displayed at the show featuring a fantastic range of photography.
Also new for the 2013 show is The Wild Britain Stage, in association with Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey will be back at the show for the first time since 2010 and will be bringing a host of navigation experts with them. The stage will also feature talks on the best walking spots, wildlife, equipment and more!
Thousands of visitors have experienced climbing at the show over the past 12 years and the Climbing Village at the 2013 Outdoors Show will offer a challenge for experienced climbers, and a great opportunity for people wanting to try climbing for the first time. There will be walls to suit all abilities and instructors will be on hand to help and offer advice on the best way to conquer the routes.
Maverick Slacklines will be returning to The Outdoors Show with a mix of competition slacklining, demos and have-a-go sessions. Slackilining is a test of balance and core fitness and what the Maverick guys can do is remarkable and thoroughly entertaining to watch.
Presented by PGL, the UK’s leading provider of school trips and children’s adventure holidays, the Careers Zone offers all the information needed to turn a passion for the outdoors into a career. The zone will feature a stage packed with speakers from all aspects of the outdoors industry, as well as an information area where visitors can talk with a wide range of professionals on a one to one level.
That’s not quite everything! The Outdoors Show will once again run alongside The London Bike Show, The Active Travel Show and the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show. With a ticket to The Outdoors Show allowing visitors access into all four shows, there will be lots more to see and do, helping to create an entertaining, affordable day out for all visitors.
If all this isn’t enough, the perfect way to top off a day at the show is with some great food and drink. The Farmers Market will offer visitors a delicious range of local foods perfect to fuel their next outdoor adventure.
Visitors can compliment the delicious food with some Beer or Wine Tasting, courtesy of Beer Boutique and Virgin Wines respectively in the Globe Taste Experience. Expert sommeliers will be on hand to talk visitors through the beers and wines from all over the world. Tickets for the tastings, which cost £10 per person, per session can be booked in advance through The Outdoors Show box office.
To win a pair of tickets to the Outdoor Show and Farmers Market please leave a comment telling me what you would most like to see at the Outdoors Show.
Closing Date: Sunday 13th January at 8pm
Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator, the tickets will await the winners at the door of the exhibition.
Tickets supplied by the organisers, Farmersgirl Kitchen will pass the names of the winners to the promoters and is not responsible for the experience of the winners at the Outdoor Show.
Monday, March 17, 2014
A Visit to the St Lawrence Market
We dont get into Toronto too often these days, but we found ourselves with a free Saturday there this past weekend. So, bright and early (alright it was 10:00 am) we went off the the St. Lawrence Market, a place I well remember going to as a child. We started in the North Market, which is where the actual farmers market is. It opens at 5:00 am, so we could really have been there bright (dark, actually) and early if we had wanted.
Its not as bustling as it would have been in the height of the season, but there were still a few vendors spilling out onto the sidewalks, and the place was pretty packed.
Inside, it looks very much as it did when I was first taken there in the late 1960s when it would have been brand spanking new, except Im pretty sure it has a lot more vendors, a lot more variety of produce and a lot more customers. Back before the big surge in interest in local food it was looking pretty sad for a while as I recall. Its good to see it so busy and interesting again.
I was also aware that this was probably the last time Ill see the old market building. The market is due to be rebuilt next year, so it will be greatly disrupted and then the year after it will be a whole new thing.
Now you can get all kinds of stuff at the market. Best Baa Farm was there with a selection of sheeps milk cheeses. Didnt have that when I was a kid!
A colourful display of Brussels sprouts and peppers.
There are a few traditional butchers.
Cabbages and rutabaga - its beginning to look a lot like winter!
A great array of winter squash take centre stage, literally.
Lots of baked goods available, including these colourful pizzas.
An amazing selection of more exotic meats: guinea fowl, bison, fallow deer, muscovy duck, pheasant and ostrich.
A large display table was devoted to every product of the beehive, including some very nice candles. I didnt get it at this table, but I was excited to find some melon-blossom honey available. Im getting to have quite a collection of honeys; I should do a honey-tasting one of these days.
Alas, I didnt think to bring my vouchers so I didnt get any cheese from the Monforte stand. (Actually this turned out to be just as well - stay tuned for further details!) However, I was excited to see that they have added a truly scrumptious Gouda cheese to their available cheeses.
Once we were done with the North Market, we went across the street to the South Market, which is an older and more interesting building. Its open every day but Sunday and Monday, but isnt particularly a great source of local produce.
However, there certainly is some! I love all these baskets of veggies with the bright blue wall.
The basement is a warren of fascinating little places, and the scents from this bakery fill the whole place. We didnt get anything here even though the chocolate croissants looked amazingly good because the line-ups were pretty amazing too.
Upstairs is more spacious and filled with cheese and meat vendors, as well as more vegetables and other little food-related boutiques. I swear I remember many of the vendors as having been there when I was a kid, or at least when I was much younger; 40 years ago. The St. Lawrence Market is nothing if not an institution.
These guys are relatively new, though. I always make sure to pick up some Kozliks Mustard when Im at the market.
The hard part - definitely - is picking which one its going to be. There are so many to choose from. Fortunately, you can sample them before you buy.
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