From 10th - 29th April 2012, Selfridges Food Hall in London’s Oxford Street hosted an event called Delicious Ireland.  50 of Ireland’s finest artisan producers shared their skills, knowledge and, above all, their love of good food with enthusiastic foodies. 

I went to the event  and was amazed by the high quality and depth of taste of the Irish produce that I saw and sampled. The producers that I met were knowledgeable and passionate about their food, and their enthusiasm was contagious. I loved it!

One product that really caught my eye and excited my taste buds was Highbank Orchard Syrup.  It is produced by a charming artisan apple farm called Highbank Orchards.  I spoke to Julie Calder-Potts from Highbank Orchards (http://www.highbankorchards.com/) who told me more about their delicious produce.

Highbank Orchards Apple Farm

Do you love soft drinks that make you feel good inside and out? Do you like the idea of drinking "a day at the spa in a bottle"? At this year’s Vitality Show in Earls Court, I came across a really exciting Putney-based company called The Botanical Drinks Company who have recently launched a drink called Lull (http://drinklull.com/), that claims these properties. I spoke to their founder, Claire Lettice who told me more….

Lull

At this year’s Coffee Festival in Brick Lane and at the Caffe Culture Show at London Olympia, I was really excited to discover an original, new product called Ginger Love (http://www.gingerlove.be/) that is being launched in the UK hot beverage market. Ginger Love is a Belgian hot drink that is a delicious combination of citrus fruits and ginger.  I spoke to the drink’s creator, Alain Indria, from Antwerp-based vegetarian restaurant, Lombardia who told me more about it.

Ginger Love

Chia Seeds have been dubbed by many people in the foodie fraternity as being the next miracle super food.  Hence I was really excited when I came across Irish food producer Chia Bia (http://www.chiabia.com/) at the Delicious Ireland event at Selfridges.  I tasted chia seeds in their raw form as well as Chia Bia’s delicious, nutrient rich, organic cereal bars. Because of their neutral taste, chia seeds seem like an excellent way to supplement and nutritionally enhance everyday foods that you consume in your daily diet. I spoke to Ray Owens, Sales and Marketing Director of Chia Bia about his exciting range of products.

Chia Bia

Do you love desserts in the form of decadent cakes, pastries and biscuits? How about exotic, aromatic, succulent Indian desserts? Well I can definitely answer yes to both of these questions. So, I was really excited when I came across a fantastic Fulham-based, Indian-inspired boutique bakery called Pistachio Rose (http://www.pistachiorose.co.uk/) at the Alchemy Festival a couple of weeks ago on the Southbank. Their products were innovative, imaginative and very tasty.  Also, I really think Pistachio Rose is a lovely name – it brings up so many happy, floral foodie connotations. I spoke to Rekha Mehr from Pistachio Rose’s who told me more...

Pistachio Rose

I was at the Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia last month and was really excited to discover an exciting company called Vegusto (http://www.vegusto.co.uk) that produce a tasty, realistic range of meat substitutes, as well as a large, innovative range of vegan cheeses. I spoke to the director of Vegusto’s UK, Mark Galvin to find out more...

Vegusto

Do you love exquisite chocolates and decadent desserts? Also, does the idea of afternoon tea served with sumptuous chocolaty treats excite you? I can safely say yes to both of these questions and was really thrilled when I came across East Putney-based La Sagra (http://la-sagra.com/) who produce luxuriously delicious dessert chocolates and organize secret afternoon teas. I spoke to La Sagra’s owner and founder Angie who told me more….

La Sagra / Squisitezza

Karimah bint Dawood is a TV presenter, a food blogger (http://karimahscuisina.wordpress.com/), author of 'Heavenly Bites: the best of Muslim Home Cooking', runs a food-related charitable organization ‘Karimah’s Cuisina’ and is a curious foodie like myself. I spoke to her on 'Food for Thought' on Thursday 28th June 2012 about the world of Islamic cuisine. 

Karimah bint Dawood / Karimah's Cuisina

Are you a fan of foodie walking tours, cooking classes, tastings and supper clubs? I recently spoke to WenLin Soh, Founder and Director of London's premier foodie events and activities company, 'Edible Experiences' (http://www.edibleexperiences.com/) about the exciting events that she promotes and organises.

Edible Experiences

Are you curious about raw food diets and the idea of raw fooding? I am quite curious myself... To many people, I think they probably sound good in theory, but they worry about how they would cope with actually implementing this kind of diet on a day to day basis. I think one major concern is of deprivation – both nutritionally and with everyday foods and indulgent treats. I spoke to Irene Arango, founder of raw food company, Bliss Bites (http://www.blissbites.co.uk/) whotold me about her amazing products and about following a raw food diet.

Bliss Bites Irene Arango

Hi, I'm Anjul. I'm a food journalist and present a weekly food show called 'Food for Thought' on Hammersmith-based radio station OnFM 101.4 every Thursday from 1-2pm. My show is for everyone who eats food, cooks food, is interested in food, is concerned about food, cares about the food that they eat, and last but by no means least loves their food :-). Enjoy.....

AnjulDutt

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