The not so Good food and Wine Show..

I have not gone to the Good Food & Wine Show, for fours years. For many reasons to name a few:

• The entrance does not include parking, and is mad in price even if you convert to dollars, it is ten dollars to get in. What do you get for that? NOTHING
• The people on the show have to fork out a small fortune for the having a stand, and this means that fashion food is dominant, because fashion food is more profitable, since more money is spent on brand than product.
• I am not a huge fan of crowds, studies show over and over again that people in crowds are not people just body moving toward the exit
• Most exhibitors that make it are only there to supplement their super market mentality. Brand and sales are what drive them there.

So why did I go?

Well the main reason I went was because I wanted to see Heston Blumenthal, whose programs I have YouTubed and seen on DSTV. Both in search of Perfection, and his Feast series which are mind boggling to say the least.

So off we went, decided to get a baby sitter for the kids, seem as we where forking out almost a grand to go see him (yes tickets to see Heston at the show DID NOT included the price of entry, and do not ask me to explain how you are supposed to get in without going through the entrance, because quite simply I cannot)

We arrived a little early to see a little of the show that I had been forced to buy an entrance ticket for, to to see Heston. After mossing around the giant supermarket for 40 minutes, of which I only saw one interesting thing (that I could not have seen at my local Pick n Pay) namely the beer garden, which is doing what quaffee does with coffee, with beer.

I also spoke to a few exhibitors who told me that they had to fork out 30k + for their standard, excluding setup. Some said they had been busy but would never recover that money at the show. I also spoke to two product importers who I had emailed, and they had not come back to me, and their attitude was okay here is my card you call me, no wonder their business is booming NOT!

Okay to Hestin

Well firstly he did not cook anything, we were told that this was because his style was too intricate, I get that. He was going to speak to us about his philosophy to food. Which would have been great if I could have heard more than every third word. The sound was so bad, I have been to school concerts that had better sound BY FAR. The only way to listen to what he was saying (and we were in a good place) was by cupping my one ear towards the one speaker and the other towards another to try and cut out the echo, I felt embarrassed for Heston, I could only assume someone who is so particular could not have known. No wonder they say it is better on TV, because it is! If you put the TV at the bottom of your garden and played it, it would have sounded better.

It is a pity that I could not hear most of what he had to say, even though some of it was a recap from the shows, it was good to see him personally. I think a deaf person would have had a better experience than I did. At least they could lip read.

We then bumped into friends that had also gone, I had told them I was going so they had decided they would come too, arrived a little late and had to sit at the back, and said the sound was just as bad.

What did he say?
Besides his little push of din*ner and the fat duck, he said that eating is a five senses experience. We eat with our eyes, ears, mouth, nose and tongue. And that what we experience while we eat is what makes the food. Well that is what I could hear.

Rest of the show...

We went through the rest of the show, I had a good chat to the seed people starke ayers, and found that seed have an expiry, never knew that, and that is why they are only sell certain seeds at certain times.

All in all, would I spend my money on an entrance ticket, probably not! I love my food, and all that it represents, but to go to a show where 90% of the exhibitors are brands that can pop into your local mall and see, and the parking is cheaper.