Really Really Wild Time

It was a hell of a long drive back at nearly eight hours and landing up in Otley at 1:30 in the morning, but boy was it worth it.  I love a trip to Wales at the best of times. Wales with good weather is one of the best countries in the world.  We loaded Nan the Van and set off for The Really Wild Food Festival in St David's, Pembrokeshire.  We stopped off for a couple of days at Aberaeron, stopping on a site less than a stones throw from a pebbly beach.  The Site was called 'Camping on the Farm' and is apparently one of the oldest campsites on the West Wales coast!

Aberaeron is quite possibly on of my favourite Guyrope Gourmet destinations.  








There's a great Deli and a superb wet fish shop called Fish from the Hive.  I stocked up on supplies from both and set off back on the five minute walk to the campsite.

I rustled up a poached bass in my 'surgical instrument sterilising fish kettle' for the kids, while Mrs GG and I dined on salt & pepper squid.  We rounded the evening off with a small fire on the beach where we grilled a couple of sardines and toasted the marshmallows.

     

On south to St David's.  We'd first been here five years ago when our youngest was just six months old, it was his first camping trip back then so he's a seasoned regular now.  I was booked to demo at The Really Wild Food Festival which is in its eighth year now.  It's a superb little festival celebrating all that is good about local food, culture and produce.
















The Friday show saw me whipping up a paella while the crew from BBC Radio4's Food Programme waved microphones in front of my face.  Tim, one of the reporters for the programme is a great foodie himself and showed up having stopped off at Haverfordwest en route, with a bag full of goodies. The genius had even brought a bag of live cockles, which obviously went straight in the paella.


Saturday was a risotto day, broad bean and asparagus to be precise.  The great thing about doing festivals like this is that I never know what i'm going to cook until I get on site.  All the ingredients are bought on site.







I had a super crowd on both days and met some great people with excellent tales and ideas about future camping cuisine (I'll be trying a Thai curry next trip for sure!).  It really is a bloody pleasure being the Guyrope Gourmet, and gigs like the Really Wild Food Festival and the people that attend them make it so. 


Diolch!