A couple of weeks ago was Grill Stock: “a BBQ themed two‐day food & drink festival” in Bristol.  It was great – BBQ competitions, demonstrations, chilli eating contest, and plenty of food stalls.

I might have overdosed a little on burgers (hard not to when you have a choice of duck & plum sauce, saltmarsh lamb, ostrich, kangaroo, crocodile and of course various beef burgers), but my highlight was Taste of Persia, from where I sampled their meal of many dishes with some lovely marinated kebabs.

My only criticism is that I couldn’t see the chilli eating contest as the contestants were sat in low seats with a large crowd around (please, for next year – put them on a stage!) – but otherwise it was a great event.

I feel lucky that the Bristol and Bath area have a lot of foodie events (the Bristol Organic Food Festival and Taste of Bath to name but two).  But an invigorated interest in good food does seem to be a national trend in Britain with the proliferation in farmers markets, local food and beer festivals and other events foodie events.  And I think that’s no bad thing.  So make the most of it!