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Pressing the flesh at The Real Food Festival

Earls Court (why no apostrophe?) hosted the eclectic Real Food Festival last week over 3 days.

Rubbing shoulders with a water buffalo- or should that be rubbing the shoulders of a water buffalo? - feeling at home with the sounds of chickens scratching about in straw lined coops and meeting lots of foodie visitors, journalists and chefs, filled three busy days of eating and chatting.

First up was Phil Leach who together with his partner, Helen Farmer, runs a bijoux restaurant in Swansea. It takes its name - Slice - from its wedge shape and serves good, local products perfectly seasoned with Halen Môn sea salt.

Next was Sanjay Dwivedi of Zaika, who we first met at Identita Golose in Milan where Britain was the guest nation of honour at this celebration of food, and the organiser, Paolo Marchi, had invited top British chefs including Heston Blumenthal and Sanjay to give a lecture to the assembled chefs of the world.

Chef Patron Sanjay continues to flavour Zaika’s food with Halen Môn sea salt; the most recent dish is a bean soup seasoned with Vanilla Halen Môn.

I was thrilled to have the chance to do an impromptu sea salt tasting with Chef Raymond Blanc. He explained that he had always used French suppliers for various items including salt and chickens because he felt that the standards were so much higher. Now, though, he told me, standards had risen enormously in British foods and he was very complimentary about our sea salts and has asked for samples to be sent to his Head Chef.

Raymond particularly liked the Diamonds of the Sea and told me they would fit in beautifully with one of his bedrooms at Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, the sumptuous Snow Queen room.

There were more food writers, bloggers and journalists than you could shake a stick at; Simon Majumdar was on excellent form and kindly introduced me to a number of his friends, and we were surprised and delighted to see an article on salt tasting in Friday’s Times, written by Alex Renton, which named us as the top taste choice. I met Alex the day after and then his cousin the day after that. Clearly the whole family enjoys Halen Môn sea salt!

I enjoyed working next to my Welsh colleagues, Matt and Anne of Bacheldre Watermill and James of Trealy Farm charcuterie , and had a lovely time visiting my good friend Jane Milton who provided wonderful meals to consume whilst catching up on foodie news. Jane runs a consultancy that helps all sizes of businesses with all kinds of challenges. She developed a range of recipe cards for us which are very popular and give Halen Môn ‘virgins’ a good way of trying out our sea salts.

Some people have said that The Real Food Festival is like Borough Market except that you have to pay to get in, but I say that there is nothing quite like it anywhere else and it remains the only show of its kind in Britain.