I spent Sunday at Powderham Castle for their 5th annual food festival. The festival covers two jam packed days of wonderful local (and not so local) foodie delights held in the grounds of the castle overlooking the river Exe. Here are a few pictures of my day there. I couldn’t have wished for better weather as the autumnal sunshine made a welcomed appearance.
I met my friend Lucy at The Canal Bakery on Tuesday. We try and get together once a month or so for a cuppa and a slice of cake. The Canal Bakery is situated next to Exeter Cookery School on the quayside in Exeter. It’s the sister to the Town Mill Bakery in Lyme Regis. We both ordered tea and picked our pastries. Lucy had a pain au chocolat and I had a traditional croissant with strawberry jam. We sat and chatted for at least an hour catching up on all the news. It was so much fun. Our next months date is already in the diary!
Wednesday morning I had an impromptu coffee date with my friends Dan and Billy. Dan had text me that morning whilst I was watching my new foodie crush the Barefoot Countessa aka Ina Garton on the Food Network channel. At this point I was still in my pyjamas drinking a delicious cup of tea! I hopped up and got in the shower so I could get into town by 10am.
We went to The Exploding Bakery. Another very good cafe/coffee shop/bakery on Queen Street. We are really lucky having some really fine independent coffee shops in Exeter and The Exploding Bakery has got to be right up there at the top of the list for great coffee.
It really has been a week of tea and coffee dates… and thank god it’s been #nationalcakeweek as I have devoured a fair few slices as well as baking my own!! I met my friend Amber out at the new Cakeadoodledo at Quickes Farm. It’s a perfect halfway stop off point for us both. Cakeadoodledo already has the cutest cafe and bakery that I frequent quite often next to Exeter Cathedral and now the wonderful Kate Shirazi has opened her second cafe out at Quickes. This makes the short bus journey even more worth while as I can eat cake and cheese all at the same time!! There is a great little farm shop at Quickes too that sells all of their cheeses plus other local delicacies. It’s a perfect excuse to stop off for cheese and say “hi” to Kate alongside a decent cuppa and a slice of something delicious.
Amber and I caught up on each other’s news over tea and cake. Amber opting for the moist lemon drizzle and I had the most delicious slice of bara brith smothered in butter. So good and perfect for two cake hungry girls like us! We stopped off at the farm shop on our way out and I picked up some cheeses. I can never resist when I am out at Quickes.
I made my weekly pilgrimage to the Farmers market and picked up some goodies from the Almond Thief Bakery and Shillingford Organics. It felt really cold at the market. I think Autumn has definitely arrived and is in full swing.
On Thursday evening Steve and I made our way over to the Queen Street Dining complex and the brand new restaurant Comptoir Libanais. A bright and cheery restaurant serving simple Lebanese food. Steve and I both ordered Lebanese drinks as it felt fitting. I had a glass of white wine and Steve had a beer. Both were delicious and perfect accompaniments to our simple food. I had the mixed mezze platter that was absolutely divine. A plate full of all my favourite things… hummus, baba ganouche, grilled halloumi, falafel, taboulleh and grilled flatbreads for dipping. Steve had the mixed grill which was a selection of kebabs with different meats and seasonings all served alongside some delicious sautéed potatoes.
For dessert we shared a piece of baked mango cheesecake which was ginormous! I was so pleased we decided to share.
I would love to go back to Comptoir Libanais when they have been open a bit longer and the staff have found their feet. I think this restaurant has the potential to be a favourite of mine.
Friday was a very full day. Lots of meetings both for pleasure and with the blog in mind. I started with a brunch at Artigiano to get a sneaky peak at the fashion event that is happening in Princesshay this weekend. Style In Exeter is bringing together a whole host of high street and independent fashion retailers together in a selection of fashion shows all set in Princesshay. It should be a spectacle for any fashion lover so get yourself down to Princesshay to witness a whole lot of fashion fun!
We were treated to a display and talk showcasing some of the strongest fashion statements for the new autumn/winter season. Apparently floaty skirts with chunky knits and coatigans (a coat and cardigan hybrid) are going to be the big thing alongside faux fur. I already have my eyes fixed on this beautiful soft pink coatigan from Jigsaw. I better start saving!
Whilst listening to our talk on the latest trends we got to nibble on some delicious fruit salad and pastries to die for. A perfect morning treat alongside a warming autumnal cinnamon steamer.
From my brunch I made my way over to Coffee #1 to meet up with my friend Jemma and her newborn son, William Jack. What an absolute darling.. he happily spent the whole of our coffee date taking in all around him from his pram so we could catch up. It was a joy to meet him and lovely to catch up with my chum.
What a busy week again but I certainly wouldn’t change it for the world. I am loving life right now. I have a job that I enjoy, plenty of foodie things in the diary and more time to enjoy time with my friends. Next week I am heading to Taunton for the first Brew Food Festival and have a coffee and cake date with friends at Toast in Honiton amongst other things. I look forward to sharing it all with you.