Foodie Fest is one of the biggest festival chains in the UK! Marking a huge celebration and gathering for every food lover, the events around the country help to bring a huge amount of pride to our lives, when we see the wonders of those creating delicious dishes all around us! Find out what happened when we went to the St Albans event!

Good Morning Lovelies, 

St Albans is well known for being a great place in the UK! It is in fact the suspected birthplace of the Hot Cross Bun after all! So, when the blog heard that it was going to be hosting one of the wonderful Foodie Fest events in the city, we had to pop along! 

Kindly gifted the tickets, the excitement levels we had had been building and building every day until the morning of the festival arrived. Flocking to Oaklands College, we joined the queue on the Sunday of the three day event to get first bites and tastes of each stall and truck. 

Heading in at 11am, we could smell the delicious aromas bouncing off of each one as soon as we stepped through the gates. From rich noodles to sizzling seafood, there wasn’t a part of the world that hadn’t been touched upon in terms of the dishes available. Walking around each one, it was hard to decide where to start. 

Looking for inspiration, we soon embraced some of the talks from the likes of leading chefs and stars of Masterchef UK, who all knew how to make us dribble in delight. Every hour of the day, someone new came out to explain their craft, their meals and the ways that we could incorporate their ideas into our everyday lives. 

With tummies left rumbling, we headed away from the Fire and La Espanola Chef stages to see if we could find something that would remind us of what they had shared. Starting with drinks! Having spotted earlier in the day a very local bubble tea stall, we decided to show our support to the normally Hertford based venue. 

Pearl Milk Bar is situated right on a corner in our hometown and seeing them at the event made us really happy. Picking up a strawberry and passion fruit bubble tea, the first sip is something that we will never forget. Imagine everything that summer is and that is what it was like in a cup. The bubbles burst to provide an endless explosion of flavours and we happily decided there and then that we would be going into the shop to start a tab for them. 

Whilst one of us was happy with a soft drink, the opportunity to have a cheeky tipple was too hard to resist. With the last of the Sunday sun shining down on us, the Mirabeau Rose stand was pouring only the best prosecco and rosé glasses that you could ask for. When handed over, we all awed at the gorgeous colour of the rosé, as the flowing bubbles made us all tingle with excitement. Upon taking the first sip, a grin overcame our friend’s face, as they audibly awed at the taste. Citing to us all just how refreshing it was, she couldn’t have only the one glass. In fact, she went back for a prosecco too, which she also lauded for its beautiful flavours and cooling nature.

Having whet our appetites with the best drinks, we decided it was time to really put the food to the test. Looking at each stall, we didn’t know where to start, but after hearing so many raving about the dishes from the noodle stall, we opted for a bowl of sweet and sour chicken mixed with the tenderest strands of noodles that we had ever had. We also couldn’t be stopped when it came to picking up some of the steak and rosemary salted fries that another stall had to share. 

Finding a spot under one of the many tents available to sit in, we popped open the lids of our takeaway boxes and internally screamed in pure delight at what we saw. The meat, in both dishes, looked soft, succulent and utterly juicy. The steak had been cooked just how we wanted it to be and the sweet and sour chicken had a generous amount of sauce on it that had oozed all over the noodles perfectly. 

Grabbing our forks, we tucked right in. No words were exchanged during those first mouthfuls, as we let the wonders of each take over us. Upon looking at each other, we both said the same thing at the same time. YUM! Swirling the noodles onto our forks, we couldn’t get over how fresh, soft and easy to eat that they were. Whilst the steak had just the right amount of chew to it that you could feel it falling apart on your tongue. 

By the end of both of our meals, we didn’t know if we would be able to move. Not from being overly full but just the amount of awe that we had been left in from them. Foodie Fest is definitely the place to go if you need to find inspiration and something new to eat, as both stalls are now ones that we will look out for at every local event we go to. Even now, after leaving the event, we are both still dreaming of having the dishes again and again. 

Finally able to move again, we decided to grab a fresh lemonade to wash down our meals, as we took a spot on the grass to listen to some of the music on offer at the Music Stage. Knowing that Scouting For Girls were closing the event, we were eager to get near to the front to see them, as we had witnessed them live before and knew how good they are. 

Catching a few other artists before they came on, we both agreed that the day had been the most wonderful way to spend a Sunday. The sun was shining, the food was good and everyone was in the best mood. It was everything you could want in a festival. It was only made better by seeing everyone come together to sing ‘She’s So Lovely’ at the top of their lungs before we all headed home. Something I don’t think any of us wanted to do! 

Foodie Fest is a truly wonderful set of events that really taps into all of the best things in life! Great food, good friends and gorgeous music that when all combined transports you into a sense of utter joy! With a number of festivals still to be held around the country, it is well worth a trip, wherever you may be to experience the happiness it brings. 

The festivals next event will be in Tatton Park in July lovelies, but there are also others being held in Winchester, Bath, Edinburgh and beyond, so take a look on their website to see if there is one near you. You will be left in a world of pure foodie awe if you go! We will definitely be coming back for another serving next year lovelies! 

Joey X