Saturday saw the latest edition of the food and families festival in Ottery St. Mary, East Devon. So I went along for a little peek…
Being from just down the road, it was a fairly quick ride on the jolly ol' fun bus. I actually went last year too as I was about, so knew what to expect and wondered if there were any changes. The weather forecast didn't look so good this year, so we were all hoping that would hold, being an outdoor event. Fortunately it did… just!
It's not a huge event, but a decent set up I'd say. Smaller scale than the County Show of course but it ticks a lot of the boxes and easy to get round. And as it was free entry, you can't beat the price!
So what was there? Food, drink, entertainment, workshops, demos - all the classic things you'd expect. Music throughout the day on the main stage, a bar to keep us 'hydrated' and plenty of stalls displaying their wares.
One addition they did have this year was a 'wellness tent'. This was where there were various displays, talks and sessions on yoga, therapy, homeopathy and general health & fitness.
As for us (I was there with my dad) the plan was first up; a coffee and a snack, then a wander… then perhaps check out the bar. Whilst on our rounds, my dad spotted a Bollhayes cider stand. Whilst I was having a look at the Kombucha stand next door, he was having an appley sample. It's not often you find good, dry, 'proper' cider these days so he bought a 3 litre box, which I proceeded to carry and try not to forget!
We then spent the rest of the afternoon sat in a good spot near the stage and in the centre of most of the action. There were a fair few characters we knew who we chatted with, some other folk too and we proceeded to have a couple of glasses of refreshment and take in the action from there.
My dad was on Reserve cider whilst I went with an Otter Bright beer, followed by a Rib Tickler (that's a cider too).
After we were done with that, there wasn't much time before we had to get going and back on the rickety ol' fun bus home again. Nothing too wild but a nice day out; supported a local festival and merchants, spread some good cheer, and got out of there just as the rain was threatening to dampen proceedings.
Just a few days until I'm off on my travels again. Lovely as Devon is, it's time for another adventure - watch this space! Adam
@adambarratt* Images my own or linked to source
