Summer 2013 Foodie Events
Monty Halls Great Escapes have, amongst their adventures, the Ultimate Taste of Devon. Starting with a boat trip out to the Mew Stone to see the seals and then a spot of beach combing, the day culminates in a picnic of local crab, freshly baked bread, cheese from nearby dairy farms, fruit and veg from local growers, pickles and preserves from the town, and a cream tea to finish off. Wow – sounds fab; all that sea air will make you hungry! Booking essential for all the trips via the shop in the Market Square or by phoning 01803 431858
Another great way to see the river and one of our favourites is to go out on the Picnic Boat. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, you’ll be well looked after by Kevin with some fabulous local and homemade food. The Picnic Boat runs 7 days a week all summer and can take up to 12 passengers so it’s perfect for a group of friends or family and popular with both tourists and locals. Perfect on a sparkling blue day but equally cosy and warm if the weather turns. Again booking’s essential so call Kevin on 07968 752625.
On 4th August it’s the 3rd annual Dartmouth Crab Festival, a great day in the Dartmouth foodie calendar. This year it’s run by the team from Rockfish and there will be feasting and festivities from 12-4pm. You can enjoy a fresh dressed crab on the South Embankment with some great music, wines and ice cold beers. The festival will be under cover so the party will carry on come rain or shine. You can buy individual tickets or a whole table of 20. If you buy a whole table, bring out the tablecloths and candelabras and dress to impress - there will be prizes for the best dressed table.
As ever it’s great to put your own picnic together and take it off on one of the fantastic walks in the area or off to the beach. All the delis in town can make sure you are well stocked with cheeses, hams, patés, olives and other good things to make a memorable lunch. Take a spare plastic bag to bag up all your rubbish and then your picnic spot will be pristine for the next visitors.
If it (dare I say it) gets too hot and you want to go for a leg stretch, one of our favourites is the walk through Long Wood along the side of the Dart from Kingswear to Greenway. You get plenty of shade because of the trees but still manage to see the river. At the end it’s a short ferry trip to the Anchorstone Café or the Ferry Boat Inn for lunch. Make sure you book your place on the Dittisham-Dartmouth ferry to come back down the river and that’s another great day out.
Another lovely walk is to go out to Thurlestone and park by the beach. Walk west along the coast path towards Burgh Island and have lunch at the Gastrobus at Bantham Beach. Open now for the rest of the summer, they serve fab homemade burgers, local icecreams, cakes and juices and hot drinks too. It gets busy with surfers and walkers so you may have a wait but it will be worth it!
As you might know, we love cooking in our wood fired oven – it’s a great way to cook through the summer and right through the year. This year we’re very excited to be sharing the wood fired love.
We have teamed up with Bushman Wood Fired Ovens to search for the South West’s junior wood fired pizza chef of 2013. The competition is for 9-12 year olds and the winner will get a small Bushman Wood Fired Oven, worth around £3000, as well as a day at our cooking school for 6 to learn how to use their new oven to best effect.
To enter, keen young pizza chefs just need to send in 2 recipes - one for a classic margherita pizza and the second for a pizza topping of their own devising.
The creators of the best recipes will be invited to the regional finals at the end of August with the cook off for these finalists to compete for the prize at the Dartmouth Food Festival in October. Download the entry forms at our website – www.mannafromdevon.com – and may the best young pizza chef win!
First Published July 2013 By The Dart