has spent many years in Taiwan and China so could easily be described as a foodie.
Apparently Jimmy Doherty is some kind of TV pig-breeding good farming evenagelist type, but not having a TV, I wouldn't know about that. Also involved were Paul Kelley the Turkey Guy and Nigel Bartle the Tomato Geek.
First up Vinopolis itself. With the Thames Festival going on, Vinopolis was a haven of calm and in itself and amazing building.
Then were were all seated, the presenters took their places at the table and Vinopolis' resident wine expert Tom Forrest.
All the speakers were excellent and above all passionate about
their subjects.
So, to the tastings.
First up, we were were presented with pork sausages and roasted tomatoes. Jimmy described them as "both kinds: meat and meat with herbs". These are 97% meat and a tougher chew than your average supermarket banger. Accompanying these were a Malbec from Marta's Vineyard (geddit?) and an IPA from Greenwich brewery Meantime Brewery. Everything was lovely and the common vote gave the edge to the beer with the sausages.
Next was the belly pork. Oh yes. This is Chinese soul food so we were anticipating it and were not disappointed in the least. Accompanied by a Booker's Vineyard Blanc de Blancs which was so full of apples it was perfect. Much ooh-ing and aah-ing ensued.
Finally the turkey. We were also treated an exhibition on how to properly carve a turkey. I have to say, this was much better than the usual rubbish we serve up on Christmas day but not quite as stunning as the first two. Kelley's impression of the male and female turkey calls more than made up for it. The wine was a fizzy Shiraz which was a real perception-challenger.
In between all that, there was lots of chat and interesting questions. Some factoids I noted down:
o If hail hits Andean vines, it sets them back four years.
o Screwtops on wine are *great*. Especially for picnics.
o Flavour comes with maturity (something I keep telling my girlfriend).
o The fat in matured meat tends towards unsaturated
o Don't try to sell "love sausage" opposite a church
o Dry tomato seeds on a paper towel and grow them!
o Bees are really, really important to tomatoes! In fact, to all agriculture.
o In the absence of bees, use a vibrator to stimulate the pollination.
o We only grow 60% of our food. Food security is important.
o Look for black hairs on your pork and turkeys. It's a sign of a rare(r) breed.
o We eat 36 million turkeys a year.
o All turkeys originated from Mexico.
o Food labeling like "organic" is misleading. Bartle's tomatoes don't use pesticides but can't be classed as organic as they're grown in gro-bags. Inorganic apples have no pesticide residue when they arrive in the shop, yet organic apples may well have elevated copper levels from the "organic" pesticide.
o Real turkey takes half as long to cook and should be rested for an hour before dismembering.
o Make stock!
o Using bananas or ripe tomatoes to ripen green ones is an old wive's tale. Tomatoes should be ripened on the vine. Got green tomatoes? Make chutney.
o Bartle heats his 20-odd acres of greenhouse with heat drawn off from a power station
o If you see tomatoes from "Norfolk, UK", they're Bartle's. Buy them.
That's all.
I'll leave you with one word that sums up these guys and what they do: "passion".
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