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As well as some of London's top restaurants setting up temporary kitchens at Taste, there are also around 200 suppliers exhibiting produce at the festival. Wines, cakes, marmalades of a hundred different varieties and even ice cream made from sheep's milk.
People get the chance to sample an array of treats and the best thing is that 90 percent of the suppliers on site accept the Taste currency of crowns as payment - meaning that every pound you spend actually equals two crowns. Simply put - it's like visiting food heaven with a currency conversion rate of 2.1. And here's just a small selection of what was on offer.
BUBBLEOLOGY
Started last year by former investment banker, Assad Khan, this stall, or laboratory as it's best called, squeaks and pops with bubbling contraptions as the staff, all dressed in white lab coats, cook up some a bubble brew. The whole process is reminiscent of a Roald Dahl children's book with bright vivid colours everywhere you look. The team are actually making Bubble Tea - a Taiwanese drink developed in the 80s which for some reason has only this year hit England with Bubbleology setting up the first shop in Soho, London. The drink is made from a variety of fruit teas with natural Tapioca balls that you suck through a big straw - the tea is sweet with flavours like apple, mango and kumquat, a small citrus fruit that resembles an orange. The Tapioca balls are the unique part - they are small, very gummy balls that take a lot of chewing, the sensation is strange but interesting enough that they are a must-try if given the chance. Bubbleology website.
MODERN MILK
Pitched as a new sophisticated milk for 'today's busy people'. Modern Milk is the brainchild of the Irish dairy co-operative, Lakeland Dairies. The milk comes in four flavours: Smooth coffee, milk chocolate, lush banana and ripe strawberry. The company's idea is to try and get adults to re-think milk and introduce it into their busy lives as a snack. The milk has a great flavour much like milkshake but doesn't contain that thick, almost starchy consistency usually found in milkshakes. With no added colours, natural flavoring and boasting increased calcium, Modern Milk is certainly one to try. Modern milk website.
THE TRUCKLE CHEESE COMPANY
It wouldn't be a food festival without cheese and Taste had at least 10 different cheese suppliers on site. One that caught the eye was The Truckle Cheese Company. A privately owned and run company, they produce English farmhouse cheese and a variety of chutneys. Picking up awards for both their onion marmalade and their cheese, they offer a wide range, Stilton, Wensleydale, and Chedder to name just a few. Richard has been involved in the dairy industry since leaving school and says cheese is his passion and pride. Their newest product is called revelation and involves blending chocolate with cheese. The Truckle Cheese Company website.
STYLES
Style's ice cream is produced on a family owned farm in Exmoor. It's here where husband and wife David and Sue Baker live and work. Their recipe for this rich luxurious ice cream was developed by Sue in the family kitchen after they decided the farm, which had been in the family for generations, needed to diversify. An interesting range of products that Styles offer are sheep's milk iced desserts. They are much lighter than a normal ice cream and come in four flavors with blueberry being the stand-out taste. This is a much more refined ice dessert that has five times less fat than normal ice cream and is a refreshing change to traditional ice cream. Styles website.
These are just a few of the outstanding suppliers FDL spotted at Taste of London but there were hundreds of things to try and a hundred things to easily miss. If you were at Taste and want to tell us about something we may have missed place your suggestions in the comments below.
