The comment below was surreptitiously popped on this blog last night by Will Bignell. I feel I need to make a point here by focusing and highlighting exactly what Will said - so we all are in possession of the facts, and can act accordingly.
"Not sure if anyone will read this but Kevin Redd and myself will be putting the finishing touches on the stall tomorrow and would love some patronage when the Taste opens :-)
I have personally prepared 16 sheep and 10 deer which are being served as lovely cuts cooked using the sous vide technique with a bit of prep help from Waji. Nothing has gone to waste and I've used the exceptional quality trim to make a great ploughman's plate.
It has bread from my grain milled on the farm, onion pickled by Kev and lamb kofta and venison sausages made with the help of the Wursthaus team last week! Excited about this plate!
We have also dug the salsify for our fricassee and the earnest bean tofu dish with coriander pesto has my flour in the bread and Thorpe Farm garlic (a first for me!)
Dad is flat out making cheese and collected the cows milk this morning to make the fresh cheese for our trio of farm yard friends cheese platters (6 cheeses + pickles and Thorpe Watermill flour in the roll)
Our Taste stall is teamed up with Frogmore / 42 South again and my brother George has been working there for the last 2 vintages so the Bignell family have a finger in almost everything we are serving plus you get a Bignell serving it!
Anyhow I know the Taste creates great debate on here every year but for those who can tough out the plastic tables and chairs, throngs of crowds, knocked together stalls and impossible parking situation I hope you can make your way down to experience what I am doing with our families great produce.
Will"
Well Will, let me tell you that Rita will indeed be down to the Taste to check it out and see if there is any perceptible difference there this year, as opposed to other years. If the other stalls have produced food with the provenance such as you describe above, I'll be the first to publicly apologise here on this blog for all I've generalised about regarding Taste in the past.
I am hopeful that stallholders who waxed lyrical in their stall applications to the Hobart City Council mid-year will now be putting their proverbial money where their mouth is, and producing "the goods" for us punters! If this doesn't happen, then I'll feel justified in condemning the festival as I have been known to in years gone by!
So - I pay public homage to you today Will Bignell. I don't know you personally, but I respect your words above, and the fact that you've obviously read what has been said here in the past, taken it on board and come back to us to preview exactly what your food plans for Taste this year are. You obviously possess the passion for your product we speak about often here, and which, coincidentally, the previous post discussed as well.
If anyone happens to find themselves at Taste this year - take Will's recommendations along with you and buy a platter, along with your Frogmore Creek bottle of wine - sounds like you'll be doing yourself a gastronomic favour!
Sunday, 27 December 2009
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5 comments:
Oh bloody hell!!!
I can't wait now. Venison.... my favourite. Only 10!!! Hope I get there bfore it's sold out!!!
I'm starting to look like Paul Foreman with his inverted comma's, with all my exclamtion marks!!!!
Seriously though that sounds wonderful.
So Will Bignall, I will be looking out for you and yours and can't wait to experience what you have on offer.
Last year all I had time to visit were the fromageries & meeting Will, Esther(Tongola) & Nic (Bruny Isle)was fantastic. Same this year.
Having tasted Kevin's pickled onions at numerous post grad events through the year, its probably the only reason I would even contemplate braving the crowds at taste.
More about this in a new post later tonight but I DID meet Will at Taste today, and sampled his wares.....
Impressive. Thanks Will. Love your work.
Well the people you see in the strangest places!!!
Phil and were delighted to run into you at the Taste Rita. Never thought I'd see the day, but glad to see curiosity finally got the better of you.
So after we spoke to you we settled into our table and I ventured over to meet the lovely Will and taste his wares.
As I ordered my venison with horseradish on garlic mash I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Will and I might add, what lovely young gentleman he turned out to be. Very humble about the fantastic job he's doing and so trying to get it right. In my opinion that one dish of venison is what the taste should be all about.
A small plate of wonderful food that you can tell straight away has been prepared with care and attention to the small details. Will came over after to see what we thought and if the changes he'd made from other years were working. I'd definately say yes.
We also sampled the lamb on rosemary pinkeyes with pickled cherries, another outstanding dish but the venison was definately my favourite.
After a few or more Josef Chromy's it was probably best that we retired for the evening but did grab a plate of beer battered flathead with handcut bintje chips from Joff at Flathead. Very, very nice.
We will be returning with friends on New Years day to take a more serious look at whats about. A lot of the same old same old at a quick glance, but I'm sure there must be hidden delights out there somewhere.
So keep up the wonderful work Will. It was a pleasure to meet you and enjoy the dishes you so obviously care so much about. It really does show on the plate.
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