Here’s a super quick post on my trip to the Christmas edition of Taste of London at Tobacco Docks. In my post about the Summer festival I mentioned that we had bought tickets to this winter version to get us in the Christmas mood. But did it? Reader, it did!
Taste Christmas is held at Tobacco Dock, a short walk from Shadwell tube and overground stations. Approaching on a cold, dark November evening I thought this would be a brilliant location for something terrifyingly spooky. There’s a pirate ship and everything!
Although it was pretty quiet when we first stepped through, it soon started to fill up. I’m not a fan of large crowds but without a throng of people, the venue lacked a certain something. The huge rooms seemed to be too big for the smaller stalls and it felt a little disjointed, but pack in a few thousand hungry Londoners and it somehow works – go figure.
I thought it would be the best time to head over to Taste of HBO, a dedicated pop-up for the TV network that produces some of my absolute favourite TV shows of all time and had a major focus on Game of Thrones. 
I couldn’t resist a go in the Iron Throne – I am very comfortable in positions of power! – and had to contain myself from eating the beautiful gingerbread Winterfell.
We had arrived with a huge rumble in our tummies and thought it was probably best to get our food first then wander about when our friends came along later. Crowns bought and menu perused, I decided I needed to head to Kurobuta STAT!
Just six crowns bought me BBQ pork belly in a steamed bun and spicy peanut soy, with a sticky sauce that was determined to run down my chin and induce furious licking of fingers. Utterly delicious.
I needed something sweet to top it off and had espied a trio of doughnuts from Maze Grill. Four crowns later I was inhaling the delicious cinnamon covered doughnuts and dipping them in the tangily sweet clementine curd. I was so busy stuffing them in my face I nearly forgot to photograph them – a mark of a great bite!! 
Wandering around, surrounded by Christmas trees and mulled everything, I felt quite bah-humbuggy because I felt like I was being force fed Christmas. When I heard the beautiful carol singers in the main atrium something slowly switched. There’s something about music soothing my savage and beastly side and voices in unison are so powerful. I was the Grinch no more!
It was time to do some purchasing and sampling, and oh boy did I sample. Whiskies and vodkas and gins, oh my! And proseccos and more whiskies and ciders and I’m surprised I wasn’t squiffy. 
I started off small and chose some delicious and fiery mini choriço from Somerset Charcuterie. £5 got us 5 little choriço, perfect for chopping into pasta sauces, soups or omelettes.
Delicious and ginormous puffy marshmallows of joy from Campbell & Love – just £5 and worth every penny. Like Christmas in a sweet treat.
Another addition to our drinks shelf is this amazingly smooth vodka from 55 Above. Just £14 for the smaller size, which is a good thing because it really packs a strong kick. As I prefer to drink my spirits neat I’ll be v e r y careful with my measures!
I’d sampled this at the Mokhado stand at the summer Taste festival and loved it but forgot to head back to purchase – I couldn’t make the same mistake and made sure I left with a bottle for £7. I personally love the taste of almonds and marzipan and this is it in an oil. I’ll happily mop it up with some great bread on its own.
I also picked up some of these awesome jus from Just Jus. £10 for 4 super flavoursome jus (basically a gravy, right?!?) and perfect for meat dishes… Which brings me to my final purchase from the show: a meat box from Field & Flower who offer a delivery service for their grass fed meat. I’ll review them in a separate post as we don’t receive it until December, ready for Christmas. 
All in all, I really enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend attending either the summer or Christmas shows. See you at the next one!
curiosity killed 