Fathers' Day Chilli Fiesta bringing spice to Bedfordshire this Sunday!

Nicely planned to fall on Fathers' Day, the 2012 Chilli Fiesta will take place at The Mansion House, Old Warden Park on
17th June.
Last year's event was a staggering success with thousands of people flocking from across the UK. This year is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

There's no better way to spend a fantastic Father's Day with guaranteed fun for all the family. Just a few of the treats in store include: demonstrations from award winning chefs in the Chilli Kitchen; Chef's Academy Cook-along and stalls offering free samples and selling everything chilli from cheese to chocolate.
If things get too hot, you can quench your thirst in the Chilli Bar which sells chilli beer and other refreshments. To keep children entertained there will also be circus games, a funfair and entertainers.

Among the many food exhibitors, these are the 

Artisan Food Trail producers that are confirmed as taking part:

Cardona & Son
A small and family run producer of the loveliest and tastiest rare breed pork - on menus in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire pubs.

Edible Ornamentals
Situated in Chawston, Bedfordshire where market gardens are abundant and growing delicious vegetables is simply a way of life. Passionate, slightly obsessive chilli growers.

Samphire
Award winning food from Norfolk smallholding.
Gary Rhodes said their rare breed sausages were the best he's ever tasted and Giles Coren gave their pork pies 10/10.

Alder Tree
Award winning ices are handmade on their fruit farm in Suffolk to a traditional family recipe. Made with only fruit, cream and sugar, they are naturally delicious!

Bray's Cottage Pork Pies
Famous award winning hand made pork pies well known amongst foodies nationally for being the pork pie unlike other pork pies.

Yare Valley Oils
Producer of a high quality Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil in Norfolk.

Breckland Orchard
Award winning ‘Posh Pop’. Produced with passion and available throughout the UK.



Here are just a few of the fun activities on offer at the 2012 Chilli Fiesta...

Chef's Academy Cook-Along
Spice up your meal times and join in cooking some of the hottest dishes around. All the equipment and ingredients is provided so you just have to turn up, pay £5 and be prepared to have some fun!
What's more, there will be an Academy Award prize of free tickets to the Rhythm Festivals for whoever creates the best dish.

Chilli Arena
Sit back, chill out and enjoy the live music, circus acts, flame-throwers and a wide range of other entertainment throughout the day at the Chilli Arena.

Chilli Bar
If things get too hot, you can quench your thirst in the Chilli Bar which overlooks the entertainment area and sells chilli beer, real ales, soft drinks and other refreshments.

Chilli Kitchen
Can you stand the heat of the Chilli Kitchen?
Showcasing some fabulous, fiery food these free demonstrations are presented by award winning chef Raj Mandal throughout the day.

Chilli Eating Contest
How much heat can you handle?!

This competition is only for the brave! See if you can you beat last year's winner.
Only £3 to enter and you could win free tickets to this summer's Rhythm Festivals at The Mansion House.

Gardening Academy
Throughout the day there will be demonstrations from a range of gardening experts including Artisan Food Trail member Joanna Plumb from award winning Edible Ornamentals demonstrating the secrets of growing a successful chilli crop. In addition, Kathy Brown will talk about edible flowers and local honey man Wally Thrale on bee-keeping.

What's more the fiesta will host its very own version of Gardeners' Question Time. A panel of horticulture experts from Shuttleworth College will be able to answer any gardening questions you may have. Just turn up with your question on the day.

Garden Quarter
For those of you with green fingers this area will provide you with a wide range of unusual plants, seeds and equipment. Not to mention a wide range of chilli plants of course!

World Food Quarter
The world is your oyster in the World Food Quarter. You can wonder from stall to stall at your leisure, try before you buy and give your taste buds a well deserved treat!

For more information about the event visit the website: www.chillifiesta.org

Food Safety Week: 11th – 17th June 2012

Food Safety Week will take place from 11 to 17 June and the theme is ‘food safety on a budget’. This annual event, held to promote the importance of good food hygiene in the home, will focus on how people can ensure that they keep their food safe when trying to save money. This year it is supported by the Love Food Hate Waste campaign.

Emma Marsh, Community Partnership Manager at Love Food Hate Waste, commented: ‘The Love Food Hate Waste initiative is delighted to be supporting this year’s Food Safety Week. Making the most of our leftovers and understanding ‘use by’ dates, are not only key food safety issues but are also vital in reducing food waste. We hope that this will provide environmental health teams with the opportunity to work collaboratively with waste officers to communicate this important advice to local residents during Food Safety Week’.

Top tips for food safety on a budget

During Food Safety Week The Food Standards Agency will be reminding people of the following food safety advice.

Understanding ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates

• ‘Use by’ dates appear on foods that go off quickly. It can be dangerous to eat food past this date, even though it might look and smell fine. But if cooked or frozen its life can be extended beyond the 'use by' date.
• Check the ‘use by’ dates on the food in your fridge on a regular basis and be sure to use (eat, cook or freeze) food before its ‘use by’ to help you avoid throwing food away unnecessarily.
• Once food with a ‘use by’ date has been opened, follow any storage instructions such as ‘eat within 3 days of opening’.
• ‘Best before’ dates appear on food with a longer shelf life. They show how long the food will be at its best quality. Using food after the ‘best before’ doesn’t mean it will be unsafe. The exception to this is eggs, providing they are cooked thoroughly, they can be eaten a day or two after their ‘best before’ date.

Use leftovers safely
Eating leftovers can be a good way of making a meal go further.

• If you are going to store leftovers in the fridge, cool them as quickly as possible (ideally within 90 minutes) cover them and eat them up within two days.
• If you are going to freeze them, cool them before putting them in your freezer. Once foods are in the freezer, they can be safely stored there forever – but the quality will deteriorate so it’s best to eat them within three months.
• Make sure you defrost leftovers properly before reheating. Defrost them in the fridge over night, or in the microwave if you intend to cook them straightaway. Eat leftovers within 24 hours of defrosting and do not refreeze. The only exception is if you are defrosting raw food, such as meat or poultry, once it’s cooked it can be refrozen.
• Cook leftovers until steaming hot throughout.
• Don’t reheat leftovers more than once.

Plan your meals

• Before you go shopping check what’s in the fridge and freezer.
• Think about what you are going to eat that week and write it down.
• Make a list of what you need to buy and stick to it! Impulse buys can be expensive and, if not part of your plans, could lead to something else being wasted.
• If you do get tempted by special offers in the shop, like ‘buy one get one free’, think about adjusting your meal planner for the week to add it in, or freeze the extra pack before the ‘use by’ date. Or you could cook larger portions and save some for another time.
• Label food before it goes in the freezer, so you know what it is and how long it’s been there.

For more information and useful downloads see the Food Safety Week page on The Food Standards Agency website www.food.gov.uk