Last weekend was our first event since we returned from exhibiting at BBC Masterchef live, and what a difference a week makes! Exhibiting at Olympia in London is always an adventure as there are hordes of good people all wanting to find something different to the run of the mill stuff they normally encounter in the supermarkets. We were delighted to be there and especially to help Masterchef 2008 winner James Nathan with one of his cooking demonstrations by supplying him with some Wild Boar Salami with Red wine for one of his recipes!
But the downside is that having spent £20 to get in, some people over-indulge in the wine tasting before then coming to sample the foods. On one occasion I was talking to a group of people about the different types of hams we have available for Christmas when one half-cut lady picked up the carving knife I was using and started carving herself a slice of particularly fine Shropshire Black Ham! After getting over my initial shock (would you walk into your local deli and just help yourself while the shopkeeper was talking to other customers?), my heart leapt as I contemplated public liability claims for somebody being accidentally stabbed by an inebriated customer. I gently (or maybe not so gently) took hold of the hand holding the knife and asked her if she would like to sample some ham. The bare-faced cheek of the woman was such that she looked me straight in the face and said ‘Actually, no!’ and walked off…..
This weekend, with the weather as it was, I’m surprised anybody made it outside. Unlike the slick organisation of Olympia and the London transport system, people were parked along the length of the driveway and I’m amazed more people didn’t get stuck. We were at a beautiful venue called Losely Park, just outside of Guildford, for a Christmas gift event and again people couldn’t get enough of our hams. We ran out entirely of the Dukeshill Wiltshire ham (which is immersed in brine for several days before being coated in unrefined Brown sugar), and even the more challenging Shropshire Black Ham (dry cured by hand and then immersed in a vat of molasses and juniper for a fortnight, and holder of the Royal Warrant) was severely depleted. Have a look at them both by clicking here, and remember to place your Christmas orders by 14th December!
Anyway, am off to another event tonight at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where we are launching our Help For Heroes hampers…..
Tags: Hams, Help For Heroes
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
It’s easy to say diss on tonight’s card and call it weak, and compared to normal cards maybe it is a little on the weak side.
Please do!
Great Post, what do your reader think about jamie oliver? There are some really good jamie oliver inspited recipes mydish. I have also sent this post to my facebook account .