Luscious, and that's just the food!

It's a little late in the day, but I can’t resist the chance to say a bit more about our encounter with the lovely James Martin* at the Ryedale Food and Drink Festival at Castle Howard. We’d accepted the fact that his popularity has increased dramatically since he took over Saturday Kitchen, but it was hugely busier than last year.

It was a cold and wet Bank Holiday Monday morning and we were there for the opening so were able to secure tickets to his first demonstration. The marquee had got posher since last year, and it now had chandeliers! What you don’t get on tv is the aroma of the food, and this was in smell-o-vision – yum!

Afterwards, we headed to his stall in the exhibitors tent, where he was signing his books. We got well and truly elbowed by little old ladies (Cat: ‘chef fans are mean!’) but got to meet him. He is, indeed, very tall, and has stunning blue eyes. And yes, I bought a cook book, but I have yet to make anything out of of it. In fact I still have yet to make anything out of the one I bought last year. Ho hum!

Afterwards, we wandered round, tasting all the freebies, and buying bits (and running out of money) before wandering round the gardens – it was pretty cold though. When we eventually returned to the tent, James was there, and not so swamped with people, but neither of us felt able to just go up to him. It’s odd. When you sort of ‘know’ someone, it’s remarkably easy, but when you don’t**, this ‘non–stalking’ is actually very difficult.

*He went to my school you know! Sadly, not at the same time as me.
**which means we have to work on this