7 minute read
Hythe Food Festival
Food Festival 2021
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We are all longing to get back to normal, being able socialize, have fun in the sun, eating amazing food and drink with our nearest and dearest whilst being entertained. So, it is with great delight that we announce that the Hythe Food Festival is back this year. The event is to take place as usual on Hythe Green over the bank holiday weekend 28th, 29th and 30th August.
Our team certainly missed the buzz and excitement of putting on the event last year and are relieved that our planning is back in full flow in anticipation of creating a fantastic event for the 5th anniversary. There will be some minor changes to the event this year as we are still not out of the Covid woods yet so regretfully we had to make the sad decision that we could not run the demonstrations this year just in case we still have to follow a certain level of social distancing and family groups which is difficult to achieve in an enclosed space. You may notice other small changes that may have to be introduced due to national covid restrictions at the time of the event. Hopefully, these will be minimal. However, all the other firm favourites will be back trying frantically to tempt our taste buds and drawing us in with wonderful aromas. Even with this in mind we hope it brings you all a chance to book your diaries up with a little piece of normality and some fun to look forward to.
As with all our previous events, we will make every effort to mix up the offering to bring you the newest and the best in all artisan food trends, making sure that you always try something new, right on your doorstep. We look forward to opening the entries up to our past vendors first, to thank them for their loyalty to us but also to give you your annual opportunity of eating what has fast become some staple favourites.
The festival bar as always will have all the usual beers, craft ales including our very own Festival Ale and local ciders. It also would not be the same without the theatre of our mixologists tempting us to creative cocktails, along with the firm favourites of Pimm’s and Prosecco. We have listened to your feedback on the length of the queues and think we have come up with a
cunning plan to reduce the wait. We cannot have our wonderful friends of the festival not able to quench their thirsts fast enough and being able to spend more time choosing what food to try next.
The children’s entertainment area will also be there striving to keep the little darlings amused and entertained so that there are no cries of “I want to go home” before you have had time to relax and enjoy your day watching and listening to the entertainment on the stage.
Yes, the bands will be back beckoning us to kick back and relax or put on our dancing shoes. There will be music for all tastes and various types of entertainment on the stage as well. Something for all the family.
Looking forward to the prospect of a more relaxed summer this year is certainly starting to put some sunshine in our lives so put the festival in your August plans, pray to the sun gods and come and support your local traders and we will see you all there again.
As the ground is licenced for the event, we politely ask that you do not bring you own food and drink and support the event and the local traders by complying to this request.
We will be keeping you up to date over the coming months with promo material and information on our website, Facebook, and Twitter. As the event is run by volunteers, we are always looking to bring new friends into the team whether it be on the event days or in the weeks of preparation beforehand. You do not have to have any special skills or experience just a willingness to join in the hard work and fun and become a member of the fantastic festival team.
Everything we do is run purely by volunteers and a % of the profits that are made from the festival are funnelled straight back into the community, either to projects we have identified ourselves, or to organisations who have approached us for support.
SEA BREAM ESCABECHE
anchovy mayonnaise, coriander
by Allister Barsby
Method
• To prepare the sea bream, season both sides of the fillets and heat a nonstick pan over a medium to high heat. Add some olive oil and lay the fillets in, skin side down and colour for 1-2 minutes until crisp and golden. Flip the fillets over and cook for a further minute until just cooked through.
Place them onto a tray to cool. • Place all the other ingredients for the escabeche into a pan and bring to the boil. Cook for around 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still firm. • Pour the vegetables and liquid into a metal tray with deep sides, carefully place the bream fillets on top, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 12 hours to marinade. • For the mayonnaise, place the egg yolk, mustard, anchovy and vinegar into a food processor or bowl if using a whisk. Turn the machine on (or start whisking!) and slowly add the oil to create a thick emulsion. Season with a pinch of salt if needed. • Bring the sea bream fillets out of the fridge for at least half an hour before serving to come to room temperature. Serve the dish by spooning some of the vegetables onto the plate and placing the sea bream on top. Add a spoonful of mayonnaise and a few leaves of coriander. Enjoy! Packed full of flavour and lightly spiced, this is the perfect dish for a light lunch or to eat on those warm summer evenings. It can be prepared in advance and left to marinade for up to 48 hours in the fridge.
Ingredients
• 4 sea bream fillets, scaled and pin boned • 150g extra virgin olive oil • 75g white wine vinegar • 100g white wine • 35g sugar • 5g fennel seeds • 2 bay leaves • 100g water • 1 good pinch of saffron strands • 10g salt • 1 carrot thinly sliced • 2 shallots thinly sliced • Half bulb of fennel thinly sliced • Pinch of chilli flakes Anchovy mayonnaise • 1 egg yolk • 10g Dijon mustard • 10g white wine vinegar • 20g drained anchovy fillets chopped fine • 150g sunflower oil • Salt • To finish, coriander leaves
The Green, Saltwood, CT21 4PS
Saltwood's neighborhood restaurant lead by Chef Allister Barsby and manager Alice Bussi.
Michelin Star - 3 Rosettes
New opening times: Wednesday - Saturday Lunch 12pm - 1.30pm Tuesday - Saturday Dinner 6pm - 8pm Closed Sunday - Monday
Hide and Fox
Here at Hythe Life we are always excited to share local good news stories. In this particular case it is one very close to home for us.
Opposite Hythe Life HQ we are extremely lucky to have the outstanding Hide and Fox restaurant. Opened in June 2019 by talented couple Chef Allister Barsby and Manager Alice Bussi it has been wowing locals with its delicious food and wine ever since. The restaurant serves modern British cuisine in an intimate and relaxed environment with a focus on carefully sourced seasonal ingredients and fine wines. After securing 3 AA Rosettes last year the restaurant was awarded a coveted Michelin star in January this year. A massive achievement given the last year the food industry has endured. We are so pleased for them and it is very much deserved. We are also delighted that Allister has agreed to provide us with a delicious recipe for this issue of the magazine. If you have not yet sampled the delights of Hide and Fox you simply must see what all the fuss is about. We would highly recommend the tasting menu with accompanying wine flight!
