Review of 'Foodies Festival: Alexandra Palace'

http://foodiesfestival.com/alexandra-palace-food-festival/

We have been busy with all sorts of food festivals this summer. There seem to be quite a number of them and we seem to pretty much go to all of them. Last weekend we were at the Waitrose Summer Festival which was quite fun and laid back. This (long) weekend we now visited the “Foodies Festival” at Alexandra Palace. To be fair, we were given a tremendous deal on tickets so we could not really say no…

The festival site was, thankfully, at the bottom of the hill in the park at Alexandra Palace and a bit tricky to find with only a few signs posted (we just followed the crowds on the sunny, hot Sunday morning). Enclosed in a fence in the middle of a field it was not a tremendously large show but pleasantly laid out with spacious areas to walk about in and quite relaxed if rather somewhat busy.

The concentration here was on eating and drinking at the festival rather than picking up things to take away with you for later (like jams) though there were a few suppliers here mostly it was street food vendors. There were a few small tents devoted to cooking but there were no famous names on the Sunday when we visited.

An interesting part was a large covered area of picnic tables laid end to end where you could sit and eat with stalls surrounding the area. This was a great idea and one I wish would be repeated at other festivals where often you are endlessly searching for somewhere to sit and eat rather than have to perch ungainly dishes on your lap on the ground or laid against a tree somewhere…

I had some great barbecue from “Flamin Rooster BBQ” who were roasting meat beside the picnic table area, opting for the “Mighty Mixed Grill” (£15) which had a bit of everything on it but particularly tasty were the meaty chicken wings.

At “Cho bar by Zoe's Ghana Kitchen” I had the mutton stew with rice and salad (£7) which was absolutely delicious with a rich gravy and tender mutton that had been stewing for hours.

We also tired “Polenta Chips” served with a pesto mayonnaise (£4) which were delicious and crunchy.

On the north end of the site was the live music stage with a number of chairs laid out where you could soak in the music (quite good) and have something to drink as you were surrounded by bars and other alcohol vendors…

Small but quite fun though not sure it is worth the full ticket price of £16 given the size. A bit awkward to get to but a lovely day out in the park. Wander around, grab something to eat and drink then lay about enjoying the weather…Rain would have been a disaster here.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2017-08-27

Location: London (England)

Address: Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY

Public Transport: Alexandra Palace Wood Green

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8365 2121

URL: http://www.alexandrapalace.com/

Alexandra Palace is hard to miss - Just look for the glass palace on the top of the hill in the north side of London. This is also home of a television antenna that broadcast the first television signals (and also featured in a Doctor Who episode!).

It is home to a lot of regular events including fireworks, food festivals, antique shows and a permanent indoor ice rink. It is difficult to get to as the nearest tube station is about a 25 minute walk away and the last bit, of course, all up hill. Great views of London from the top though…The grounds are well tended with flowers throughout.