Examiner columnist Paul Routledge spent a leisurely Saturday taking in the sights, sounds and smells at Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival.
Here he gives his verdict on the day.
I travelled they globe today without leaving St George’s Square.
Easy. The world came to Huddersfield, on a plate and in a bottle, just the way I like it.
Garlic prawns from Spain, curried goat from the Caribbean, halloumi from Greece, gin distilled in Yorkshire, Mauritian met dishes, and Andrew Jones pork pies.
A cornucopia of delicacies. A United Nations of grub. Smells, tastes and drinks to suit every palate. Stir fry from Temujin, wherever that is.
I started a with a local pork hot dog and a pint of Saltaire bitter before moving on to something rather special from Jamaica. Soul food, I believe.
The sun shone - an unusual dish in itself - and thousands thronged the square, scoffing at tables under the benign gaze of Harold Wilson. He was strictly a meat and two veg man himself, but partial to a post prandial brandy.
What a setting for the 16th food and drink festival. One family came all the way from Melbourne, Australia. I came from t'other side of Keighley, which takes a bit longer but the shlep was worth it.
I almost expected the lion to roar with frustration at not being able to get down from his pedestal and eat the food.
There is a question mark hanging over this amazing event. The Huddersfield Partnership which organises it is changing, and this will be the last under its auspices.
But organiser Karen Hodson is adamant that it will return next year. “It may be outsourced but I’m sure it will be back.”
I couldn’t leave without trying the Tea Gin from Mason’s Bedale distillery. Eleven boxes of Yorkshire tea bags go into this tasty 42 per cent brew. Ayayayah! That’s what I call a cuppa!
