Madame Thermomix’s Top Picks from MasterChef Live 2010 – Part 1

Gray skies, cold temperatures and the kind of wind that swirls the leaves around even though they’re wet. I’ve been working on the Thermomix stand for two days now and then hosting the Tongham Village Hall Christmas Concert back at home, and I don’t want to get out of bed. Molly wakes at her usual time of 6:15 and comes to lick my hand as it hangs out of the bed. I groan, turn over and see the clock. Oh dear, time to get up.

The daylight alarm clock chirps bird songs at us and my husband stirs beside me. He is keen to get to MasterChef Live (he hasn’t been there for two days already!) so he is the one who gets up and makes the tea. He’s so keen, in fact, he gets straight up and takes Molly and Billy for a just-barely-light walk while I finish my tea, drag myself out of bed and into the shower, and then make bacon sandwiches for breakfast.

Now there’s a cultural food thing: bacon sandwiches. Growing up in America, the land of plenty, I was instilled with the notion that bacon was delicious but not really good for you. Then the idea of buttering BOTH pieces of bread for a sandwich and slapping several slices of bacon in between went completely against the grain of the nutrition and healthy eating lessons we had all been taught in Home Economics. Alas for my figure, I have embraced the bacon sandwich with open arms and mouth and this morning’s version goes a long way towards supplying the necessary energy to stoke my fatigued body and mind.

It’s cold on the platform but warm in the train and our journey finally ends at Kensington Olympia. We join the early morning crowds pouring into the exhibition hall and begin our culinary journey into foodie heaven.

During this Sunday at MasterChef Live where I am not officially on duty I will talk to nearly as many people about Thermomix as when I was on the stand. The name rings a bell (so much television exposure lately) and fellow exhibitors repeatedly ask, “So what exactly IS Thermomix?” In many cases, as I searched for the right words my husband came up with the answers and was even more convincing than I!

We spent most of our time on the upper gallery in the Producers’ Village where we indulged our senses and stocked up on indulgent treats to savour over the coming months.

Here then are the first of Madame Thermomix’s Top Picks from the Producers’ Village at MasterChef Live 2010:

Bocaddon Farm Veal: The Real Veal Company 01503 220995

We purchased their veal at MasterChef Live 2009 and finished the last pack from the freezer less than a week before the 2010 show. It is pink and tasty, and you can be sure that it’s welfare-friendly, British and it’s from South East Cornwall. In September Valentine Warner selected Bocaddon Farm Veal for Harrods’ prestigious Knightsbridge store in London. Delicious!

Café Spice Namasté 16 Prescot Street, London E1 8AZ, Tel : (+44) 020 7488 9242

Under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Cyrus Todiwala OBE, Café Spice Namasté’s “gracious hello” welcomed visitors to The Restaurant Experience with their vibrant Pan-Asian cuisine. Madame Thermomix particularly enjoyed the Indian Tapas Platter and the Lamb Xacutti, slow-cooked for over 24 hours to give rich, deep flavour and melt-in-the-mouth tender meat.

Cakes by Soulla London, soulla13@hotmail.com

Madame Thermomix was attracted like a bee to a blooming flower by the absolutely gorgeous cupcakes on sale and cakes on display on Soulla’s stand. According to her Facebook page, “Cakes by Soulla was created from Soulla’s love of cake decorating. She began several years ago by making her children’s birthday cakes and was soon getting requests from family and friends, and their friends. Over time, she has expanded her repertoire of cakes to include engagement, wedding, anniversary, christening and birthday cakes for all ages. Her business is based on client recommendations because of her value-priced cakes.” Yum,yum!

De Calabria London, decalabria@gmail.com

Another repeat visit for Madame Thermomix and her husband who enjoyed the rich, dark extra virgin olive oil from Calabria in Southern Italy last year and made sure they stocked up on some more! This year we also bought the most fragrant and tasty sun-dried tomato spread with wild oregano and spices. Magic!

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