Food and Drink Fair – Cressing Temple
1st September 2023
We’ve been to Cressing Temple before for events – it’s a great location! Last year we went to a top-end antiques fair (article here), and we’re just back from a Food and Drink Fair there. At £4 an adult to get into the Fair, and to be able to look around Cressing Temple, it is pretty good value for menu, although while you don’t spend much to get in, you will be tempted to spend once you’re in there!
There were more than enough stalls at the Fair, in the two big barns, out in the open air, and tucked away in various locations. Several things took our fancy :
‘Munchy Seeds’ are based in Leiston in Suffolk, and produce a great range of seeds in tubs and snack packs. The Choccy Munchy Seeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and pieces of ginger coated in Belgian dark chilli chocolate that we sampled were great, and we took a tub away. Available at Tesco, Co-op, Waitrose, Budgens, Lakeland, Harvey Nicks and by mail order – keep an eye open for them!
Wildthings are based near Manningtree (click here for their website) and produce a range of carved, chainsawed, and metalwork sculptures. We’ve been after a heron sculpture for the pond for some time, and theirs were going for half-price – only £15, about a quarter of the cost of one we’d been tempted to buy from a National Trust property recently!
Ecomarketshop (website) have a range of eco-friendly products, and, call us infantile if you like, put a greeting card made out of Welsh sheep poo took our fancy, and we’ll now have to decide who gets that card for their birthday. The things those Welsh do with their sheep, what are they like!
David Shields is a photographer based in Leigh on Sea and we were taken by his Football Stadium series (website). Even Colchester’s Weston Homes Community Stadium was there – but all that did was make me nostalgic for Layer Road : now that was a football ground!
The Bean Shack (website) had a wide range of coffees, and cafetieres, and even a mug that was also a cafetiere. We came away with a cafetiere and a couple of bags of flavoured coffee – Brandy Alexander and Caribbean Cream.
Foodwise there were plenty of options, both to eat there, and to take away. We opted for a chicken paella and weren’t disappointed. There was even a BBQ cooking their food on a steam train!
With a fairground organ playing away, face painting and bouncy castle for the children, even though it wasn’t a sunny day, it was busy and worth a visit.
Keep an eye open for other events at Cressing Temple Barns on our monthly event listins.