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Bank Holiday Monday at River Cottage Spring Food Fair

Last Monday we went to River Cottage Farm, near Axminster on the Devon / Dorset border, for their annual Spring Food Fair. After going last year and having a great time, we were excited to visit again.

After parking up and walking down the steep hill into the farm, Rex was excited to see the two Shetland ponies in the first part of the farm. We then walked through the food tent, with lots of local produce to sample and buy, through to the next area which was set up for children. The area had different activities set up at different stalls, with clay modelling, colouring, fire lighting, alpaca walks, and pony rides. Rex especially enjoyed the clay making!

We grabbed a coffee and had a sit down with a snack. The day was going well. Then the rain came. We had started to walk towards where I thought the food stalls were, as they were last year, (I hadn’t consulted the map!) and got caught in the rain, and had to make a stop in the main tent to avoid the downpour. But there were hay bales to sit on so Rex was happy. The rain continued but wasn’t as heavy so we found the new location of the food stalls and purveyed the selection of pulled pork, posh kebabs, pizza, steamed dumplings and curry. We decided to get some dumplings as a starter, which were excellent. The rain stopped and the bubble man appeared!

I’m sad to say this was probably the highlight! We spent quite a while chasing the bubbles, popping the bubbles, and avoiding the bubbles. We were ready for more food. Unfortunately, as we went back to the food area, the heavens opened once again and we enjoyed soggy pizza and cold kebabs huddled under an umbrella. With our spirits dampened, we headed back to the main part of the farm and Rex instantly spotted the games area. They had a beanbag coconut shy, a bowling alley, and welly throwing. Whilst we queued for the bowling, Rex and I tried out the coconut shy, with impressive results!

After the excitement of the games, we were ready for a cup of tea and some cake. We then made our way back to the car to change out of our wellies and waterproofs, and then start the journey home. Rex didn’t take long to fall asleep – it was a busy day.

We thought the fair wasn’t as good this year. Of course, the rain was a negative (which can’t be helped), but the food stalls weren’t as impressive – we missed Ping’s Bao Buns. No doubt we will be back again next year, as all in all, River Cottage is a great place to visit.

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About the author Iain

Hi, I'm Iain, a dad from Dorset. I'm a software developer who works from home.

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