Lush times at Pub In The Park

I didn’t know where to start: should it be The Dog’s Pollock, the Deep Fried North Sea Tattie dab or the Rabbit Wellington with piccalilli? As far as festival food was concerned this was on another level. That said this was no ordinary festival; this was Pub in the Park, a three-day festival of shopping, music and of course food all curated by Tom Kerridge, the chef behind the Michelin-starred pubs, The Hand and Flowers and The Coach.

Joining Kerridge and his team at the Pub in the Park in Bath were more leading chefs from a selection of other top UK pubs and restaurants and I was in heaven.

Pub in the Park launched last year in Marlow, hometown to Kerridge’s two pubs and proved such a hit with punters that this year he’s taken it on the road and I for one am delighted.

Held high above the beautiful and bustling city of Bath in its Royal Victoria Park, festival-goers, me included, were spoilt for choice by the array of food on offer.

Each chef offered a small selection of some of their most popular dishes and all for the bargain price, considering their Michelin-starred statuses, of £5.

So once again I ask where to start?

The Dog’s Pollock of course, a deliciously decadent Cornish pollock hotdog with mustard mayonnaise and a slightly sweet pickled cucumber straight out of the kitchens of Paul Ainsworth. It was scrummy. A trip to Cornwall for more is definitely on the cards.

Tasting a selection of top-notch Californian wines courtesy of Dark Horse Wine followed and not a white Zinfandel in sight the day was off to a fantastic start.

But what food to go for next? Mr J plumped for Sriacha and Sesame Chicken Bao with spiced seaweed salt and pickled cabbage cooked up by the Hand & Flowers kitchen and I headed north to Yorkshire to Andrew Pern’s, The Star Inn for the Deep-fried North Sea Fish Tattie Dab with devilled Whitby Crab, ‘mushy’ peas and Lobster gravy… I almost licked the bowl it came in it was so wonderful.

The rest of the afternoon was interspersed with foodie themed shopping, music and one more dish, a breadcrumbed pork belly, ham hock and black pudding delight served with a smear of mustard sauce and white pickled cabbage, out of the kitchen of Stephen Terry the perfect end to a fantastic day.

Fingers crossed Pub in The Park returns to Bath next year because to quote s of Tom Kerridge it was LUSH.

* Pub in The Park continues this summer at Tunbridge Wells and Knutsford more details are available here.