London Ice Sculpting Festival

On the weekend of the 10th to the 12th of January Canary Wharf hosted the London Ice Sculpting Festival. There were 3 key competitions where ice sculptors from different countries showcased their talents out in the open. 

It took us ages to find exactly where the Festival was but once we saw one sign we were greeted with people handing out flyers and forms for you to vote for your favourite sculpture. Outside the festival grounds there was an ice wall where you could leave your name. 

Once inside the "grounds" of this free event you could see different areas where each team was working. Crowds circled around each area to stare at the people working away at the ice. I spent most of the time in awe of what they were doing, "how do they make sure the ice doesn't crack?" was a question I frequently asked myself. Sadly, the weather wasn't quite as cold as it should be this time of year, so the sculptures were melting a little, especially the elbows of the girl in Belgium's ice sculpture. 

After getting a good look at each piece of work and looking at the techniques they used to form their sculptures perfectly we walked through a little pop-up food market they had set up for the event. Not only were the ice sculptors from all over the world but so was the food being served. I was hoping to get my hands on a waffle after seeing the Belgian team's ice sculpture but there weren't any to be found. I did however see a lot of people warming their hands with mulled wine though!

Overall, it was a fun, different day out. I got to see a skill I wasn't used to seeing in practice and spend the day out and about enjoying one of the few times it wasn't raining on a Sunday afternoon. The fact that the event was free was just the icing on the cake. 

Here's their website: http://www.londonicesculptingfestival.co.uk/index.html

Hawker House

Similar to the Street Food Festival I went to in Dalston they set up an indoor food festival called Hawker House near Broadway Market. I'd been wanting to go for weeks, and finally I was able to drag someone along. We got there at about 7:30pm, and paid the 3 pound entry fee after queuing for less than 5 minutes. Once inside, it was warm and lively, the music was blasting and it was hard to choose where we wanted to get food first. We went for the jerk chicken wings, and they were really good. We got 8 chicken wings for 10 quid, and found a corner to stand and eat them. After the first bite, we realised how spicy they were, so of course we got some beer. 

While enjoying the last of my chicken wings, the power died. This wasn't really a problem at first, but then we noticed, there was no music, no heating, and most of the food couldn't be served. We queued for buns, but sadly after 20 minutes of queuing they told us they couldn't heat up the bun bread so they couldn't serve them. We drowned our sorrows in some ice-cream though. I chose salted caramel, but they had some other crazy flavours like chestnut or whiskey. 

Overall, it was a bit of a disappointment because of the power outage. It would have been nice if they had refunded us or given us a voucher for half off on their next event. I'll probably go to one of their events again because I know I'll always eat well. Its just sad that it got a bit ruined this time. 

Here's their website: http://www.streetfeastlondon.com/#!hawker-house/c4gh

Street Food Europe

On my first day back in London I wanted to do something special and different. So I dragged my flatmate Charlotte and my friend Darrell with me to a street food festival in Dalston. It was called Street Food Europe and it was sponsored by Tweat Up and British St. Food. I had bought the tickets online before, but you could get some tickets on the door. The online ticket came with two free drinks, an Aperol Spritz and a Meantime Beer.

We got there at about 8pm, and it was full. We gave in the tickets, got a drinks card, and then got a stamp on our hands. We walked through this parking lot that had been transformed overnight. There were little caravan stands for each of the different food they were serving. Charlotte and I shared a prawn and pork bun, it was incredible. Definitely the right type of surf and turf. We also tried a vegetarian wrap which had "Indian cheese" in it. Very yummy. 

I do have a huge sweet tooth so I enjoyed the ice-cream we got towards the end of our meal. I got a flavour that was a mixture of salted caramel and peanut butter, Charlotte and I were both sad when we finished eating them. But we were consoled by our second free drink.

The music at the event was amazing too, the DJ mixed so many different vibes together, it was worth it being there just for the positive ambiance. Everyone seemed to be having the perfect Saturday evening, I was just smiling to myself the whole night. I hope events like this continue to happen because it gives a sense of community, and we all share a love for food. 

Here you can see what stands there were: http://britishstreetfood.co.uk/awards/awards-2013/finalists/

(One of the fun things for the vendors is that they get votes for their food and have the possibility to win awards)