Kokova Magazine

The Taste Cumbria Food Festival on 29th - 30th September will see Cockermouth filled with foodie lovers and activities to entertain all ages, from Cumbria Life masterclasses, chef demonstrations, over 100 food and drink exhibitors and tutored tastings, as well as a unique opportunity to attend a West Coast Fish and Wild Food Lunch.

To celebrate the fantastic food offering our county has to offer, Chef Ryan Blackburn of The Cottage in the Wood is offering an extraordinary experience to forage for ingredients in Whinlatter Forest, followed by a delicious four course lunch incorporating the bounty of Whinlatter Forest for only £25, including transport from and to Cockermouth.

Set in the middle of Whinlatter Forest, The Cottage in the Wood is ideally placed for foraging produce and that's exactly what they do.

Chef Ryan Blackburn is renowned for his innovative menus created around local produce and ingredients foraged from the forest, including wild mushrooms, damsons, blackberries, bilberries, nettles, herbs and wild garlic.

Here in Cumbria, we have an abundant offering of fantastic produce growing right on our doorstep and I hope that at our West Coast Fish and Wild Food Lunch visitors to Taste Cumbria will gain an insight into what we are so passionate about at Cottage in the Wood, creating extraordinary dishes using West Coast fish and ingredients foraged freshly and seasonally from our countryside.

Ryan Blackburn, Head Chef at The Cottage in the Wood

At the West Coast Fish Wild Food Lunch on Saturday 29th September, diners can enjoy a selection of recipes created using seasonal and freshly foraged produce, as well as a commodity which features strongly in The Cottage in the Wood menus; West Coast fish sourced sustainably by a network of Whitehaven trawlers and fishermen.

The menu will comprise of: -

• West coast brown crab, white radish, avocado, pink grapefruit
• Soused line caught mackerel, horseradish, beetroot, watercress
• Whitehaven landed turbot, cauliflower, Solway shrimps, coastal herbs
• Whinlatter brambles, set lemon cream, Grasmere gingerbread

Ryan will also be demonstrating at the Taste Stage Cumbria Stage in Cockermouth at 1.30pm on Sunday 30th September, providing his audience with a sneak peak as to what’s conjured up in his Cottage in the Wood kitchen.

Don't miss out on your chance to attend the West Coast Wild Food Lunch or see Ryan's demonstration - access to the festival is free, however demonstrations and masterclasses are ticketed so visit www.tastecumbria.com to ensure your place and see what else is happening at Taste Cumbria Food Festival 2012.