FEBRUARY FOODIE FOCUS
Whether you’re looking to pig out on sausage and cider, learn a new baking skill, or keep up your vegan stint past January, Elouise Hobbs has got you covered with her picks of the foodie events happening in February.
Vegan Cooking Classes, Greens Vegan, Cardiff, every Tuesday in February
Following on from the success of Veganuary, this course is perfect for anyone looking to expand their cooking skills and knowledge when it comes to vegan foods. The three-hour course will teach participants how to ‘veganise’ dishes (offering alternative recipes that substitute meat with plant-based produce) and create healthy vegan lunches and winter meals, alongside developing cooking skills to create desserts and puddings. It will also provide practical tips on how to change your diet, such as how to buy vegan foods on a budget and the best ways to source ingredients. At the end of the course, all recipes will be supplied via email and participants are encouraged to bring reusable containers so they can take their food home with them.
Tickets: £22.15/£120 for the full six weeks. Info: www.greensvegan.co.uk
February Monthly Modelling Meet-up, Pearl’s Coffee Shop, Swansea, Tue 4 Feb
If you have ever wanted to try your hand at sugar-paste modelling, this is your chance to learn with The Raspberry Cakery. Sugar-paste modelling dates to the mid-18th century, where French chefs developed the art of creating figures and characters to decorate cakes, and it’s now used in bakeries around the world to create show-stopping pieces. This monthly group guides attendees through the basics of modelling and lets every participant create a simple model on a theme. All the tools and materials are provided, and every participant will also get to enjoy a hot drink of their choice from the café. Classes are limited to eight people and if you are unable to make the class in February, it takes place on the first Tuesday of every month.
Tickets: £22.15. Info: www.theraspberrycakery.co.uk
Sausage and Cider Fest, The Depot, Cardiff, Sat 15 Feb
One of the inaugural events in the Depot’s new location on Curran Embankment, this touring event is visiting Cardiff for the first time this February. After scouring the country for quality sausages from butchers across the UK, this event (comprising two half-day sessions, from 12-5 and 6-11pm) promises to bring some of the best producers and products together. Alongside an array of meat and drink, there will also be live music throughout the event – and if cider isn’t for you, they will also be providing a craft beer and gin bar.
Tickets: £15 per session. Info: www.sausageandciderfest.co.uk
Hiraeth, The Early Bird Café, Cardiff, Fri 28 Feb
This event has a simple ethos: “a local pop-up, at a local venue, by a local chef”. However, the menu is anything but simple, bringing together quality ingredients in a creative and ingenious way for a six-course tasting menu. The menu opens with an imaginative twist on a traditional bread and olives dish, treating diners to an oat and buttermilk loaf topped with homemade vinegar and local honey. This is followed by meat, fish and game courses in the form of beef cromesqui, torched soused salmon and braised venison, followed by two desserts. An evening of discovery in the lovely surrounding of The Early Bird Café.
Tickets: £35. Info: www.earlybirdbakery.co.uk