Last week Saturday was National Tea Day, and as an avid tea drinker of course I had to celebrate by going to Chiswick Fes-Tea-Val!
In contrast to what the name suggests, there was so much more than just tea! There were a huge range of tasty food stalls from vegan burgers (which I had) to chai tea infused cakes, and there were also loads of alcohol stalls giving out tasters too; I’m not usually a fan of gin but I tried the lavender tea infused gin and had to stop myself from getting my 3rd taster!
I didn’t go as a visitor though as I was working with a company called ChicP to sample hummus at their stall. So I’ll share my experience of the Fes-Tea-Val from an exhibitors perspective…
What is ChicP hummus?
ChicP hummus is a company founded Hannah McCollum, that use surplus (wonky) vegetables rejected from big supermarkets as a way of fighting food waste. Not only does this make her hummus healthier than the average shop-bought dip, it’s more sustainable too! The varieties include:
- Carrot, Ginger and Turmeric (my personal favourite!)
- Beetroot, Horseradish and Sage
- Herby (Spinach and Parsley)
- Cocoa, Avocado and Banana (yes you read that right- chocolate hummus!)* only available at events
All the flavour combinations of ChicP hummus are so much more exciting than any other brands I’ve tried so you have to give these a try- you’ll be helping the community by reducing food waste and having 1 of your 5 a day at the same time!
You can buy ChicP hummus online via their website/Amazon fresh, or at various health stores such as Wholefoods Market.
You can find the whole list of suppliers and more information about the ethos of ChicP hummus on their website.
Fancy making your own hummus? You can try out my easy golden hummus recipe here.
ATMOSPHERE
The festival was really buzzing with energy as there was a live DJ, appearance from celeb chefs, cocktail making classes, yoga workouts, funky cocktail tents all around and SO MUCH MORE. There was a real positive vibe in general- although the sunny weather probably helped!
FOOD
It was a foodie’s heaven as there were food stalls to suit every appetite, ranging from fragrant curries, to meat hot dogs, to colourful veggie salads, and of course there was lots of cake (can’t have tea without it!)
I went over to The Green Grill stall for lunch, which serves 100% vegan burgers with a variety of colourful patties and buns.
I chose the Supergreen burger with a turmeric bun
My verdict?
Wow was I impressed- This has to be the ultimate vegan burger; the yellow turmeric bun made it really eye catching whilst the patty itself had so much fresh flavour. I also added some babaganoosh as an extra topping (which they kindly didn’t charge me for!) which really pulled all the flavours together! The dairy-free mayo and cheese added some lovely creaminess too.
I would definitely reorder this plant-based burger- it was everything you want in a filling vegan lunch!
DRINK
Well where do I begin??? There was limitless varieties of tea with a big emphasis on turmeric (no surprise as it’s been a top food trend this year). I loved all the chai teas too, as each brand had it’s own unique spice blend!
I have to say though, the spirit flavour varieties were so interesting especially the lavender gin! I also loved the fruit tea and coconut infused rum which was (dangerously!) moreish!
The whole day out was so action packed and I had so much fun selling lots of hummus. I never thought of myself as a sales woman but it just shows how you can really get into something if you’re passionate about it! If you’re a hummus-aholic (like me) definitely get yourself a tub of ChicP hummus– you won’t be disappointed!
Andri x