A Speciality and Fine Food Fair Special 2016 (part 2)

We're back for round 2 of our Specialty and Fine Food Fair round up!

First up to the mark meeting Sue Nelson and Paul Andrews is Phillip Yau who makes Bonnie Yau authentic Chinese sauces, born out of trying to create traditional flavours that are fully inclusive. Forgetting that it's closer to breakfast than dinner, Paul dives in to the satay sauce and is surprised to discover that it's nut free and it doesn't even cross Sue's chilli threshold. Paul is keen to find out how versatile the sauce is and is pleased to discover it should be a hit at his next barbecue.

Sue and Paul discuss their vastly different breakfasts and Sue's new interest in trying a gluten free diet, before meeting Steph Windmill of Delicious Alchemy who make gluten free flour blends. Sue is keen to find out exactly how they combat the crumble and make gluten free bread with a bit of elasticity and the FoodTalk team get a lesson in how to process oats to make them safe for coeliacs, whilst Paul wolfs down some Victoria sponge.

Sue discovers her new favourite thing ever when she meets Kylie of black saffron, something neither her nor Paul had previously heard of. Sue gets Kylie to give Paul some tips to use when he next considers attempting to to experiment with this exotic spice. We learn about saffron as a mood lifter, and Sue challenges Kylie to describe the taste of saffron, which she does much more eloquently than expected. Now he knows what it is, Paul wants to learn more about the difference between the saffron hidden in his cupboard and the black saffron in front of him and Sue ends up inspired to get cooking with saffron.

Howard from Little Moons Mochi meets our presenters Lucy Ellis and Paul Andrews with his bite sized super premium ice cream. A popular product in Asia which is made using glutinous rice flour, Howard is hopeful the new flavours they're filling it with will help mochi be the next big thing in the UK. Lucy nearly climbs over Paul, eager to try some and it evokes some familiar yet undefined feelings in Paul - and then suddenly there were none left!

Kicking off the second half, Paul and Sue get to meet Speciality and Fine Food Fair pop stars Roots Collective. Sue loves vegetable juice and is pleased to discover from Susie that unlike most juices, these ones aren't topped up with sugary fruit juices. Paul has a good sniff of the blends and tells Sue off for jumping in for a swig. We find out that Roots collective started as a way to use up waste, but has somehow magically evolved into a premium product. Sue tries to impart the health aspect of the juices to Paul, but he's far too excited about trying the chilli one.

Adele Wilkinson of Miss Miller's Marvellous Marshmallows is next to tempt Sue and Paul with her beautiful wares. Sue discovers that marshmallows aren't the dry spongy things she remembers from her childhood and is surprised to find that these artisan offerings are much more luxurious and indulgent and come in 14 different flavours! Paul accidentally scoffed the lot and is keen to see if these posh marshmallows would toast better than the mallows of old.

Jerome shares the origin story of Phrooti with Sue and Paul and the huge influence his fruit loving friend Rachel had on him over tea one day. Sue is shocked to discover that there's actually very little fruit in a fruit tea, and is curious as to how this powdered fruit tea differs from the average. Paul loves the berry flavours and Sue is surprised to realise that up until now she'd been disappointed with her fruit tea experiences. Who knew?

Finally we have our first ever unboxing on FoodTalk. Jules Quinn of Popaball keeps quiet whilst Paul and Sue try to work out exactly what to do with a telescopic straw and some caviar-like fruit balls. Sue let's Paul be the guinea pig and try popping a Popaball first. Whilst having fun sucking up these juicy balls, Jules almost keeps a straight face and gives the team some great tips for a proper tasty ball eating experience.