Without wanting to sound too cliched and start banging on about the provenance of food, I do love a good farmers’ market.

The main reasons are that I enjoy food, and equally enjoy cooking it, but also like to know where it has come from.

Now you might think what on earth all this has to do with a day trip to the capital? For me, it was the enticement of visiting the Taste of London.

On paper, it looked like a kind of ultra posh, ostentatious version of a northern food festival, sponsored by high-end corporate partners. Having recently visited this year’s Malton Food Festival, featuring hundreds of local producers and the region’s top Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as big names such as Antonio Carluccio, I was intrigued to find out what kind of show London could put on.

This year’s event was in partnership with British Airways. I flew there with BA from Leeds Bradford Airport, and the flight only took around 40 minutes into Terminal 5 at Heathrow, then it was a mere 15 minutes on the superb Heathrow Express directly into Paddington station. If you can book yourself into the business lounge at Leeds Bradford, or utilise one of BA’s many lounges in Terminal 5, the start and end to your day couldn’t get any better.

The Taste of London was staged at the glorious setting of Regents Park, and there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air. As if to add to the classy feel, as we were all herded through the entrance Michel Roux Jnr calmly delivered one of his many interviews of the day.

Regents Park then opened up into avenues of food and drink from all the best producers and restaurants around London – a kind of foodies’ nirvana. The welcoming smell of barbecuing meat filled the air and pulled you around the stands, with a myriad of other aromas constantly bombarding the senses.

First up, a visit to Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa and a dish of pulled pork shoulder, jalapeno corn bread, barbecue sauce and coleslaw. Just as pulled pork should be, it was sweet, sticky and a real melt-in-the-mouth dish.

Earlier on, we’d booked into a mock-up British Airways Airbus A380 cabin for a food masterclass. Peering in through one of the windows – in itself a bit surreal with your feet on the ground – it looked great, with aircraft seats laid out and a kitchen at the front. Four courses with wine seemed to be the menu of the day.

How different it was when we turned up to find out that our masterclass was in fact by Twinings, and that we would be enjoying afternoon tea! It turned out to be one of the highlights of the day, with a selection of finger sandwiches and dainty pastries accompanied by teas such as Jasmine Pearls and Mint Humbug.

The atmosphere of the event really seemed to build as the afternoon progressed – partly, I’m sure, down to the large quantities of Champagne, beer and spirits being consumed, but mainly just down to good food, an equally good vibe, and the fact that the heavy grey London skies had not yet emptied on us as forecast.

You have to be conscious of pacing yourself at events like this, otherwise the rich food and booze can rapidly take its toll. After a glass of stout from the oyster bar, I bravely (I can hear the wave of sympathy!) soldiered on to the next dish of the day.

The ‘Seafood Sliders’ – three perfectly- formed mini brioche buns filled with Thai mackerel and shrimp, lobster and hollandaise and fish finger and tartare – were all delicious. The last hour of the afternoon, as we inevitably slowed down a touch, was taken up ‘grazing’, or the art of sampling as many dishes as possible, without reaching the point of no return.

I inadvertently ended up grazing at the same restaurant, Gaucho, an Argentinian grill that cooked the best beef I have tasted in ages; caramelised and seared on the outside, juicy and rare on the inside.

If you enjoy good food, The Taste of London is a great event to visit. Top chefs, top producers and top restaurants, with cuisine from every corner of the globe in the superb location of Regents Park.

Yes, it’s a bit like a glitzy farmers market or food festival on a grand scale, but the essence is still the same – showcasing good food from people who are passionate about and truly love food.

Factfile

  • British Airways fly up to three times a day from Leeds Bradford to London Heathrow’s Terminal 5.
  • To book, visit britishairways.com.