Nine more sleeps until the doors open at JW3 for Gefiltefest 2016, and it's time to plan your day .
This year's festival will be packed with demonstrations, hands on workshops and food for the mind. Doors open at 10am and the organising team's advice is to treat it as you would a buffet queue - make sure you're at the front! "I really recommend getting there early" advises Lisa Halpern, the festival's Communications and Events Manager.
If that's too early for you to fress, grab a coffee and join Rabbi Harvey Belovski who'll be exploring whether food dressed up like treife goes against the spirit of Jewish dietary rules. How kosher are imitation shrimp, 'fakon', or tofu cheeseburgers?
Jewish Yummy Mummies will want to hear paediatrician Dr Warren Hyer - consultant paediatric gastroenterologist - on how to banish the angst around feeding our children. Dr Hyer will take a look at our the relationships our bubbelas have with food and mealtimes, and will outline foods that may impact on disease in later life; allergies and their prevention as well as childish behaviour and food. He will also be looking at the burning question of whether being Jewish actually makes those mealtime conflicts worse.
Also in the first slot, a different kind of battle will be kicking off with Hummus Wars, between two restaurant chefs - yet to be confirmed at the time of writing. Who will be crowned king of the chick pea?
If you arrive with an empty tum, the first chance to nosh will be at at demonstrations by two of the JC's own recipe writers. Lisa Roukin will be showing off a few of her favourite 'free-from' Shabbat puds and snacks. "I'll be demonstrating some delicious, simple to make treats include raw cashew cookie dough balls - great on-the-go nosh - or a really indulgent, grain-free and parve chocolate cake with a chocolate salted caramel sauce." No more headaches when your gluten-free guests come for Shabbat.
At the same time, Fabienne Viner Luzzato will be giving us an insight into the Brick. Not the house-building type, but the crisp, pastry parcel that she served at last year's festival. "In Tunisia this is a street food you eat on the beach. We eat it at my house on a Sunday night" smiles French Tunisian, Viner-Luzzato. She will also be demonstrating how to use Brick pastry to parcel up a range of fillings and bake them to crisp perfection. "Come hungry" she smiles "as we're going to eat and also learn some great cooking skills."
If rushing to NW3 gets you in a tizz, then Gillian Levy's Art of Breaditation in Learning Room Two should help calm you down. Cognitive behavioural therapist, Levy, believes that bread making provides a perfect activity to practice mindfulness. Try it for yourself and take your hand made loaf home.
Levy's workshop will be one of a range of baking courses running in Learning Room Two - each session sponsored by Jewish Care's The Great Baking Day. They include Anne Shooter demonstrating two parev bakes; Denise Philips creating multicoloured rainbow hamentaschen dough; a workshop by Hummus Bar's chef Shachar Alkobi on how to make puff pastry borekas like a pro and Shiri Kraus sharing the secrets of babka.
A range of overseas presenters will be joining us: from California, the wonderful Amelia Saltsman, author of the Seasonal Jewish Kitchen, will be joining the dots between Jewish cuisine and today's focus on seasonality, cooking dishes like summer squash latkes with labneh and silan; whilst fellow-Cali folk, Jeff and Jodi Morgan (winemakers behind prize winning kosher label, Covenant Wine) will be using dishes from their cookery book - The Covenant Kitchen – Food and Wine for the New Jewish Table to share their insights into wine tasting wine and pairing wine with food.
Other international speakers include Lithuanian Ambassdor's wife Nida Desgutiene sharing her love of Jewish/Israeli food and former Israeli Masterchef winner, Nof Adamna-Ismaeel demonstrating kosher versions of her native Arabic dishes. Local girl and JC recipe contributor, Silvia Nacamulli will also be sharing some of her favourite Nonna Bianca's recipes from upcoming book, Jewish Flavours of Italy.
A few London fooderati from the London dining scene will also be taking to the stage. Chef Director of trendy Salt Yard Group, Ben Tish will be sharing his early memories of cooking and eating with his Jewish grandmother whilst fellow London restaurateur, Daniel Morgenthau, co-owner of Portland in London, will be in conversation with Spectator restaurant critic, Tanya Gold, about the London restaurant scene. Tomer Amedi of The Palomar will be demonstrating some of their signature dishes, including 'that polenta' and Soyo's Or Golan will be creating heaven with halva.
As part of the JC's celebration of our 175th birthday, I'll be hosting a discussion between Judi Rose (daughter of Evelyn) and historian Maureen Kendler about how Evelyn Rose and her predecessor Florence Greenberg have influenced the food we cook over the years.
If you are bringing your offspring there will be host of foodie distractions for them too. Drop your over 5's at the Kids' programme (hosted by JW3) which includes how to make blueberry blintzes; an Israeli food tasting and a bagel making workshop. Nothing will be bookable and it's first come first served, so get there in good time as places will be limited.
There are many more events and a pop up food market of milky and meaty foods, from a range of purveyors including Zest, Hummus Bar, Flipside Burger and Carmelli's; plus a range of food from vegetarian caviar to parev ice cream and from sun dried tomatoes to gourmet fudge.
This year's festival looks like a bumper year so don't miss a minute. The biggest problem you'll have is deciding who to see.
