Food blogger connect – time to think and move on.

It has been a hectic year. In my non food role of wife and Mother, my OH has been giving his time over to being  District Governor of Rotary District 1140. He threw himself into the job whole hearted, so I became both parents for a while to our two teens. Not that I mind at all, if it wasn’t for Rotary and their End Polio Now campaign many parents wouldn’t have their children to hug, chide, love and scold as I have. Polio would have changed family life for them forever.  It has meant however that I wasn’t really able to plan too far ahead as although the Rotary year is over, “stuff” still has to be done and events attended.

Which is how I came to attend Food Blogger Connect as a volunteer. Too late to buy a ticket but not so old that I can’t help shift things or point people in the right direction both inside and outside the venue. Battersea Arts Centre is such a hidden gem. Now I know it is there I will be venturing inside far more often.   Sadly my hands were often engaged in filling goodie bags, one was heavy, try shifting 150 of the blighters! So using a camera was often forgotten about. When I did stop I spent time chatting to friends old and new. FBC5 was such a lovely opportunity to catch up with online buddies and make some new ones into the bargain.

Not only did I make new blog discoveries but food ones too. Moose Maple Butter was so magnificent and utterly addictive it seemed to be every food blogger attending’s  culinary crack of choice. Little tiny sun dried tomatoes from Seggiano. Karen Burns Booth from Lavender and Lovage and I struggled to work out the elusive flavour seasoning them, until we realised it was Italian sunshine! Blissful. Gin and tonic popcorn from Joe and Seph made me smile every time I passed the glass jar it rested in. I have also come away from the conference needing Chobani UK to set up a stall on my driveway so I can indulge my need for their thick and creamy yoghurt topped with fresh mango, strawberries and a little squeeze of honey any time I fancy. Does anyone else feel the same?

One lovely result of a no show by a speaker was that a number of us who had written books were able to share experiences with other delegates. The stories behind the writing were inspiring and sometimes so personal it felt a privilege to be allowed to share them. If you heard me speak and want to find out a little more about my journey then I’ve detailed it here.

Hot off the press.

I didn’t get to too many speakers as I was busy helping out or chatting and catching up but that hasn’t prevented me from making a decision that may affect me over the next few months greatly. I am going to invest much more time into Mintcustard, not to monetise it or market myself but to truly enjoy sharing in the fun of the online bloggers community. It would be wonderful if you would pop by from time to time. I’ll certainly be travelling to your blogs too.

Here’s to next year. I’m saving up and hoping I don’t have a clash of dates for FBC6. Thanks to Bethany Kehdy and her team for putting together this event. Bethany has a wonderful book, The Jewelled Kitchen which was launched at FBC5. It is well worth a look.

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