Peace in the Park 2012

This afternoon Mat and I headed out to the 10^th annual ‘Peace in the Park’ Sheffield community festival. My main motivation for going – unsurprisingly – was the Tea Tent. Last year they had a “granny’s parlour” 1940s/50s theme, serving cream teas and cakes, so I was quite excited to see what theme they’d go with this year.

When we first arrived we wandered around for a bit, locating the main stage and the tea tent (the important bits!), before browsing some of the many and varied stalls that had been set up and which seemed to stretch on forever. After seeing just how many foodie stalls there were, I somewhat regretted having eaten lunch before going!

The Tea Tent this year had more of a jungle theme and was full to bursting when we arrived – clearly I wasn’t the only person there who appreciates a good piece of cake! What was lovely to see, though, was that the people sitting at the tables in the tent didn’t all necessarily know each other; they were just sitting wherever was available and chatting to somebody new over a piece of cake and a cup of tea. 

In the end we both decided to try the Chocolate Orange slice (basically a chocolate orange brownie), although lots of things looked equally as good, and I was quite torn between the Chocolate Orange slice and the Cappuccino Squares. After one bite, though, I was sure that I’d made the right choice.

The Tea Tent Table, photo courtesy of Mat Robinson

The Chocolate Orange Slices were the perfect texture, not dry at all and just the right amount of ‘squidge’ (technical term, I know). They were quite rich, but in a good way and not so much so that we couldn’t finish them. The chocolate and the orange were balanced perfectly and resulted in a fantastic flavour. All in all, these were the best afternoon treat I could have hoped for and probably one of my favourite things I’ve ever eaten. (If anyone could/would let me have the recipe for this I'd be eternally grateful!)

Each year the Tea Tent raises money for charity through the sale of not only cakes, but also hot drinks and savoury food options. This year the two charities chosen were the Sheffield Age UK Committee and Contact the Elderly Sheffield. We paid £3 for the two slices, which I was happy to pay anyway (especially as they tasted so amazingly good!) but it’s a nice added bonus to know that some of this will go towards helping the community.

Away from the Tea Tent, I’ll admit I felt slightly out of place, but I enjoyed looking around at the different foodie options and it was great to see the New York Brass Band again at the main stage before we left (having only ever seen them in York – where we used to live – up ‘til now). Ultimately it was a lovely afternoon and something we’ll definitely be repeating next year – minus the having lunch beforehand bit! I recommend that anyone who can, goes too, and that you pay a visit to the Tea Tent. I’m already curious about next year’s theme!

For more information on Peace in the Park, click HERE

Not food related, but if anyone's curious about the New York Brass Band (as i did mention them) then you can find their website HERE