THOUSANDS of people got a taste of the Dean at the annual Forest Showcase which was held at the Speech House on Sunday (October 2).

The event was opened by TV chef Peter Sidwell who chose produce from the event’s food hall for his demonstration in the cookery theatre.

He said: “I had a great day meeting lots of fantastic people as well as sampling some amazing local produce.”

Stuart Spicer, who is chef at the Speech House Hotel, foraged most of the ingredients for his salmon and apple dishes during a walk in the Forest – and added a bit of magic with the use of dry ice in his demonstration.

Wild boar was a theme with a cookery competition that was won by Joe Parke of Cinderford and a talk by Cameron Swaine who runs a butcher’s shop in the town.

One of the organisers, Amanda Smith, said: “We have received a terrific amount of positive feedback from exhibitors and visitors.

“Exhibitors enjoyed a good trading day and the overwhelming comment about the day has been about the lovely people they met and how great it was to see so many smiling faces. 

“A big thank you to everyone for coming along and helping to make the event bigger and better each year.”

•See this week’s Review for more photographs.