by Artust » 10 Jun 2014, 20:20
We went for the first time this year and on the whole we enjoyed it. We went as part of a group and everyone came back saying how much they had enjoyed it and that we can't wait to go back. We were lucky enough to get in early and get the PitCrew tickets for £45 giving you access on both the Saturday and Sunday as well as the part on the Friday which we unfortunately couldn't make. You also got 2 free meals, 4 free beers and £15 of merchandise from the Grillstock stall. This was really excellent value for money versus some other festivals that are out there and if the costs stay this low I can see this getting bigger and bigger each year as BBQ becomes more and more popular.
The good bits. All of the above. The festival was great. The teams area was great being able to mix with and speak to the guys that were cooking for the competition. For people like me who are fairly new to the competition side of BBQ, to see these guys working was invaluable and everyone is so friendly and helpful. All the teams we met were happy to chat and talk you through the cooks they were doing and had done. The main stage was great with loads of good music and the eating comps in between to keep us entertained. To have bands like the Fun Loving Criminals is a touch and really helped to keep a great atmosphere alive well into the evening. Some of the food sellers were great the highlight for me being DJ BBQ who was turning out some great pulled pork. The festival never felt too crowded even though there were loads of people there over the weekend.
The bad bits. Total lack of trade stalls. There was literally nothing to keep BBQ heads entertained and wanting to spend their money. There was one rub and sauce stand which was great and they had loads of choice. Webber were represented by a garden centre and there were no deals that I considered to be good as a show special etc. Then there were a few chilli sauce stands and that was it. I supposed I was just disappointed as I had a bit of money burning a hole in my pocket and I wanted to come home with some goodies. Some of the food traders seemed like they were there to make up numbers or just there to make money out of hungry people. There were stalls marketing them themselves to look like they cook BBQ when they really weren't. There was some really poor quality food on offer and the prices were not cheap. The toilet situation was bad. Very bad. My Mrs had to que up for nearly half an hour to use the loo which is just not on really and a problem that needs to be sorted next time. Also there was a real lack of seating round the whole of the festival. They could have done with double if not triple the amount of benches they had on site so people could sit down in comfort not having to sit up behind the traders on the floor.
So all in all with a few little tweaks this could have been better but they are all minor things and would not stop me from going again. Just take a fold up seat with you and less money to spend. Oh, and a wee bag.