Edible food at boatshow, shock horror!

Robin

Robin

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In the mobo land based area far right as you go inbound, stand called 'Hogroast'. They did roast pork and roast beef, huge roasts done on site and carved as you watch. We had hot roast beed & horseradish baguettes at £6.50 each that were really good, the pork looked good too. They also had bacon & egg baps but it is the fresh hot roasts that are really good. Never thought I would say that about boat show grub.

Shame about the coffees etc elsewhere. £2.80 for a SMALL cup of **** cappucino coffee or £1.80 for a small teabag tea is taking the pee big time. We like week coffee so late asked for one black coffee, split between two cups and each topped up with hot water, they charged £2.80 EACH for that, despite just being one cup of actual coffee being used.
 
For the last couple of years, SIBS have considerably upped their game with regard to food. I had Paella from one of the stalls last year and it was excellent.

... but there are plenty of places outside the show, where you can get sandwiches, botulo-burgers or whatever takes your fancy, if you are missing the curling sarnies and luke-warm dogs of yore :).
 
Robin said:
In the mobo land based area far right as you go inbound, stand called 'Hogroast'. They did roast pork and roast beef, huge roasts done on site and carved as you watch. We had hot roast beed & horseradish baguettes at £6.50 each that were really good, the pork looked good too. They also had bacon & egg baps but it is the fresh hot roasts that are really good. Never thought I would say that about boat show grub.

Shame about the coffees etc elsewhere. £2.80 for a SMALL cup of **** cappucino coffee or £1.80 for a small teabag tea is taking the pee big time. We like week coffee so late asked for one black coffee, split between two cups and each topped up with hot water, they charged £2.80 EACH for that, despite just being one cup of actual coffee being used.
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You think the coffe was pricey but £6.50 for a baguette is good value?
 
Idiots

There is a sea food and Champagne bar by the Sunseaker stand, so I bought my lunch and went to the bar,

"A glass of Champagne please"...

"Sorry we only sell bottles"

"A glass of white wine please"

"Sorry we only sell bottles of those too"

As I was on my own and driving I had to eat my lunch dry without a drink.
 
I wouldn't pay 6.50 for a baguette. As for coffee a beer is cheaper.
To be fair , we do some shows and it costs thousands just for a small pitch.
 
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Odd.

Several exhibitors, including Garmin, Sebago, Raymarine, and IPC Media, were offering free sandwiches and drinks ( cheap bubbly, dear bubbly, juice, wine, beer, coffee ) at various times of the So'ton Boat Show's first day.

Most appeared to have stuff left over at 6:00pm.

One of my friends mentioned finding good coffee at £1 for a large beaker. It's more expensive in the f/f outlets outside the Show.

Perhaps the OP is not of the 'hunter/gatherer' persuasion, and one is tempted to think of Darwinian Selection.... :D
 
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£6.50 for a roast pork baguette!


Reading that I nearly choked on may bacon sandwich....

Last week at chatsworth I paid a fiver, and I thought that was well ott...
 
I still miss the ambience of Earls Court, where I had the distinct impression both the 'food' and 'beer' had been discussed at project level by Time Team, but considered too dangerous so they went off to dig up unexploded ordnance instead.
 
By way of explanation then

We thought about taking some sarnies from home but forgot to buy any bread, bad planning but we were at the show on our usual shopping day.

We thought about buying some outside the show first but decided against having found our way out of the car park the opposite side to where the stores were, so didn't bother retracing our steps.

Yes I know £6.50 for a baguette even though it was a hot baguette with hot roast beef right out of the oven carved in front of us is expensive, but this is a Boat Show and it all is! £2.80 for a coffee might be grudgingly accepted if it were a big cup, but for the smallest size of paper cup is surely taking the pee, although it probably saved a loo visit later thus giving more viewing time.

SWMBO is paranoid about eating food at events like this. In the past we have eaten in the restaurants where they had TV chefs doing the grub, pretentious mediocre and expensive, and that is just the chefs. We then went for fried fish and chips on the basis that deep frying temperatures killed all known bugs. This time SWMBO thought that a huge chunk of hot roast beef just out of the oven (we had to go away and return 20 minutes later as it was still cooking first visit) and a baguette just out of the oven from a part bake was also a good bet bug wise.

We did get a free can of Coke Zero opposite the RNLI and a couple of free bottles of water from Vetus. We also got two baseball caps with 'Cummins' on them since we now have two of their growlers to play with. Oh and SWMBO collected several free carrier bags from Raymarine and Garmin that she apparently has a use in mind for. Then I bought Sam Llewellin's latest novel from him on Kelvin Hughes stand and he kindly signed it for me, charming man and SWMBO was quite taken.

So on that basis if we amortised the beef baguettes over the day with the few freebies it was not too bad, for a boat show. Plus we only paid £8.50 a piece for our tickets even though 'twas preview day.
 
Robin said:
We thought about taking some sarnies from home but forgot to buy any bread, bad planning but we were at the show on our usual shopping day.

We thought about buying some outside the show first but decided against having found our way out of the car park the opposite side to where the stores were, so didn't bother retracing our steps.

Yes I know £6.50 for a baguette even though it was a hot baguette with hot roast beef right out of the oven carved in front of us is expensive, but this is a Boat Show and it all is! £2.80 for a coffee might be grudgingly accepted if it were a big cup, but for the smallest size of paper cup is surely taking the pee, although it probably saved a loo visit later thus giving more viewing time.

SWMBO is paranoid about eating food at events like this. In the past we have eaten in the restaurants where they had TV chefs doing the grub, pretentious mediocre and expensive, and that is just the chefs. We then went for fried fish and chips on the basis that deep frying temperatures killed all known bugs. This time SWMBO thought that a huge chunk of hot roast beef just out of the oven (we had to go away and return 20 minutes later as it was still cooking first visit) and a baguette just out of the oven from a part bake was also a good bet bug wise.

We did get a free can of Coke Zero opposite the RNLI and a couple of free bottles of water from Vetus. We also got two baseball caps with 'Cummins' on them since we now have two of their growlers to play with. Oh and SWMBO collected several free carrier bags from Raymarine and Garmin that she apparently has a use in mind for. Then I bought Sam Llewellin's latest novel from him on Kelvin Hughes stand and he kindly signed it for me, charming man and SWMBO was quite taken.

So on that basis if we amortised the beef baguettes over the day with the few freebies it was not too bad, for a boat show. Plus we only paid £8.50 a piece for our tickets even though 'twas preview day.
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Hope you didn't let SWMBO near Sam LLewelyn, heard its not recommended! ;)
 
Bet all the stallholders have decent coffee in abundance, so instead of asking for a cash discount...? So thats one Sunny seeker, one baguette and a cuppa, cash or cheque Sir?
 
Is there a supermarket anywhere within staggering distance? Most have a cheap as chips instore cafeteria(some are ok, some are poor), all will sell sandwiches, bagettes etc for less than 2 quid and probably some kind of deal for a sandwich/drink/crisps combo. Moaning about overpriced food at a show is pointless.
 
There are no passouts at SBS so unless you take it with you, nipping out isn't on unless you want to pay twice to get in. Personally although parsimonious I'm not mean enough to want to wander around clutching a sandwich, bag of crisps and a can of drink that is getting warmer by the minute!
 
Robin said:
I'm not mean enough to want to wander around clutching a sandwich, bag of crisps and a can of drink that is getting warmer by the minute!
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I always take a rucksack for any purchases (and a raincoat today :) ) so it would no hardship to pop some comestibles in there too.

Not that I actually do - I don't reckon one overpriced lunch per year is going to break the bank.

Pete
 
prv said:
I always take a rucksack for any purchases (and a raincoat today :) ) so it would no hardship to pop some comestibles in there too.

Not that I actually do - I don't reckon one overpriced lunch per year is going to break the bank.

Pete
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I'm with you on that, but go one better and have SWMBO pull a small wheely travel bag to put the collected reams of literature in! It started because she always insisted on taking several bottles of water to drink and I refused to carry it in my packpack.... Mind you that was back when we had summers and SBS was hot.:)
 
Right at the eastern end of the southern part of the show, on its northern side, there's a small kids' playground. Immediately next to it is a caff in a white tent, called I think the Mayflower Park Cafe. Maybe it's a permanent feature. Anyway, cuppas and bits of food in there seemed a much more reasonable price, what's more you sit inside out of the weather. We used it a couple of times on Friday, not crowded.
 
How sad is this.....

The first Southampton boat show I went to was in about 1976. At that time, six and a half quid was about 3 days pay.

Sigh.
 
penfold said:
Is there a supermarket anywhere within staggering distance? Most have a cheap as chips instore cafeteria(some are ok, some are poor).
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IKEA ! very reasonably priced grub. I had 3 courses for £6, though I think they charged me kiddie price meal for my main course. The Gravadlax I had as a starter was fantastic - loads of smoked salmon.
 
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