A fun event at the Tooting Foodival in a fortnight. Could you be 2018's Top Tooting Cook? Enter the competition today!

Could you be 2018's Top Tooting Cook?  

Enter the Competition Today!

Even more exciting than Bake Off: show us your vegetarian culinary skills using produce grown and sourced locally and you could win a prize at the Foodival on Saturday September 15th...
and the coveted overall title of "Top Tooting Cook"!



Cook something tasty and vegetarian to enter into the grand cooking fiesta at the 2018 Tooting Foodival!

The competition is open to anyone living, producing, growing or cooking in Tooting and the surrounding area. We supply (or you can use your own) locally-grown fruit and veg for you to cook up at home and then serve to our panel of hungry judges on Saturday Sept 15th.

There are four competition dish categories this year, and the winner in each will win a prize:

1. A dish made with Apples or Pears
2. A Savoury dish
3. Pudding / Dessert / Cake 
4. Pickles / Jam / Preserve / Jelly / Chutney

All entries will be judged on look, taste and how locally-grown the ingredients are. You can use 'pantry' items such as flour, sugar, spices but the more you use that's locally-grown, the higher your mark will be. We have had dishes that are 100% local ingredients...!

There will also be an overall Top Tooting Cook prize, which could be a dish from any category. Last year's overall TTC winner was a squash compote...what will happen in 2018?

This is Imira, 2017's Top Tooting Cook and her prizewinning dish.

 

When and Where:

• Collect free locally-grown fruit and veg at Mushkil Aasaan, 220 Upper Tooting Road SW17 7EY on Friday 14th Sept from 6:00 - 8:00 pm or on Saturday 15th Sept from 10:00 - 11:00 am

• Deliver your delicious vegetarian dish between 1:30 and 2:30 pm to the same venue on Saturday 15th. Please hand in a full recipe sheet for judging and for inclusion in our local recipe bank.

How to Enter:

Belinda is the firm and fair TTC organiser. Contact her by emailing transitiontowntooting@gmail.com to enter or ask any questions.

The TTC judging and audience tasting is always a great scene. Please enter for the fun or the challenge - and to just have a go.
We look forward to seeing you and your dish on the 15th!.

TTC entries in 2017

Invitation and generosity: locally-grown vegetables and fruit welcome for the Tooting Foodival!

Just like 'which came first, the hen or the egg?' to create the fresh local Big Feast on Saturday 15th and for dishes created by Top Tooting Cook competitors we'll need great fresh local ingredients.

We invite everyone to donate what you have grown locally!
In the Tooting Community Garden we're growing for the Foodival, other local gardens are growing to donate their produce, and many individuals always bring in their proudly-grown crops to share with us all - maybe simply a tomato or two grown on a balcony by a brand-new city gardener. It's about the gesture and the sharing more than about volume (though we did feed 500 people last year!)

There's such a diversity of fresh produce donated. So beautiful, so tasty, so surprising.

It's all about generosity and gifting so that everyone can enjoy celebrating local growing, cooking and eating on Saturday 15th Sept at the Foodival!

Here are some of the local people who donated in 2017. Also surprising - and involved and having fun.

All welcome to join in and donate anything you have grown locally! 
You can donate at Mushkil Aasaan, 220-222 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7EW on: 
> Friday evening 14th Sept from 6:00 to 8:00pm
> Saturday 15th between 10:00 and 11:00am, when the Foodival kicks off!

Top Tooting Cook 2018 - all welcome to enter!

 

Top Tooting Cook, the Tooting Foodival's fun cooking competition is ably co-ordinated by 'firm but fair' Belinda. Using locally-grown fruit and vegetables which you can collect from us on 14th September, you make your dish overnight and then bring it to the competition at the Foodival on Saturday 15th. See the details of how to enter by clicking on Top Tooting Cook above this post.

In 2017 we had a record-breaking number of entries: do join in this year!
 

This is Imira, who won the overall award of Top Tooting Cook 2017 with her squash compote! It's a Brazilian recipe.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

All 2017 competition dishes are in this photo - crying out to be tasted (some people had to be held back...) 

 

 

 

 

There was a wonderful variation of international cultures, ingredients, skills and why-not-have-a-go represented. So - how about entering the Top Tooting Cook competition this year? All welcome!

 

Here are some local pickles at a secret location - maybe you’ll see them again on Saturday September 15th at the Foodival!