Karen Wright: A whirlwind weekend in the Cotswolds

The last site was in Cirencester, and it was a perfect location for me as I was booked to work on the demo stage at the Gatcombe Park Food Festival which was to be held on Princess Anne’s estate in Gloucestershire.

I was looking forward to it and I hoped for a glimpse of the princess herself but alas no I didn't see her. However, it was rumored that she did have a wander through the stalls with her husband who was heard to ask her “would you like a burger Princess?” to which she answered, “no thanks, I would like some Cajun chicken”!

I was on the stage three times. During the first slot I used shop bought puff pastry which is cheap, easily available and works extremely well. I did a savoury and a sweet option: a sausage plait and fruit slices. For the second demonstration, I made a Swiss roll which I filled with strawberry coulis and fresh cream. The final one was a dish from my book Meals on the Move: A Campsite Cooking Journey, spaghetti puttanesca with garlic doughballs. This went down very well and quite a few copies of my book were sold which topped off my day.

The very best part of the day was a visit from someone who is very special to me. Terry, my Bake Off pal. He and I met on the show, and we have remained firm friends ever since. We message each other most days and try to have a zoom call each month but it has been ages since we were together in person so when he said he was driving down to see me I was cock a hoop!

Of course, all good things come to an end and the day after the festival it was time to pack up the caravan and travel back home once again. It won't be long before my next trip, a short one this time around, I am heading to Norfolk. Our first stop will be Sutton on Sea and then I am trying out a pop-up campsite that the Caravan and Motorhome Club arrange in the summer which is at Holkham Hall, so watch this space!