Karen Wright: The last food festival of the year with sun and great food

Karen Wright writes: This one was held at Thoresby Park and was called The Great Northern Food and Drink Festival.

I was booked for both days, which was great as it meant a couple of overnight stays nearby.

However, I was not in the caravan this time but in an old inn.

I found out when we checked in that the inn had recently won the TV show Four in a Bed.

The Inn is in a small quaint village called Laxton and the inn is called The Dovecote.

The evening meals they served were fabulous.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.

We were blessed with fine sunny weather, not too hot.

When you are working under canvas, the last thing you want is a scorcher of a day!

My role for the weekend was two-fold.

I did a demo each day and the rest of the time I was hosting the Chef Demo tent.

My demo went down a storm both days with lots of spontaneity when my bake came out of the oven.

I had the great pleasure of compering my Bake Off friend Val Stones.

Plus, MasterChef The Professionals' finalist Louisa Ellis and chef to professional footballers Jonny Marsh.

I learned so many new things - tips, techniques and recipes too.

I am always keen to develop my own skills in the kitchen.

It is amazing how much there is to learn and, of course, Louisa and Jonny are both Michelin Star trained so it was a fabulous experience for me.

As we all know, no matter how much you like being away for a break, it is always great to get back to the comforts of our own home.

Nothing compares to the feeling of coming back to your own place and feeling rested.

After such a hectic weekend, I was tucked up in bed before dark and slept like the proverbial log.

I knew I needed to be rested and fresh as I had a community event booked the following day.

The event was called From Pot to Plate, using things you can buy in season.

Look out for next week's column. I hope to feature some of the recipes.