Taste Of Christmas

A record number of food lovers turned up to watch Jamie Oliver and Hugh-Fearnley Whittingstall join culinary forces at the 2011 Taste of Christmas show at the ExCel. More than 30,000 visitors enjoyed a Michelin star-studded line up which included Gary Rhodes, Rachel Allen and Michel Roux Jr, who described the event as "the perfect place for passionate foodies to get inspiration and enjoy a festive gastronomic heaven." This year, the organisers say the culinary celebrations will be even bigger and better with the kings and queens of cookery teaming up to share their top tips for making this festive season the tastiest yet. As well as the opportunity to take part in live cooking demonstrations you can give your Christmas a gourmet makeover and shop for top seasonal ingredients to inject some inspirational spark into your family's tried and tested festive classics. There will be a multitude of food stalls from top London restaurants such as Benares, Roast and Rhodes W1, as well as advice and inspiration from renowned foodies. It's perfectly possible to complete all your Christmas food shopping under one roof at the ExCel, as long as you ignore the distractions of tastings and the food demonstration theatre.