It was a delicious weekend at Abbotsford’s Tradex where the Fraser Valley Food Show brought everything food and drink related together under one roof.

Everything from sausage making to cheese tasting to handmade pastries gathered under the roof of Abbotsford’s Tradex for the Fraser Valley Food Show. The valley is home to a variety of farms, food producers and restaurants each with their own unique and delicious take on favourite flavours and cooking methods.

With half of the Tradex set aside for the event, it was still pretty packed. Booths lined the hall; the south end had the Great Canadian Sausage Making Competition with a demonstration stage while the north end served up the Bite of the Valley, Master Chef stage and the Wine, Beer and Spirits Tasting Pavilion.

Making our way through the venue proved quite challenging with the throngs of foodies and wide selection of mouthwatering morsels. The process was to make it through was simple: stop, sample, learn and repeat. I believe our group checked out most of the booths this time.

Milsean had staked out a corner location, offering their bit sized portions of their addictive demerara butter crunch. Even Tim Hortons was offering their latest creations: two styles of paninis  – one grilled cheese, the other chipotle turkey (maybe include a little more chipotle). There was neon green seaweed salad from Japan. Delicately crafted macarons. Jams, jellies and dried fruits from local orchards. Cured meats and savoury sausages. Creamy fudge in a rainbow of flavours. An array of oils and vinegars with bread chunks for dipping. I’m sure I missed half of the treats I tasted.

The Bite of the Valley section had a limited selection of restaurants, no more than five. While no two restaurants were the same, it couldn’t have hurt to add another two stalls for more to everyone to try. I did sample some plates from Frankie’s Italian Kitchen and An Indian Affair Restaurant. Yummy!

Onto the drinks! The Wine, Beer and Spirits Tasting Pavilion was overflowing with people and delicious libations. Local wines, aged rum, Japanese sake and even scotch (all I have to say is that it’s an acquired taste). With so much to sip, I could see how easy it was to over indulge yourself.

I’ve never been to the Tradex before, but the price was right – tickets were $2 off if purchased online or $9 at the door. My first visit to Fraser Valley Food Show made for an appetizing afternoon taking part of the community’s fare.

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