• Saturday 12th July
  
• Sunday 13th July
  
• Monday 14th July
  
• Tuesday 15th July
• Wednesday 16th July
• Thursday 17th July
• Friday 18th July
• Saturday 19th July

Saturday 12th July

The weather looked threatening but the rain held off and there were periods of sun!

Farmers' Market and launch of Taste of Diss

A very lively market. The Diss-function Inspectors caused lots of laughter with their intrusive remarks, as did the Fairly Fresh Food Company.

Rough at the Edges sang well. There was a small, but lovely group of children dressed as vegetables. They were taught a song by Lucy Nashon and led through the streets singing.

Then there was the grand finale, with speeches by Simon Olander, Mayor of Diss, Jane Trippett-Jones, our Deputy Mayor, and the release of the the balloons in the balloon race.

Mini-market and carnival in the Courtyards

Norfolk House yard was buzzing in the afternoon. There were stalls, cool jazz from Ross Bradbury and visits from the Fairly Fresh Food Company and the Diss-function Inspectors.

Evening at Les Amandines in Norfolk House Yard

The Gill Alexander Duo played bass and guitar with vocals, mostly doing old jazz standards, while we all had a wonderful 3 course meal.

 Sunday 13th July

Today's big highlight was the family picnic on Fair Green. The sky looked threatening several times, but no rain came.

 
Over 150 people did come, and had a splendid time.

Later the hog roast put on by the Cock Inn was very well attended.

Monday 14th July

A small but enthusiastic group of people heard Bill Starling talk about the work of the Soil Association at the Angel Cafe. Much of what they started in the mid-20th century is what we are turning to now in this festival.

 
Then at the Park Hotel, we were treated to the delights of Babette's Feast, a film about a rather prim community in Denmark that is transformed by an amazing feast created by a French servant refugee, who turns out to have been a master chef before she left France.
 

Tuesday 15th July

 We spent some delightful time at Jo's Eco-House in Palgrave, sitting on her porch having a cream tea.

Wednesday 16th July

This was a busy day for us, as there was the bee keeping talk at the Angel Cafe, and the Tiny Taste of Tango there too. 

However,  the big event was the Waveney Sausage competition at the Burston Crown. The winner was Brown's the butcher, confirming his well-deserved reputation in Diss, and the runner up was Common Farm, Burston.

There was the most fantastic array of sausages, with about 30 different entries for people to taste. Thanks for Freddie Jones for organising this and to all the people who entered.

There were quite a few new 'tangueros' at the Tiny Taste of Tango at the Angel Cafe, all of whom were introduced to the delights of this dance by the more experienced people there. The venue was beautifully set up and may become a regular evening spot for tango.
 

 Thursday 17th July

We didn't go to any events today. We spent quite a lot of time preparing for the Grand Finale at the Corn Hall on Saturday, preparing new posters and flyers to promote the event and preparing the Slow Food stall.

We have had reports of a very good talk on allotments by Jacob Ecclestone in the library.

Friday 18th July

As with the rest of the week, there were special meals at a lot of restaurants around the area. We chose to have dinner at the Lindsay House in Eye, and found it to be an excellent choice. They had a special menu for the festival. There vegetables were from local farms and gardens, and they picked the fruit for the puddings each day. This is a place to go when you want a special meal that isn't too expensive. The decor was tasteful and the service excellent.

Saturday 19th July

 
The last day of Taste of Diss was the Grand Finale exhibition at the Corn Hall, and also the Live and Gigging event in the park.

There were over 20 stalls, ranging from "Beer to Beef, Cheese to Chocolate, Pickles to Pork", with an exhibition of World War II food, a very popular children's cookery activity and children's painting display.

There was a cookery competition, with entries in three classes: professional, amateur and junior. There were some amazing looking entries and the judges worked hard to award the prizes. They also presented the prize to the winner of the Waveney Sausage competition, Danny Brown.

 
Finally, there was the Live and Gigging event in the park. Lots of young bands did there best in spite of frequent heavy showers. We also managed a couple of local food stalls.