What a job! Judging for the 2016 EADT Food and Drink Awards was no mean feat. Such difficult decisions to make to whittle down the entry list of fabulous foodies, all from Suffolk, all championing the vibrant and exciting local food scene. It was an honour to take part and judge both the Customer Service Award and The Best Cafe/Tea Room Award. Pictured above are Hannah Huntley and Beth Cook from the gorgeous and now award winning Applaud Cafe. Fellow judge and sponsor Charlotte Smith-Jarvis on the right, presents the award. Take a look at all the wonderful winners and finalists.

Since starting her home bakery Moo Moo Cakes in July 2014, Fiona has been creating rustic wedding cakes. Packed full of flavour and looking naturally beautiful, all are baked using un-refined sugars, even the icing sugar, giving the buttercream a depth of flavour, richness and golden colour that you don’t get in processed white icing sugar. Big flavours come from amazing ingredients, all essentials being organic. Added to that a mix of local and delicious seasonal produce.  Fiona's wedding cakes come in many gorgeous forms, shapes and sizes. Like this four tier organic vanilla wedding cake dressed with seasonal berries and organic edible flowers (above).  Or this two tier elegant ‘barrel’ style naked cake(below). The base tier is organic vanilla, buttercream and Tiptree (she's a big fan) strawberry jam. The top tier is a luscious lemon cake, teamed with a lemon juice buttercream and Tiptree lemon curd. Dressed with cream roses and ribbon.

.

Fiona offers wedding cake consultations at her home. She says it's a fabulous time to drink tea, eat cake and talk about how she can make your wedding, magical and delicious.   How about this gorgeous ‘drip’ cake?  Two tiers of triple layered vanilla cake layered with chocolate ganache & wrapped in vanilla buttercream. Dripping in homemade salted caramel and topped with homemade salted caramel popcorn. Drip cakes can also have chocolate (dark or white) drips, topped with crushed nuts, meringues, chocolate shards, flowers.  Ooh! now you're talking!

The worst dish I have encountered in a Suffolk restaurant this month. Not saying where!

My name is Mrs Madumbi. I am a new occasional contributor to Suffolk Foodie. My focus, though by no means not exclusively, will be on food from Africa. Guess what I found in a Tesco in Sheffield? - amaDumbe. You could mistake this rather ugly, occasionally hairy, vegetable for a mutant potato, but it has a delicate taste of its own - like no other. The amaDumbe, more commonly called madumbi in South Africa, is called eddoes in the Caribbean and Tesco, and taro elsewhere. Do remember this plant can be toxic in its raw form. Madumbis are usually peeled before cooking and can be boiled or steamed, whole or cubed. As a child growing up in southern Africa I loved this vegetable. It was always boiled in its skin for 20/25 minutes (depending on size) until the fleshy part gave when pricked with a fork. After cooking, the water was drained and discarded. The skin comes away easily once cooked. The rather grey inside of the madumbi has a nutty, slightly sweet taste (think distant cousin of sweet potato). The texture can appear slimey and unusual but it is not, so please do not be put off.  Newcomers quickly acquire a taste for this versatile little tuber. It is delicious served simply 'potato style' with salt and butter. It can be mashed and mixed with caramalised onions or leeks; added to soups and curry dishes; sliced thinly with a mandolin for crisps and oven-baked or fried.