Two weeks ago we were at the East Midlands Food Festival in Melton Mowbray. It was a crisp, chilly weekend with lots of azure sky and a higher density of conversations about the weather than I have ever previously experienced. We sold two boilers full of tea and coffee, and we made a scientific breakthrough on the subject of fizzy drinks.
First thing on Sunday we sold a coffee to a steel drums musician. He then unpacked his kit and played for most of the day just opposite the van. At the same time our sales of Rio, which we describe as being “a bit like Lilt, but more mango”, went through the roof. Having shifted the best part of a case of Rio he stopped, and so did the Rio sales.
Caribbean music, we deduce, is directly proportionate to tropical drinks sales. We owe that guy a commission, or at least a can of Rio, if we ever meet him again. We also need to work out what toastie music is. What if classic 80s rock ballads somehow unleash the toastie-lovin’ in all of us? Seriously, as long as it isn’t floppy-haired doe-eyed pop sensations from the last three years I’m up for it. If Bieber causes toasties, I’m out.
To me, toastie music isn’t so much music, but rather tuning into Radio 4 and listening to The Archers. That really doesn’t lend itself well to the festival scene so there must be another way…