For 5 days in January each year, an amazing food exhibition of world renowned brands, manufacturers, suppliers and chefs all gather and descend upon the Boulevard des Droits de l’Homme in Bron, just a short hop from Lyon – the gastronomic capital of France. 30,000 foreign visitors from 132 countries arrive to showcase and springboard their products and services in an effort to boost their export sales. A food event of this size can only mean one thing; there is going to be a lot food and I mean a mind-boggling amount. 

 

SIRHA has a plethora of just about everything to do with the buying, selling and consumption of food one way or another. Whether it’s fabulous ingredients (edible active charcoal showed up quite a bit but my fav by far was Arima Sansho, Japanese pepper seasoning) or searching for a new start up initiative or venture, the latest innovation in restaurant display technologies (swipe left for like ☺), even sampling every conceivable type of ice cream on the planet (we did try, especially the Bourbon & Corn Flake ☺ variety) or meeting suppliers and suppliers of suppliers – plus all the usual networking opportunities with the great and the good. Not too mention the dizzying array of cookery theatres showcasing master chef competitions, unveiling exceptional new talent. 

 

Oh and don’t forget the food sampling, available on tap everywhere. It’s all here, under one roof. A cornucopia of gastronomic delights to enthral, tease and tempt. 

We came, 

we saw, 

we tasted and if that wasn’t enough, scuttled off on the last day to a small bijou restaurant in Lyon for a degustation menu of morsel wizardry in the hands of the fabulous Grégory Stawowy … but that’s another story.