Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show June 2016

 

Hello, how’s everyone’s weekend going? How nice is it being indoors where it’s warm. Hope you’re all staying warm whatever great things you’re doing this weekend. I must say, for three weeks in to Winter, it’s actually not that cold – yet. A great thing happened to me two weeks ago, my husband surprised me with a ticket to the Good Food and Wine Show at the Melbourne Convention Centre on Saturday 3^rd June. He knows what I love 🙂

This is a food and wine show that’s showing all around Australia and showcases a lot of great Australian food, wine, beer, producers and chefs. This show has so much to offer foodies and lovers of all great produce alike, truly a food & wine heaven. If you get a chance, go a long you’ll have an absolute ball. Walking around looking and tasting as much local Victorian produce as I could – cheese, wine, food truck dishes, spices & salts, truffle products, beer, sweets and anything else you could think of. The Good Food & Wine show is coming to Perth in July, Sydney in August and Brisbane in October.

While at the show, you’ll also get to see some of our wonderful Chefs showing off their culinary skills in the Good Food Theatre, for all to see – you don’t need to buy a ticket specifically to see these chefs cook, as we had to in past shows, first in best seats! This year they had Chef Matt Moran to Miguel Maestre from The Living Room to Colin Fassnidge and Sammy & Bella from MKR all cooking up a storm. Please check the Good Food & Wine show website for who’s cooking at your show as all states may vary.

There are many chefs I’d love to see cook, and seeing Matt and Miguel has ticked off two more of the ‘chefs-to-see’ bucket list. This was probably the best (ok maybe second best as meeting each chef in person was awe-inspiring) part of the whole show. Watching our top chefs cook, making everything look so simple and delicious (a little secret, there are several chefs out the back preparing the food for the chefs), I was inspired.

Matt cooked crispy chicken, slow cooked lamb and an orange cake, all while talking about his Paddock to Plate philosophy, which isn’t just about his TV show. Oh and a little secret, Matt’s opening a restaurant here in Melbourne sometime next year!!

Miguel is exactly as you see him on The Living Room – full of energy and full of laughs. He showed us how easy it is to prepare a spinach & ricotta gnocchi, a Blue Swimmer crab and avocado cigar and creamless spaghetti carbonara. At the end of his show, he brought people on stage to dance with some Flamenco dancers! Such a character!

After the shows they had a meet and greet with the chefs, where you could get photos with them as well ask them to sign memorabilia. Unfortunately there were no cookbook vendors at the show but I did find an Oz Harvest cookbook with a couple of Matt Moran dishes, which he graciously signed for me. Miguel signed my Good Food & Wine show oven mitts – I think I have a man crush on Miguel! Shhhhh.

All in all a great show, it does exactly what it says on the label – good food, good wine. Maybe a bit too much wine for my liking as I’d rather see more of our fine producers of food but that’s just me – I love all things to do with food!

PS I got 2^nd place where I won two crystal wine glasses & a bottle of red (pictured above). As part of the pre-show entertainment, I got up on stage with two other ladies, singing & dancing with the new Dyson handheld vacuum to I want to break free by Queen. The winner was determined by cheering from the audience – everyone I spoke to afterwards told me I should have won!