festival

The Good Food and Wine Show rolls into the International Convention Centre in Sydney this weekend (June 23^rd-25^th), and it is not one to miss. Hall 2 of the ICC hosts a massive range of vendors this year, with food and drinks to satisfy all your cravings and curiosities.

A fun, carnival atmosphere hits visitors as they enter by Liqueurs on the Lawns, equipped with its very own DJ provided by Cointreau. For those who like a little spice in their life, Cointreau offers a spicy margarita made with Tabasco sauce, sure to warm anyone up in the cold Sydney weather. If spice is your thing, I recommend wandering over to the White Oat Distillery stall and checking out their Chilli Mango gin.

An avid gin drinker like myself is spoiled for choice this year, with local favourites Manly Spirits making a good showing and interstate distilleries like Underground Spirits, Canberra Distillery and Naught Distilling. This year’s surprise was Gin Mare, an olive and thyme savoury gin that would go perfectly with a nice charcuterie board and a lovely, crisp cheddar.

Speaking of cheeses, the Cheese Corner this year did not disappoint. Though small in terms of the number of vendors, the array of cheeses on offer was anything but. A nice mix of soft and hard cheeses is available to sample, and the general direction appears to be flavoured cheeses, with vendors providing less of the good old-fashioned basics, at least to sample. For those who purchased the Cheese Lovers ticket this year, the cooler bag provided with your ticket will be very useful.

Those with dietary restrictions need not miss out either. Amongst the cheese vendors is Noshing, priding themselves on creating 100% dairy-free cheeses that taste as good as the traditionally made cheeses available elsewhere. There were also a variety of non-alcoholic drinks to sample and many sugar-free and vegan options. The V2Food Plant-Based cooking stage could almost convince me to turn vegan, with the absolutely delicious dumplings and pies coming out semi-regularly.

There are classes and workshops aplenty for those who desire to brush up on their skills or perhaps try something new. I joined the Sodastream Mixology Moments masterclass in cocktail making. The two hosts, Penny and Stephanie, were a delight. They were incredibly personable and helpful and clearly loved what they were doing.

There is a also a little bit of celebrity action happening this weekend. Spanish-Australian chef Miguel Maestre, known for his work on Channel 10s The Living Room is teaching several classes and demonstrations, giving lucky viewers a chance to try his cooking firsthand. My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Feildel is also making an appearance and teaching some classes of his own.

The 2023 Good Food and Wine Show is full to the brim with delectable food and drinks ready for the eager foodie or keen wine connoisseur. Any lover of good food would be a fool to miss out on this event.

This review also appears in It’s On The House.

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