Food fit for royalty will feature at the inaugural Uralla Food and Wine Festival, Saturday and Sunday April 21-22, 2012
Supported by Destination NSW, the Festival will highlight the Duke’s Feast on Saturday, April 21, 12 noon-5.00pm under the avenue of majestic elm trees connecting creeper-clad iconic Gostwyck Chapel to the gates of Gostwyck Station.
Festival publicity officer, Shaun Cassidy, said the Festival was part of the A+ Australian Wine Celebration, Australia’s greatest ever wine celebration.
“The Celebration kicks off nationwide in April, with close to 100 events taking place across the nation,” he said.
The Duke’s Feast commemorates the 1936 Royal Visit by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who stayed overnight at Gostwyck Station to experience the beauty and productiveness of New England.
It’s been said the Duke would doubtless be delighted by the variety and quality of local food and wine to grace tables at Gostwyck this autumn.
The Feast will be prepared by guest chef, Ben Armstrong, from Tempus Two in the Hunter Valley.
Ben has recently returned to Australia from Montpellier in France where he worked as Corporate Executive Chef of the Pourcel Group and assistant to one of France’s most renowned chefs, Jacques Pourcel.
Only the best of local fare will feature on the menu, with ingredients personally selected by Ben from within a 100-mile (160km) radius of Uralla. Award-winning local wines from Merilba Estate, Mihi Creek Wines and Whyworry Wines have been carefully selected to complement each course of the meal.
Tickets to the Feast, limited to 250, are $100.00 each. Table lots of 12 tickets are available.
Another highlight of the Festival is a Garden and Wine Trail along Tourist Drive 19 on Sunday, April 22 from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
The Trail, a fundraiser for New England Regional Art Museum, will provide rare access to some of the area’s earliest gardens, including Palmerston, Mihi Station, and Gostwyck Station.
An entry fee of $20.00, payable on the day, or in advance at NERAM, provides access to all participating gardens.
Lunch at either Petersons Winery or Mihi Creek Vineyard is available by direct booking, and refreshments and light lunch will be on offer at Mihi Station throughout the day.
Further details available from Uralla Visitor Information Centre, 104 Bridge Street, Uralla NSW 2358
T: (02) 6778 4496 F: (02) 6778 4654 E: visit@uralla.com W: www.uralla.com or www.urallafoodandwine.com.au
