What a great time we had at the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival 2022! The rain managed to hold off for a while, the event organisers managed to find enough straw to lay on the soggy ground so that we could walk around without looking like mud wrestling contestants, and we were treated to some very enjoyable musical entertainment. Plus, did I mention there was Food AND Wine??
The Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival had been holding its breath for the last two years during the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. The much anticipated 2022 instalment of the Food and Wine festival was scheduled for the last weekend in February at a new venue. Tickets went on sale, and everyone started preparing for the coming event with gusto. Then the weather forecast threw a spanner in the works! Following weeks of rain leading up to the event, there were ominous predictions of rain for the actual weekend, threatening to dampen everyone’s enthusiasm.
Not one to be put off by a little rain….. (I’m pretty used to it by now, as I seem to be shadowed by a rain cloud everywhere I go in the world…) I donned my Ridgeline boots and coat, and set off with an umbrella and a hat to see what the festival had on offer this year.
Getting there
The festival was held at the Moss Vale Showground this year, which is a gentle 1 km walk from the Moss Vale train station.
There was also plenty of parking available in the showgrounds which made it easy for those people who travelled by car.
Before I take you on a virtual walk around the festival, I just want to say that none of the below links are affiliate links or anything like that. I won’t make any commissions on purchases you make from these businesses, and I was not sponsored to go to the festival and say nice things about the event. It’s all just my own personal experience with the vendors and their products.
Take me to the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival
Wine
First stop this year was a visit to the Verwood Estate caravan to try their Southern Highlands cool climate wines.
Thoroughly enjoyed these wines and purchased a few to take home with me.
You can find more information about this family owned boutique winery here: Verwood Estate Wines
Food
Now for some food. We had the French camp kitchen, gourmet pies, the BBQ sliders, Dutch pancakes, Gelato, and German sausages to choose from.
The German sausages were confirmed to be gluten free, so I had mine on a plate with some sauerkraut and onions. Yum! ( I brought my own plate, just in case I had to do something like that. As you do…..)
The Gelato and Sorbet stand also had some gluten free options, so I chose to try the Raspberry Sorbet.
There were plenty of table and chairs available to sit at, which was good. The ground was terribly wet, so it wouldn’t have been great if we had to try and do this “picnic-style” this year.
Goose on the Loose was back at the festival this year, offering tastings of their award-winning salamis. I snapped up a couple of my favourite salamis, determined to savour them over the coming months. Delicious!
If you need a salami fix between festivals, just go ahead and order some directly from their website.
Wine and Food
Bendooley Estate and The Larder were represented at the festival. I love the food in the Larder shop in Bowral. They always have something that is delicious and gluten free. From salads to soups to cakes, I am never disappointed when I visit the store. I picked up some relish and a salad dressing from the festival, and some Bendooley Estate Wine…. of course!
Honey
Next stop was the Great Southern Mead and Honey stand that was buzzing with curious people wanting to sample the mead flavours.
It was interesting to hear a little about how the mead is made as we were given our different samples. Four different types of mead to try and so hard to choose just one (or two…) to take home!!
There were also some flavoured honey sample packs available, which I took home to try later.
Interesting mead and honey products can be purchased directly from the website here: Great Southern Mead and Honey
While we were on the theme of bees, we noticed a flow hive display set up at the Bowral Beekeeping tent. They offer courses to get you started in beekeeping and are a fountain of information for all things bee.
This display hive shows the difference between the flow hive system, and the traditional frame system of bee hive set up.
Liqueur & Gin
The Cello Liqueur stand was very popular, and it was definitely on my list of places to visit. Fancy a bit of limoncello? Don’t mind if I do! And the passioncello, and the limecello, and the arancello ……and the dolce melone. Oh dear. Never mind, they are only very little sips to taste the fabulous flavours in the liqueur.
When I was in Sorrento in Italy, I enjoyed the limoncello that came out after a meal. We also found a shop that sold the melon liqueur and I couldn’t decide which flavour was better. I hadn’t tasted a limoncello since my time in Italy. Standing at the counter of the Cello Liqueur stall and tasting their limoncello brought back all those memories of Italian evening meals. Isn’t it amazing how memories and feelings are captured in tastes and fragrances?
You can read about the evolution of the Cello Liqueur brand from its Italian heritage to its Australian inception on their website. What a great story!
Headlands Distilling Co offer a unique range of vodka and gins that are crafted using Australian grown ingredients.
I particularly liked the Tidal Lines – Illawarra Plum infused gin, and the Boobialla gin which uses Australian native juniper and other uniquely Australian botanicals. To learn more about their craftmanship – click here.
I wanted to try so much more! It all looked so interesting. All the vendors put in a fantastic effort on their product displays.
A chance to learn some tips from guest presenters
The Olsson’s Salt Cooking Sessions offered participants the chance to experience live workshops with local chefs and artisans.
Entertainment
Hot Potato Band
The entertainment on the day was top notch. When we arrived the Hot Potato Band were warming up. They started their set and they were able to walk around the festival and play their music as they walked. Not only did they play their instruments, but they danced and involved their audience in their performance. They look like they had as much fun playing their music as we did hearing them. I’m a musician myself, and I really appreciate a well-executed live performance. These guys are top of their game and I would love to go and see them again when they are on tour around the country.
After the Hot Potato Band finished there was a change of style to a mellow jazz band.
Ella’s Holiday
Ella’s Holiday started playing up on the stage overlooking the showground. I was finishing up at the festival when I heard them start to play. After listening to a couple of songs, I went and got a coffee to drink while I stayed a bit longer to relax and enjoy their music.
Winding up the day at the Food and Wine Festival 2022
The Southern Highlands Food and Wine Association organised the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival 2022. You can follow along on their Facebook page for other festivals and promotional activities in the region.
I’m looking forward to attending the next Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival.
Wine not?
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