Harveast Festival A Hit At Eastland for MFWF
Harveast one day extravaganza celebrating Yarra Valley and region was a huge hit with crowds indulging and sampling regional delights at Eastland Shopping Centre. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience the action at this Melbourne Food and Wine Festival event and we loved it all.
Ringwood’s Town Square was transformed into a bustling culinary hub, showcasing local producers and suppliers at The Producers Market (food traders from the Yarra Valley region and surrounds); the Tasting Laneway, curated by resident retailer The Cellar Door; and the Backyard Sessions, curated by Croydon micro-brewer The Public Brewery. There was plenty of action to be enjoyed and The World Loves Melbourne had a great time over many hours.
The Tasting Laneway brought together over 20 wineries and spirit distilleries from the Yarra Valley, including Oakridge, Blackwood Hill, Zonzo Estate, Rob Dolan Wines, Coombe Farm Wines, Seville Estate, Soumah Wines, and Melbourne Moonshine. The Backyard Sessions precinct served up beer and barbecued meats by day, and live music from 6pm including Melbourne act Woodlock, and Aria nominated Mustered Courage.
Sampling cheeses from Yarra Valley Dairy is always a highlight.
This BLTS sandwich from Coonara Springs in Olinda had us drooling.
We enjoyed browsing the stalls, all showcasing top notch local produce.
The Tasting Laneway was super popular. Most of Yarra Valley's best known wineries were present and staff engaging. We were surprised that wine tasting was free and we were given our own glass to sample the wares. How good was it to go along the laneway tasting wines from some of the best wineries in Australia for free! Not only that, but each winery had a number of wines on tasting, not just a few.
Delicious Madden's Rise Pink Fizz with that rose petal hue.
Oakridge, one of Yarra Valley's best known wineries (also great for a lunch) showcasing its Pinot Noir.
Zonzo Estate another popular winery (also acclaimed for their pizzas) was engaging attendees with its fine wines.
We checked out the Abacus rump steak cap burger (what a great cafe).
Thai Alley is a personal favourite and The World Loves Melbourne indulged in a Thai Green curry. Perfect spice and generous serving along with rice.
After sampling all the food and wine it was time for our Masterclass with iconic chef Charlie Carrington (of ATLAS and Colours by ATLAS). The Masterclass Series featured live cooking demonstrations by some of Australia’s leading chefs and tastemakers, including Charlie Carrington (ATLAS), Christy Tania (Glace), 400 Gradi, Hunter & Barrel and many more.
A buzz of activity all afternoon.
Dani Venn from Masterchef fame hosted the event with Charlie Carrington cooking us his famous Cured Flathead, Tomato and Passionfruit Ceviche from the current ATLAS Peruvian menu.
Charlie Carrington is known for visiting various parts of the world, studying their cuisines then bringing back ideas and his interpretation to ATLAS, where he changes the menu every four months.
Charlie Carrington took us through an amazing Masterclass, his recipe demanding some technique - with emphasis on creating a vibrant Tomato, Passionfruit and Pisco Tigers Milk.
Audience loved it and we were invited to ask questions, as well as taste the dish.
Blow torch time. One of Charlie's tips included blow torching vegetables for extra taste and texture.
The Avocado Puree master!
Curing the Flathead.
Here we have the finished Tigers Milk (staple of Peruvian cooking) being poured into the ceviche bowl.
A work of art, plenty of technique, and totally delicious. Also on trend in terms of healthy eating.
Charlie Carrington, one of Australia's brightest young chefs and a consumate Masterclass presenter at Harveast.
Then it was over to the Main Stage where iconic chef Shane Delia (Maha, Biggie Smalls) was in Masterclass mode.
Also featured at Harveast was -
- Little Garden Patch - an education space showcasing the importance of sustainable living and encouraging kids to find their green thumbs.
- Wholesome cooking workshops with Martyna Angell of The Wholesome Cook.
- Junior Burger Masterclasses with the Huxtaburger team.
- Performance by Justine Clarke (playschool) at Town Square Main Stage.
What a day at Harveast in Eastland. Plenty of highlights and an afternoon of high quality indulgence. Check out our article on Best Wineries in Yarra Valley.