Food for Show

The Good Food & Wine Show was back in Sydney last weekend and packed with fellow foodies celebrating the return of a single event showcasing some of the nations best talents and produce. Chefs Gordon Ramsay, Matt Moran and Tobie Puttock were welcomed back with great support, likewise were television newcomers and superstars of MasterChef Australia - Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris.

I spotted a few familiar faces from Barambah Organics (producer of the deliciously rich organic sour cream that we use at work paired with Biodynamic red wine-poached pears dusted with almond praline and szechuan pepper), chocolatesuze's mum was manning The Biscuit Tree stall surrounded by an array of homemade gluten-free biscotti and after a long wait I managed to pick up some wonderfully ripe brie and washed rind cheeses from Binnorie Dairy.

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Around the corner, Tasmanian Heritage was giving away slice after slice of a triple layered cheese flavoured with olive tapenade, capsicum and some other horrendous flavour that my mind has blocked from my memory. Luv-A-Duck was dishing out 2 minute microwavable roast duck legs. They were tender with a soggy, steamed texture - just how roast duck should be..

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Batlow Fruit Co-op had their goods on display. A woman caught me peeking through their apple cookbook and had the girls peel and slice an apple of my choice using their super-cool apple peeling machine while I nibbled on a piece of Granny Smith. The Fuji apple was ethereal! Fresh and crisp, bursting with juice and unbelievably sweet.. I have to tell my dad to stop buying those inferior apples at Flemington Markets every weekend. I'd go so far as to say it was the best goddamn Fuji apple I've ever tasted.

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A free VIP ticket to see Matt Moran's performance in the LG Celebrity Theatre had me seated in the front section for his last show over the weekend. Alastair Mcleod loosened up the crowd with a few distasteful jokes and a game of fruit or veg. I managed to be one of the last few standing in the crowd of 3,000. We played this game last year Alastair!

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Matt Moran demonstrated his dishes available at the Lindemans Early Harvest Restaurant - prawn tempura with sauce gribiche, chicken saute with chorizo and chickpeas and a raspberry tart with burnt champagne sabayon.

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Unfortunately I had the dreaded call to come into work on my day off due to someone being sick (aka big wuss) so I had to skip off early and miss seeing the Riedel decanter bar, cheese matters masterclass, gourmet garden cooking school and much of the BBC Good Food demos.

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Restaurant 09 Sydney is coming up in a month and hopefully I'll be able to make it this year. It boasts product tasting from restaurant suppliers, demos, "innovative new services" and wine tasting, all for industry professionals only. Demos always sound alluring and it's no fault that there won't be a mass of brightly coloured carts to climb over either.