Foodie heaven to descend on Wellington

Food lovers will be indulging their passion for heavenly food and drink at the capital’s premier food event, The Food Show Wellington.

New Zealand‘s finest home-grown chefs and world-class food and drink will showcase at this foodie extravaganza, which attracts thousands of people over three days, all keen to sample what’s on offer.

Accompanying the food will be a stellar line-up of iconic New Zealand chefs who will be holding highly entertaining and informative cooking demonstrations and workshops in the stunning Electrolux Cooking Theatre.

Ray McVinnie and Ross Burden, judges from MasterChef New Zealand, will be joined by Richard Till, Peta Mathias and Annabelle White who will be cooking up a storm in the theatre throughout the show. Fans of MasterChef New Zealand will be in for a treat as the winner and runner-up of the top rating show will also be holding cooking demonstrations on Friday and Saturday. Visitors will be able to take a piece of the show home by buying the MasterChef New Zealand apron that will be for sale at the show.

A select number of artisan producers from Wellington will be on show this year. For a little taste of Italy, look out for Soprano Limoncello, a zesty liqueur perfected by the Italian and Kiwi co-owner’s of Soprano restaurant on the Kapiti Coast. Warm up with Jamaican cuisine and stock up on hot sauce, rubs, sauces and marinades from the Wellington-based West Indies Spice Traders. Indulge the sweet tooth with a visit to Butler’s Chocolate stand, for their world famous handmade chocolate.

A wide selection of handcrafted and artisan foods will be available to sample and purchase at special show prices. Exhibitors this year include Loaf, an Auckland-based bakery that prides itself on “honest and authentic baking”, Bank’s Peninsula cheese makers Barry’s Bay Traditional Cheese who will have their range of European-style cheeses and cheddars on offer, discover why people are buzzing about J Friend and Co Artisan Honey and keep your eyes peeled for All Good Bananas, the country’s first-ever fair trade bananas from Ecuador.

An impressive array of wines, beers, teas, coffees and everything in between will help quench the thirst of any show visitor. Try the new Frute, a zesty fusion of apple cider and fresh berries or how about refreshing chilled leaf tea infused with juice and botanical ingredients from Teza or get a hit from Wellington’s iconic café and coffee roastery Caffe L’affre.

Exhibitors of the alcoholic variety will include two of Belgian’s most famous beers, Hoegaarden and Leffe Blonde, alongside a number of New Zealand wineries and cocktail brands.

Another popular attraction at the capital’s favourite foodie event is the Wellington Culinary Fare where competitors race against the clock to complete a variety of challenges from preparing a soup to constructing an edible table centre piece.

For a gentle wind down at the end of the day, join wine expert Belinda Jackson with chefs Peta Mathias and Lauraine Jacobs as they demystify the art of food and wine matching on Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The Food Show Wellington is the place to find out what’s hot in the culinary world, discover new sensational meal ideas and sample the wonderful food from here and around the world. All this plus the chance to rub shoulders with some of New Zealand’s popular chefs and food producers.

For more information and advanced ticket sales visit www.foodshow.co.nz