Based in ‘the food basket of NSW’, the thriving regional city of Orange is once again showcasing its diverse fresh produce and cool-climate wines in its annual F.O.O.D. Week. The culinary celebration is held over April during the local autumn harvest and vintage season, delivering great food and wine alongside a visual delight of autumn colours. From night markets to a vineyard degustation forage and producer and chef pair ups, there’s an event to satisfy every person and palate.
Explore night markets
Friday April 1st
To kickstart the festival, an impressive night market brings together the varied and distinctive flavours of Orange. Each stall represents local chefs, cooks, caterers, providores and wine, cider and beer makers, with a focus on fresh produce. Join them on April 1st for an exciting evening under the stars, and a taste of what’s to come.
Indulge in a long lunch
Saturday April 2nd
For an alfresco affair to remember, book a seat at the Sampson Street Long Lunch. There, you’ll find a long table set up beneath a bright and vivid canopy of autumn leaves, where diners gather for a unique celebration held on the first weekend of the festival. Orange’s renowned and emerging chefs band together to craft a lavish lunch menu highlighting home-grown food and wine.
Shine the light on local producers
April 4th – April 8th
This year’s F.O.O.D. Week is all about bountiful pleasure. Throughout the week, show, tell and taste workshops invite festival goers to discover the personal stories and faces behind the region’s outstanding cuisine – all with a glass of cool-climate wine in hand.
Embark on a tasty forage
Saturday April 9th
This signature event on April 9th takes visitors on a stroll through some of the charming region’s most picturesque vineyards. With breathtaking vistas through to Mount Canobolas, the autumnal scenery is as sensational as the gastronomic journey itself. On the forage, enjoy a nine-course degustation menu of home-grown wine and tasting plates, accompanied by live music. We’ll drink to that.
The producers’ market and brunch
Sunday April 10th
The festival’s finale? A combined market and brunch to end the week on a tasting high. Explore the vast range of market stalls in Cook Park to meet the faces behind the food, before tucking into a flavoursome brunch prepared by eminent cooks. This send-off event gives you an opportunity to bring the best of Orange’s rich tapestry of produce back home, to share and savour until your next visit.
Celebrate Australia’s longest-running regional food festival, Orange F.O.O.D. Week, between 1-10 April. Buy tickets here.
Brought to you by Orange 360.
-Lucille-Beuzelin-(1)-(1).jpg?ssl=1&w=380&crop=0,0,100,304px)