Tasting Australia – Best of British

Best of British

Disclaimer: I received a basket of scones and jam from the Intercontinental, along with the information about this event.

Hopefully everyone knows that Tasting Australia is coming up at the end of April. I’ve already written about the pasta events that will be happening.

Of course, masterclasses are not the be all and end all of Tasting Australia – there are plenty of dinners, lunches and breakfasts to be had along the way. One such dinner is the Best of British dinner which takes place on Monday 30 April at the Intercontinental. This dinner is not only an excuse to eat a lot of good food but part proceeds will support the Australian athletes heading to London for the Olympic games in August.

The star of the chefs is Mark Hix (formerly chef director of Caprice Holdings which includes London icons such as The Ivy and J Sheekeys, and now running his own venture, which includes the Hix Oyster and Chop House). Hix is also very much a champion of British food – his British Regional Food being one of the modern bibles on the subject (and, I note, a book missing from my own collection …).

Hix will be joined by British expats now based in Australia:  Simon Bryant, Jeremy Strode and Matthew Kemp. The menu features Brit dishes such as steak and kidney pudding, smoked eel, lamb and a selection of UK cheeses put together by Will Studd. You can see the full menu on the Intercontinental’s website.

Tickets, limited to 300, are $195 per person and are available through ticketek.

Tasting Australia – Perfect Your Pasta

First take your Magimix...Mini Masterchef

Tasting Australia is coming up (26 April – 3 May) and there are a range of events on. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Kids in the Kitchen comprises 4 events across 2 days for children aged 8 – 12 (my own mini masterchef is a bit small …). They’re hands on cooking sessions with celebrity chefs. For the more competitive minded, there’s also the San Remo Junior Pasta Challenge where three finalists will cook a pasta dish from a mystery box of ingredients, with the first prize winner taking home $500 as well as a pile of San Remo goodies. Entry details are here and you need to make sure your entry is submitted by 2 April.

For those of us who are slightly older, there’s also some L-Plates sessions, giving you the opportunity to learn from the masters in classes of about 15. The sessions cover everything from bread making and brewing through to pasta (with Adelaide’s own Adam Swanson), olive oil and boning meats. Check out the program because there’s sure to be something of interest.

Hopefully we’ll get a chance to take a look at some other Tasting Australia events in the run up to the end of April.