Feast of world chefs in WA
Take it from Heston: "Life doesn't get much better than this." Chef, restaurateur and providore with a range of bespoke supermarket food for a taste of The Fat Duck magic at home, he's been a Margaret River Gourmet Escape heavyweight from the start and will be back this year as part of a star line-up in one of the most beautiful culinary hotspots in the world.
"Honestly, I don't think there is any other food event on this planet like this," he said.
Presented by Siemens Home Appliances, the three-day festival runs from November 21-23 and has drawn more than 30 international and Australian chefs and foodie celebrities. New talent includes dapper Matt Preston, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay's Clare Smyth from the UK, The Lifestyle Channel's River Cottage Australia Paul West, Sweden's Daniel Berlin (Restaurant Daniel Berlin), Italy's Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana) who will be signing his new book, Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef, and business partners Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, from Sydney's Argentinean trailblazer Porteno.
"We're pretty much bringing Porteno across the Nullarbor," Mr Milgate said. "All the cooking will be done on a big open fire and we're using our own asador equipment and ironbark wood to get that beautiful smoky flavour. It takes eight hours to do a butterflied lamb because it sits on the outer edge of the barbecue and gets an indirect heat. We've tried using other wood but the result is never the same.
"As a side, we'll do our crispy fried brussels sprouts with a hot English mustard dressing and lentils. Some people love the Brussels sprouts more than the meat and leave the restaurant talking about them. Even if you've never liked them, you'll love them done this way."
Big-name familiar faces include seafood guru Rick Stein, who made his Gourmet Escape debut last year, Sat Bains, from Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms in Nottingham, and UK food critic A.A. Gill.
Leeuwin Estate's Danny Angove said this year's international component was the biggest and most diverse yet, with the winery hosting a $250-a-head Art Series dinner with guest speakers wine writer James Halliday and Bottura, which was sold out. As always, the centre of the action will be the Gourmet Village in the grounds of Leeuwin Estate, where about 150 WA producers will set up base with some of the best produce the State has to offer, along with 16 restaurants doing sample tasting dishes using local produce. Producers include artisan chocolatier Bahen & Co, Riki Kaspi Moroccan spices, NSW brewer Young Henrys and meal-kit delivery company This Little Pig Went to Market. Restaurant stalls include Apple Daily Bar & Eating House, Pinchos, The Studio Gallery and Bistro and Voyager Estate.
Highlights include a series of new, intimate Signature Sessions cooking demonstrations with Stein, Peter Gilmour (Quay, Sydney), Darren Robertson (Three Blue Ducks, Sydney), hospitality consultant Jacques Reymond, Matt Stone (Greenhouse, Perth, and Brothl, Melbourne) and George Calombaris (The Press Club, Melbourne), each demonstrating one of their favourite dishes. Also on the menu, the Devil's Lair Table of Eight that gives you the best seat in the house - on stage among all the action - with world- acclaimed talent, including Blumenthal, Bottura, Claude Bosi (Hibiscus, London) and Davide Scabin (Combal.Zero, Italy), as they demonstrate their skills to a full festival crowd.
More than 16,000 people attended the Gourmet Escape last year, including satellite events such as gourmet beach barbecues, dinners in wineries and foraging events in secret forest locations.
"It's probably one of the biggest food festivals in the world," Vasse Felix executive chef Aaron Carr said. "I was in Melbourne a few weeks ago and the guys over there can't believe the talent we attract. It's just getting bigger and better every year and is great for the region. The produce here is second to none.
"This time we're doing dinner with Massimo and Peter, so each of us will do a canape and a course. Last year we had Heston."
The $350-a-head dinner is sold out, but there are plenty of other events to take in for a great weekend all round.
