F.O.O.D Week Forage

Lou ready for action

On Saturday, Lou, Mr L'Orange and I, joined over 600 others on the F.O.O.D Week Forage, which is basically a meander through the countryside stopping frequently for food and refreshments. We set off by bus from Union Bank on an absolute stunner of a day and travelled to our first stop Koomooloo Vineyard, home to Philip Shaw Wines.

Mr L'Orange warming up

Our handy wine glass holders

After a glass of Edinburgh bubbles and a big chunk of gallantine we got our 'Forage briefing' and were encouraged to try the grapes on the vines, eat and drink plenty and to relax and take our time. I filled up with a splash of Word of Mouth Pinot Noir to help me get the few hundred metres to station number 2.

The views from our next stop were beautiful and made all the better by some tasty lamb and lentil soup by Bistro Cello and my favourite wine of the day Cumulus Chardonnay.

Delicious wine, poured by winemaker Debbie Lauritz.

The food on Forage was all prepared by local chefs and tops restaurants in the area. My favourite dish was the venison with beetroot risotto. Lou meanwhile loved the panacotta with fig and crumble.

Station 3 offered the divine Brangayne Pinot Noir accompanied by a mushroom pie made by Tony Worland from Tonic. The pie was made from scratch and very tasty however, the inside was scalding hot and the pie would disintegrate with each bite making it seriously lethal. Mr L'Orange and I walked away from station 3 with scalds on our lips, hats and stains all down our clothes - sexy!

What a spot for lunch

Our favourite stop was station 4, as it had views over a pretty dam, live acoustic guitar music, awesome food and great red wines. A group of tipsy OAP's were even up dancing/skipping much to the amusement of everyone watching.

It was getting hot so we headed off in search of some shade and a bit more Forage action. After struggling up a slight incline, we were rewarded at station 4 with a delicious apple, lime & mint sorbet and a glass of Moscato - yum!

Enjoying the sorbet

Sitting in the shade of the vines

We finished off our Forage at Orange Highland Wines & Gardens, where there was another band (catering to the older market) and a selection of cheeses, dessert and coffee. We got the chance to mingle in the beautiful gardens with the walkers from other groups and to sample just a few more wines before getting on the bus for home.

The end of a perfect day

If you haven't tried a Forage before, it is definitely something to add to your 'must do' list, an amazingly well organised day out that made memories which will be treasured for a long time.

One Week Until F.O.O.D Week

The countdown has begun for gourmet heaven - Orange style. From next Friday we get to enjoy 10 days of delicious local cuisine intermingled with top chefs and great wine as part of F.O.O.D Week.

The 100mile dinner and the newly introduced Forage are always sell outs however there are still plenty of spaces available for other lunches, dinners and events. Click here for the F.O.O.D website.

The weather is superb at the moment, hot sunny days with clear blue skies and then slightly cooler evenings, plus the leaves are starting to change colour so city looks beautiful. If you are at a loose end the weekend after Easter then venture to Orange for something different.

Lots of my girlfriends are coming up from Sydney for wine, food & a girly gossip next weekend. I'll report back on all our F.O.O.D Week adventures shortly. We are looking forward to trying out 'Table for 10' at the Byng St Store.

Hope all LALO readers have a wonderful Easter break, speak to you soon.