Forage and Feast celebrates regional food

IT isn’t long until local food, drink, and fresh produce will be celebrated as part of Commerce Ballarat’s Forage and Feast Festival.

The initiative was launched on Tuesday at The Goods Shed with the unveiling of the festival program, stalls with local artisan producers, and a live chef challenge with representatives from each region across the Central Highlands.

“What people are after is that human connection, that story,” food writer Richard Cornish said.

“Forage and Feast is about the best chefs working with the best producers… they are going to put that together and put it on the plate, on the table in front of people in a very special way.

“They are going to pull out all the stops to make people feel welcome.”

The festival will run from Monday 12 January to Sunday 15 February 2026 with masterclasses, tastings, curated degustation lunches and dinners, and farm tours.

There will be more than 130 events held across six Local Government Areas such as a cooking class at The Plough @ Myrniong, a picnic on Nimmons Bridge organised by the Woady Yaloak Historical Society, and spirited food pairings at Itinerant Spirits.

Black and Ginger Wines, based in Pomonal, will be hosting an event collaborating with Barney’s Bar and Bistro.

“We make small batch wines, we don’t make more than 1000 cases a year and we focus on alternative varieties, particularly whatever we can source in the Grampians,” Lucy Black, sales manager said.

“We are offering a new experience… we are pairing our Italian varietal wines with three antipasti dishes prepared by Alton who’s a chef at Barney’s which is the venue next door to us.

“It’s trying to bring a little bit of Italy to the Grampians.”

For more information about the festival, visit centralhighlandsgrowers.com.au.