River Cottage Australia host comes to town for Harvest Festival

CELEBRITY chef and TV presenter Paul West will host a series of conversations with local growers and makers at Bangalow Showground on the opening weekend of next month’s Harvest Festival.

The former River Cottage Australia host will chat to foodies from companies such as Playing with Fire Australian Native Foods and Grumpy Grandma’s Olives and Oils at the Harvest Hub event at Moller Pavilion on May 3.

West, who lives at Bermagui on the NSW South Coast, has also appeared on other ABC series such as Backroads and Catalyst and written three books, including The River Cottage Australia Cookbook, The Edible Garden and Homegrown.

The festival will run over four weekends throughout the month, showcasing a different sub-region of the Northern Rivers each week.

It will begin in the Byron and Ballina shires from May 2 to 4, Lismore, Kyogle and the Richmond Valley on May 10 and 11, the Tweed on May 17 and 18 and the Clarence on May 24 and 25.

Highlights will include a long-table lunch at Summerland Farm at Alstonville featuring produce harvested within 50 kilometres, a long-table dinner at Husk Distillery at North Tumbulgum and a Chef and the Forager lunch at multi-award-winning farm-to-table restaurant Potager at Carool.

Top local producers such as Stone & Wood in Byron’s industrial estate, Zentveld’s Coffee Farm & Roastery at Newrybar, Sunshine Sugar at Ballina and Tropical Fruit World at Duranbah feature on a self-drive journey through the region called The Harvest Trail.

The festival is open to all Northern Rivers food and beverage producers, with expressions of interest now open. Organisers are also looking for volunteers to join the festival team.

For more information, visit harvestfestival.org.au