IN Food & Wine

Indulge yourself at the Good Food & Wine show and take some time to enjoy some of the finer things in life.

Perth’s obsession with food and wine is no secret. Cookbooks, gourmet stores, smart restaurants, wineries, fresh produce and a passion for celebrity chefs are part of our regular menu.

What better place to indulge and celebrate all these things in one place than at this year’s Good Food & Wine Show in July. Last year the show attracted more than 20,000 visitors and this year the show turns five in WA.

It’s an epicurean’s delight and the chance to explore, indulge and sample food, acclaimed local produce, enticing chocolates, luscious cheeses and of course award-winning Western Australian wines. All up, there will be more than 150 exhibitors with delicious products to try and learn about.

Highlights of the show include the Fisher & Paykel Celebrity Theatre where George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan, Matt Moran, Manu Fieldel and Anna Gare will be cooking up a storm. A show favourite, it’s your chance to watch leading chefs in their element.

“This is a really good opportunity to see your favourite Australian chefs live and them actually cooking,” says exhibition manager Claire Back. “People like Gary and George have been working with us since before MasterChef. For these guys it’s a fun chance to get away from TV and their restaurants for a while.”

Learn the art of wine tasting and food matching in the Riedel Wine Theatre or slice up some cheese know-how with the Cheese Matters Discovery Class, a 45-minute tutored tasting which celebrates regional producers, explores premium cheese samples and savours expertly matched wine.

The show has been hugely popular with families and Claire says while it’s an opportunity for the curious to explore, for those wanting to go deeper there are also specialist classes.

“We have some visitors who go to every class and take notes and want to meet all the stall holders, taste and talk about their products. Then there are other people who want a fun day out and might learn how to cook a piece of meat on the barbecue.”

The much-loved celebrity chef book signings continue this year as well.

“As people are becoming more time poor they still want to be able to entertain at home or for those people who come home after work and still want to be able to cook well, the show offers plenty of great ideas for both.

“This explosion of interest in food has made people more adventurous in their home cooking too. For everyday cooks through to people who want to do something just a little differently, this is an opportunity to pick up one or two new tricks.”

The Good Food & Wine Show is on at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 15 – 17. Check out www.goodfoodshow.com.au for more information. Tickets from the website, Ticketek or at the door. Some classes cost extra on top of general show entry.