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Adding a new dimension to the Ballarat Heritage Festival, this year (May 21 to 29) will be The Food Edit – a collection of delicious local food and drink experiences – with a heritage twist. These specially curated events range from vintage wine dinners and old school classic menus, to baking workshops, explorations of goldfields foods, hands‐on kids’ food activities, gourmet food markets, and more, showcased in historic Ballarat buildings and locations. A major family attraction will be the Heritage Harvest Weekend (May 28 and 29) at Sovereign Hill.
Exemplifying the deep connections between food, memory, and culture will be Double Delicious. Held at the Ballarat Civic Centre on Wednesday 25 May and Thursday 26 May, 5pm and 8pm, storytellers including Benjamin Law, Heather Jeong, Valerie Berry and Raghav Handa will recreate their favourite dishes, revealing intimate glimpses into their lives. These are salty, sweet, sour and bitter stories from the heart. Audience members will be able to taste the dish at the end of each story.
With Ballarat’s stunning Victorian architecture as the backdrop, the Ballarat Heritage Festival highlights the city’s golden past while showcasing its glittering present and promising future. In addition to the new focus on food, this year’s program also features festival favourites – such as the Tweed Bike Ride, Steam Train Rides, the ever‐ popular Beard and Stache Competition, and the Craft Lab.
For further information and booking details on all of the Food Edit events, go to the Ballarat Heritage festival website.
CALENDAR OF DELICIOUS EVENTS
Heritage Harvest Weekend, Sat 28 & Sun 29 May, Sovereign Hill
A marquee event for the Food Edit will be the Heritage Harvest Weekend, 29 and 29 May, at Ballarat’s iconic tourist attraction, Sovereign Hill. Celebrating the Autumn harvest, the festivities will focus on growing seasonal food in abundance, and preserving it through age old practices of fermentation, pickling, drying, salt curing, and distilling. Visitors will be able to sample rustic food while enjoying the region’s best produce and wares in the Heritage Harvest Market; watch cheese, butter and confectionery making demonstrations; shore up their kitchen skills in a special Master Class; try their hand at making damper; and let the kids get their hands dirty in the produce garden.
High Tea, the Green House, Fri 20 ‐ Sun 22 May, Fri 27 Sun 29 May, 10.30am & 2.00pm
Presented by The High Tea Mistress, ‘The History of High Tea’ will be hosted at The Green House – a stunning indoor plant and event space in an historic warehouse. Guests will be treated to an aristocratic eight‐piece high tea, with paired teas and wines, while learning the history of this ritual and its place in Ballarat high society.
Mount Mitchell Estate Tours, May 21 & 22, May 24 & 26, May 28 & 29, 10am & 2pm
Visitors can enjoy the beautiful grounds of the National Trust‐listed Mount Mitchell Estate property, and learn of its links to famous explorers, early settlement, merino sheep, the gold rush, architecture and stories of past owners. A Devonshire tea is included.
Sourdough Masterclass, 1816 Bakehouse, Thu 26 May, 4.00pm – 6.00pm
Bakeries were some of Ballarat’s earliest established businesses, operating from as far back as 1864. Continuing this history, 1816 Bakehouse is offering a two‐hour masterclass in sourdough breadmaking by head baker, Josh Chapman. Participants will leave with their own sourdough culture and baked and unbaked breads.
Hidden Secrets Food Trail, Sat 21 & Sat 28 May, 12.00pm – 2.30pm
A guided tour of Ballarat’s hidden laneways, exploring the city’s vibrant food scene and locally‐made beverages.
Back Vintage Wine & Cheese Pairing, Mitchell Harris Wines, Sat 21 May, 4.00 – 5.00pm
Mitchell Harris Wines experts will guide guests through a tasting of hand‐selected Mitchell Harris back vintage wines, carefully matched to specific cheeses from the Calendar Cheese Company.
4 the Passion, Johnny Alloo, Sat 21 May, 6.30pm – 11.30pm
Friends Matt Freeman (Johnny Alloo), Mick Nunn (Salt Kitchen Charcuterie), Paul Williams (Le Peche Gourmand), and Troy Walsh (Attwoods Wines), are coming together to share some of the region’s best food, coffee and wine.
Tall Tales of Old Ales, Aunty Jack’s, Sat 21 May, 1.30pm – 4.00pm
Including a lunch of four courses and eight matched beers, Aunty Jack’s invites guests to linger over a long lunch and be regaled by tall tales and true of award‐winning brews.
Chinese dumpling Demonstration, Mr Jones Dining, Sun 22 May, 10.30am – 2.00pm A hands‐on dumpling‐making demonstration, followed by a dim sum lunch.
Gin Masterclass, Kilderkin Distillery, Sat 28 May, 5.30pm – 7.30pm
The masterclass will draw on Ballarat’s heritage, where the first legal distillery in the colony of Victoria was opened in the 1860s. Learn about traditional and modern approaches to gin distilling, illustrated with tastings of different gins and accompanied by selected Long Paddock cheeses.
A Shared Taste of History, the Shared Table, Sat 28 May, 6.30pm – 11.00pm
Guests will be treated to five‐course dinner, in an 1850s building, featuring today’s produce paired with tales of yesteryear, in an immersive dining experience.
Twentieth Century Toffs at Lola, Sat 28 May, 12pm – 4.00pm
From Downton Abbey to Mrs Wallis Simpson, join Richard Cornish and Owen Latta at Lola , Provincial Hotel, to celebrate classic old‐school dishes and stories from early 20th Century British cuisine.
Bull Boar & the Goldfields, Sacred Heart Convent, Sun 29 May, 11.00am – 1.00pm
Chef Peter Ford and food writer Richard Cornish host a hands‐on two‐hour masterclass on the history and the making of the internationally recognised Bull Boar Sausage.
Attendees will be able to sample Mary Ellis’ famous recipe for Gnocchi a la Romana with Bull Boar ragu, while raising a glass of Summerfield’s wine in a toast to this heralded heirloom sausage.
Roy’s Heritage Cocktails, Roy Hammond Bar, May 21 & 22, May 28 & 29
A ticket gives guests a choice of two cocktails from the Heritage List each Heritage Weekend afternoon.