Savour New Zealand 2007
The dates and presenters for Savour New Zealand 2007 have just recently been announced and, as a participant at the 2005 event, I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone with even the slightest interest in food and wine. It takes place in Christchurch, from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 April 2007, and this year Lauraine Jacobs, Cuisine magazine food editor, is the Programme Director.
Presenters that she has lined up include one of my favourite cookbook writers, Tamasin Day-Lewis; New York cheesemonger extraordinaire, Rob Kaufelt; San Francisco’s Nancy Oakes of the acclaimed Boulevard restaurant; Gabriela Llamas, from Madrid’s famous cooking school, Juan de Altamiras; and British food writer Tom Parker Bowles, author of the recent Year of Eating Dangerously. As at Savour NZ 2005, the international is well balanced with the local – Martin Aspinwall of the wonderful Canterbury Cheesemongers; South Island Chef of the Year and Best Young Canterbury Chef, Guy Stanaway; Marlborough winemakers Matt Thomson and Patrick Materman; and Australian representatives – Geoff Lindsay, chef/owner of award-winning Melbourne restaurant Pearl and Max Allen, best-selling author and Australia’s most published wine writer.
Do be aware, however, that a delegate pass is NZ$685 but this does include eight classes over the weekend, all the food and wine that you can possibly eat and drink during those classes, lunches (just in case you’re a bit peckish!), coffee breaks, the opening cocktail party on Friday night and the Great Farewell send off on Sunday. The Boyfriend and I were trying to plan our next trip to NZ to coincide with Savour New Zealand but a family wedding in January has put paid to that. I’ll have to try and sign up for 2009!
