If you love food as much as I do, then a food festival is something you have to experience and Gourmet in Gundy is just the event to attend.
It was a beautiful spring Sunday morning and the air was abuzz with the chatter and laughter of the crowd and the live band playing music. The smells seemed to change with the wind, from the sweet scent of fresh doughnuts to mouthwatering meats sizzling away on the barbecue.
I was hungry and excited and I was ready to eat and drink all the amazing food on offer; the only problem was I had no idea what I wanted to eat first!
After having a walk around to scope out all the amazing options, I chose to start a stall that sold Dutch Poffertjies & Twisted Potato Stix.
I ordered my Dutch Poffertjes, which are mini, fat pancakes cooked in a special cast iron pan, with maple syrup and cinnamon icing sugar. The Poffertjes were cooked right in front of us and came of the pan hot and ready for toppings. It was a generous serving and they tasted delicious!
I also tried a Salt & Vinegar flavoured Twisted Potato and it was amazing. It tasted like salt and vinegar chips, only it was hot and fresh – it was probably the nicest thing I tried at the festival.
Next, we hit the fudge stall. I must admit, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but this fudge was good! The flavours they had were a mix of unique and classic favourites alike. And the best thing is they had free samples so you could try before you buy! First up I tried a ‘Musk Stick’ flavoured fudge that tasted just like the real thing. And it was the same story with the ‘Red Skin’ fudge. I had to get some of that one.
As it there was still a good half an hour until noon, we took the opportunity to do a little shopping before lunch. There was lots of goodies to take home, including spice rubs, mixed, and flavoured oils from a stall called Flavourista, natural honeys, relishes and sun-dried tomatoes from Lindy’s Tomatoes and Turkish biscuits, Turkish Delight and Baklava from Melek’s Baklava.
After we were finished filling our bags with yummy treats, it was time for lunch. The main meal options included wood-fired pizza from Flaming Good, seafood Paella and free-range pork rolls. It was a tough decision, but I went with the Paella. It was cooked in a traditional Paella pan and the serving was very generous.
The flavours were delicious and they weren’t stingy with the seafood. Mussels, prawns and fish were plentiful in the dish and any seafood lover would love it. As much as I would have loved to try a pizza, it was time for me to find a seat and let my tummy rest.
I was ready to just sit down and enjoy the live music by a local band, The Groove Cartel. The band was fantastic and they provided a great atmosphere to the event, stopping only when the BBQ competition started; where the four schools of Goondiwindi go head to head in a cook-off, and celebrity chef, Matt Golinski took the stage to give live cooking demonstrations.
The event was BYO picnic blanket so you can enjoy the beautiful spring day, the great food and live entertainment sprawled out on the soft, green lawn but there was also lots of tables set up with umbrellas. We chose to sit at a table as we were that full, we thought we might have fallen asleep. So we sat, with our drinks, in the shade of a large umbrella, listening to music and catching up with friends.
But, seeing as we were at a food festival, I thought we could all fit at least one more bite in. So we headed to C’est Cheese on the Go, a food van that I had been eyeing off all day. It seemed as though a few people had the same idea, as there was a big line up at the van. C’est Cheese seemed very popular.
Once we got our cheese platter, we headed back to our table to enjoy our last feed. The platter came with two cheeses of your choice, crackers and quince paste and it was $26. We chose a France Comté, which was a hard, nutty cheese that had been aged for 18 months in the Comté cave of France, and a Fromage D’affonois which was a creamy Brie cheese also from France. They were very nice cheeses and a great way to spend the remainder of our day. The Brie was probably the nicest I’d ever had.
Gourmet in Gundy is an event not to be missed. I highly recommended attending next years festival as I myself have already added it to my calendar. It was an incredible day full of good food, fun and laughter and I walked away feeling incredible full and happy.
