Orange F.O.O.D. Week celebrates its 21st birthday this year, making it one of the country’s longest running regional food and wine festivals.

It was initially held in 1991 with a small number of visionary Orange producers and chefs, and eight winemakers.  21 years later, the 2012 festival will host six marque events with well over 70 dinners, lunches, tastings, presentations and markets that showcase the food and wine of the Orange region hosted by wineries and restaurants.

F.O.O.D. Week will be launched with the annual Night Market, held in Orange’s beautiful Robertson Park.  This is an idyllic location eminently suited to a relaxing night’s food and wine tasting.

On Monday 16 April, the fourth 100 Mile Dinner will be held on the main street of Canowindra (the road is blocked off) and 300 guests will enjoy food and wine from five towns, Bathurst, Canowindra, Cowra, Mudgee and Orange.  It is a truly unique event and the tickets have already sold out.

The next big event, doubling in size from 2011, is Forage. 
Forage, proudly sponsored by NSW Department of Primary Industries, is another unique event, comprising a walk through the vineyards with wine and food stations along the way.  Six of Orange’s best chefs and restaurants prepare the food, including Simonn Hawke from Lolli Redini, Scott Want from Bistro Ceello and Tony Worland from Tonic.

The walk totals 3.5 kilometres, beginning at Philip Shaw’s Koomooloo Vineyard on the Forbes Road and finishing at Orange Highland Wines & Gardens at Nashdale.

“F.O.O.D. Week is one of the biggest events on the NSW regional food and wine calendar,” said F.O.O.D. President Edwena Mitchell.  “It is now in its 21st year and how things have changed.  At the first F.O.O.D. Affair, there were some seven or eight wineries, a butcher cooking a BBQ and a caterer trying to replicate a French Café.  We now welcome visitors from around Australia and feel that F.O.O.D. Week has substantially contributed to our region’s success.”

The key events during the week comprise:

F.O.O.D. Week Night Market
Friday 13 April 2012, Robertson Park, Orange. 5.30pm to 8.30pm.
The opening event of the week, with a beautiful array of local food and wine; plates of food are set at $6 each, enabling visitors to sample a variety of the region’s produce.
Cost: gold coin entry.

F.O.O.D. Train
Friday 20 April, Check www.orangefoodweek.com.au  for details.
Starting with pancakes on the platform at Sydney’s Central Station before beginning a tasty and educational trip to Orange for the weekend, including accommodation, tickets to Forage and the F.O.O.D. Affair and all transfers.
Cost: Check www.orangefoodweek.com.au  for details.

Forage
Saturday 21 April 2012, Starting at F.O.O.D. Central, 84 Sale Street, Orange. 11.30am-6.00pm.
A guided walk through the vineyards, eating local produce and tasting the wines every 500 metres over a leisurely paced 3.5 kilometre walk from Borenore to Nashdale.
Cost: $95.00.

F.O.O.D. Central
Daily from, 13-21 April 2012, Union Bank, 84 Sale Street, Orange 11.00am-12.30pm.
F.O.O.D. Week’s meeting place, with a range of local producers hosting discussions and demonstrations.  F.O.O.D. Central becomes a hive of activity, with information on what’s on and where to go.
Cost: Free.

F.O.O.D. Affair
Sunday 22 April 2012, Northcourt, Cnr March and Peisley Streets, Orange. 10am-4.00pm.
This is the finale to F.O.O.D. Week, with a family friendly day enjoying cooking demonstrations and Masterchef winner Kate Bracks hosting the ‘Producers Pantry’.
Cost: Gold coin.

“We are encouraging visitors to explore the food and wine of the Orange region by visiting the farms, kitchens, cafes, wineries orchards and markets. It’s a fantastic chance to meet the producers and chefs who work in the region. They are so passionate about what they do and love nothing more than sharing their experiences.”

The full copy of the 2012 F.O.O.D. Week program, as well as tickets to the various events, can be downloaded from www.orangefoodweek.com.au.

Further information on the Orange region can be found at www.tasteorange.com.au or Facebook and Twitter.