Star chefs head Truffle Kerfuffle line-up

Star chefs Colin Fassnidge, Analiese Gregory, Tony Howell and Jake Kellie are among the major drawcards for this year's Truffle Kerfuffle festival in West Australia.

The event will run from June 23-25 at Fonty's Pool, Manjimup, and tickets go on sale on Monday.

Organisers are promising a "decadent weekend festival with exquisite dining events, masterclasses, truffle hunts, markets and more".

The event is held in the most prolific truffle growing region in the southern hemisphere.

Irish-born Colin Fassnidge (above) trained under French chef Raymond Blanc, has helmed several top restaurants and is now a familiar face on TV cooking shows.

I first tasted his food decades ago when he was cooking in a tiny kitchen in Rozelle at Le Grande Bouffe - and was a star in the making.

 

“I'm so happy to be attending the Truffle Kerfuffle event this year," he said. "The produce is exceptional and it's a great region with great people.

"I jumped at the chance to come this year as I use the produce and it's been way too long between visits! I'm looking forward to bringing people together with some great food.”

Fassnidge will create a multi-course dinner centred on freshly harvested black truffles and other Southern Forests produce. He will also run a Chef’s Cabin masterclass, and do a cooking demonstration on the Festival Village Stage.

Gregory, the former executive chef of Franklin in Hobart, returns to Truffle Kerfuffle.

“In 2021 when I was last at the festival, I really loved the ability to let my mind run wild in terms of cooking with truffles. It’s not often you have such a free rein to combine them in such copious quantities with other produce,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to pushing the boundaries of that again in a new menu and looking forward to cooking with Melissa Palinkas and to again be among the beauty of the region.”

For full details of the events see www.trufflekeruffle.com.au

Tickets are on sale from Monday via Moshtix

Truffle Kerfuffle back on the menu

Calling all lovers of pungent fungi.

The Truffle Kerfuffle festival has been confirmed for June 23-25, 2023, in the heart of Australian truffle country at Manjimup, Western Australia.

The event was cancelled in 2022 due to uncertainty surrounding public safety during the pandemic.

Manjimup, in WA's Southern Forests, is the most prolific truffle growing region in the southern hemisphere, producing about 85%t of all black truffles grown in Australia and fetching prices of up to $3,000 per kilogram.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Roger Cook welcomed the return of Truffle Kerfuffle and said it was a key event in the gourmet food calendar.

“This event not only highlights the world-class nature of Manjimup’s own truffles, but also brings thousands of visitors to the region and provides a fantastic base to explore Australia’s South West,” he said."

Truffle Kerfuffle is a celebration of Manjimup’s “black gold”, sought-after by chefs around the globe for their consistent high quality and heady, earthy aromas.

Events on the menu include candle-lit long-table feasts, fireside cooking classes with top chefs, truffle dog demonstrations and truffle hunts, a market selling local produce, wine sessions and spirit tastings and free cooking demonstrations.

Project manager Sophie Zalokar said: “The Southern Forests region’s soils and climate and its successful and hard-working truffle growers produce first-class truffles.

“I’m excited about my new role which includes providing creative direction, curating the talent selection and working collaboratively with chefs, growers and the community.”

For details see www.trufflekeruffle.com.au

Image: Sarah Hewer

New festival replaces canned Truffle Kerfuffle

Calling all gourmets in Western Australia.

Truffle Kerfuffle may have been kicked into touch for 2022, but it has been replaced by the new Manjimup Truffle and Wine Festival, to be held from June 24-26.

The new event will showcase local producers and makers with truffle tours, gourmet degustation dinners, dog-led truffle hunts, farm visits, wine tastings, entertainment and wine masterclasses.

Events will be held across the Manjimup and Pemberton regions at venues including Truffle Hill Wines, Hidden River Estate, Ampersand Estates, Tall Timbers Manjimup, Pemberley of Pemberton, Stonebarn Estate and more.

Chefs on hand will include TV personalities Alistair McLeod and Laura Sharrad.

The event is supported by the Manjimup and Pemberton Chambers of Commerce, Southern Forest Food Council, Shire of Manjimup and Tourism WA.

It comes after the annual Truffle Kerfuffle, which has been held since 2011, was cancelled this year with organisers saying in April: "Lasting impacts of the pandemic have undermined the 2022 festival’s ticket sales and the availability of a skilled regional workforce that is necessary to put on the event. To maintain the high standard Truffle Kerfuffle is known for, the board has decided to cancel the 2022 event and to focus efforts on delivering the festival in 2023 and 2024."

But some locals refused to give up.

“We wanted to be sure the annual truffle season was marked in some way, given the Shire of Manjimup is the largest producer of black truffles in the southern hemisphere, so we will be opening our farm and truffle restaurant for the whole weekend to celebrate,” Truffle Hill wine director Stuart Hutchinson said.

“There are more than 60 local truffières and they provide 95% of Australia’s production, so it’s important we continue to highlight what’s on offer.

“Demand for high-quality, high-value food and beverage products is increasing, with many consumers now seeking out specialised products and experiences – and the Shire of Manjimup has those in spades.”

Manjimup Gateway Hotel is hosting several truffle-related events with some already sold out.

For more information and details of confirmed events, visit www.manjimuptruffleandwinefestival.com.au

Truffles make a gourmet mark in Australia

While it is hard to match the fresh, pungent - and hugely expensive - truffles found in France and Italy, an increasing number of Australian producers are enjoying success with domestic truffle products and spin-offs. 

Truffle Hill at Manjimup in Western Australia is one of the longest-established truffle producers in Australia with a popular tourism offering as well as a range of gourmet products. 

It was Australia's first successful commercial truffle farm, not surprising as the climate in Manjimup is similar to Perigord, with wet winters and warm summers, which produce the most flavoursome truffles.

     

Truffle Hill (formerly known Truffle and Wine Co.) and was also the first Australian truffle company to export fresh black Périgord truffles to the global culinary stage, opening up the Australian truffle season into Europe, Asia and the Americas. 

The Manjimup region is the heart of Australia’s fresh truffle industry and provides chefs with Australian products at times of the year European offerings are not available. 

The range now extends beyond fresh truffles to gourmet truffle products, which were created so that the joy and rich aromas and flavours of truffles can be savoured and shared all year round, not only during truffle season.

Over the past couple of weeks I have tried the Truffle Hill truffle risotto, an intense and authentically Italian-tasting rice dish that my wife paired brilliantly with crayfish and lamb kidneys (above); and the Truffle Hill hot sauce, which gave a new dimension and lift to the humble sausage rolls from my local bakery. 

For details on both the Truffle Mushroom Risotto and Truffle Hot Sauce can be found by clicking on the links.

Truffle Hill dates back 25 years and was Australia’s first true commercial truffière.

Surrounded by vineyards, orchards and rolling hills, the produces not only truffles, but also wines. 

If you are visiting the region then you might want to book for a truffle hunting experience to discover how truffles grow and find mature truffles that are ready for harvesting.

Fresh truffles are for sale from June to August each year, while condiments, oils, gift packs and more are available all year round. 

Two lucky Gourmet on the Road readers won samples of the goodies. They are V. Jaynes of Queensland and D.Reardon of Tasmania.