Meet Australia's new gourmet festival: Savour The Tweed

Australia has a new food and drink festival - and it is being co-curated by internationally renowned chef Christine Manfield.

Savour The Tweed will be held from October 30 to November 3 to showcase the gourmet offerings available in the region. Events will be held stunning settings across the northern New South Wales region.

The inaugural five-day celebration of the region will feature curated (aren't they all nowadays?) events featuring local produce and those who bring it to life, from First Nations storytellers and passionate chefs to talented distillers, brewers and baristas, cheesemakers and farmers.

Savour The Tweed will feature 20 experiences featuring local and visiting chefs with highlights including a First Nations welcome dinner and native food foraging, farm-to-fork menus and a wild-caught seafood lunch. 

There will also be events showcasing healthy and sustainable food practices and ethical farming.

Tweed-based chef and author Manfield and local food advocate Amy Colli of Straight To The Source are the co-curators. 

They are keen to highlight the diversity of The Tweed as one of Australia's leading food and drink destinations with farm tours, distillery and brewery masterclasses, long table lunches, storytelling, cooking classes and local degustations.

Manfield said the program aimed to unearth the distinctive 'terroir' of the region. 

"Savour The Tweed will be a signature regional event, created from the ground up, and I'm so excited to be collaborating with The Tweed's impressive line-up of food and drink producers, leading chefs and cultural storytellers to celebrate the distinctive flavours and character of the region and to offer a program of immersive experiences," she said.

"The Tweed's growing profile as one of Australia's leading culinary destinations is testament to the creative vision and hard work of the region's chefs, restaurateurs, growers, distillers, brewers, food producers and First Nations talent who will all feature throughout the event program."

Sally Scott, general manager of The Tweed Tourism Company, said Savour The Tweed was an exciting addition to the region's annual tourism events calendar.

"As a five-day event, Savour The Tweed is the perfect long-weekend getaway for foodies who also want to experience The Tweed's holiday highlights including the Tweed Regional Gallery and Northern Rivers Rail Trail in the hinterland to surf lessons and snorkelling with turtles from our seaside villages,"
she said. 

Savour The Tweed will be delivered as an inclusive and eco-friendly event with a focus on accessibility considerations for all eventgoers and alignment with EarthCheck's Responsible Events Management action steps. So all hip boxes ticked. 

See visitthetweed.com.au/savourthetweed

Image: Christine Manfield and chef Ben Devlin of Pipit in Pottsville 

Meet a new luxury rural retreat

The beautiful northern New South Wales hinterland has a new luxury rural retreat.

The Brooklet officially opens for bookings on June 24 and is described as "a luxury accommodation, wellness and hospitality collective".

The Brooklet is the creation of Greta Smith and her family who, after travelling to Byron Bay more than 30 years ago, dreamed of creating their own getaway.

The retreat is situated in the small hamlet of Brooklet, a 20-minute drive from Byron Bay, five minutes from Newrybar and eight minutes from Bangalow.

The Brooklet offers three one-bedroom and three two-bedroom villas, while The Bails, a restored 100-year-old milking shed, sleeps up to six people in three king bedrooms and has its own private mineral water pool.

The property sits on 125-acres and highlights include the 25-metre tiled mineral pool, hot tub, rainwater shower, gymnasium, infra-red sauna and outdoor ice bath plus a tennis court.

For the adventurous, there are walking trails to a waterhole.



The Bar is billed as being perfect for a long lunch overlooking the pool and rolling hills, or dinner under the stars.

The Deck, connecting The Barn and The Bar, overlooks the pool while The Kitchen, built outdoors, "offers an immersive food and beverage experience where guests can gather to watch dishes being created by executive chef Simon Favorito and his team".

Much of the produce will be locally sourced produce or from the property's organic vegetable garden and orchard.

Rates at The Brooklet will start from $750 per couple per night.

For enquiries and bookings see https://www.thebrooklet.com.au/