Sovereign Hill’s Heritage Harvest Weekend returns at the end of this month, bringing with it the region’s most exciting artisans, producers, makers and shakers – along with a few very special guests – for two delicious, hands-on and history-rich days celebrating the autumn harvest.
Celebrated cook, author and broadcaster Alice Zaslavsky headlines a bumper bill across the weekend, taking to the stage for a series of live cooking demonstrations and preparing her hot-pink pear salad with zippy kale and ricotta. Co-host of Good Chef Bad Chef and fellow MasterChef alumnus Tim Bone, a true champion of the region’s produce, also joins the line-up. Across several sessions, he’ll show you how to cure locally caught trout with locally made gin and take on a mystery box challenge live on stage.
Kara Monssen, food and wine editor of the Herald Sun joins in on the good times, too, moderating the Victoria Theatre main stage while Zaslavsky, Bone and a whole host of local legends take to the pans.
“I’ve been hearing about Heritage Harvest Weekend for years and feeling serious FOMO, so I jumped at the chance to be part of it,” says Zaslavsky. “I love how it brings together producers, makers and chefs to create something truly special in one iconic location. It’s all about inspiration, connection and getting people excited to celebrate the harvest and cook!”
Heritage Harvest Weekend is just as much about getting into it yourself as it is about sharpening your skills in the kitchen, and the Harvest Village is the place to do exactly that. More than 20 of the region’s makers score their own spotlight in the Village: The Spud Sisters are set to cook their celebrated potatoes over hot coals, apple lords Daylesford Cider pour the good stuff alongside fellow producers Babche Wines and Breheny Bros. Brewery, while cheesemakers Apostle Whey will bring their stand-out feta and havarti along for the ride, too.
And there’s plenty of DIY action across the weekend for those after a hands-on experience. If you like the idea of making damper, eating it, and spreading some exceptional local condiments on top, that’s something you can get stuck into on the day. Learn all about the art of confectionery at Sovereign Hill’s very own Brown’s Confectionery Factory, or join Sovereign Hill’s blacksmiths and find out how the artisans of industry made their tools of the trade.
And what’s in it for the kids? Perhaps they’d like to roll up their sleeves, pick a potato with the Spud Sisters and learn what makes the humble tuber so special. And if nature’s candy, the strawberry, is more their lane, they can join a sow-and-grow session and take home a budding strawberry plant to tend well after the weekend is over. The family affair continues across the weekend with Heritage Harvest Weekend’s Little Explorer program, including arts and crafts sessions and hands-on experiences they won’t want to miss.
History never tasted so delicious. Tickets to Sovereign Hill’s Heritage Harvest Weekend are on sale now.
Heritage Harvest Weekend, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May, tickets start from $52.50 for an adult, $33 for a child, and $145.50 for a family, hhw.sovereignhill.com.au