You say tomato, we say Tomato Festival Sydney!
The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s award-winning Tomato Festival Sydney returns for its fifth year on 17 and 18 February 2018, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. Bring along the whole family for an inspiring harbourside food festival celebrating all things tomato!
Set on the spectacular foreshore lawns within the Garden, the festival celebrates the humble tomato through tomato-inspired lunches, Relish Café & Bar pop-up, talks, cooking demonstrations, free tours, children’s activities, produce stalls featuring local producers and artisans, free taste testings and more.
The Festival Village will be buzzing with new and exciting additions this year including:
- Longest Tomato Lunch – not one but two: The 70 metre sell-out tomato-inspired tomato lunch returns this year for both the Saturday and Sunday. The foreshore lawns will be transformed into a fabulous long lunch setting. Enjoy a three-course tomato inspired Italian lunch designed by the 2 Michelin Stars and multi-award-winning chef, Luca Ciano. The menu includes share plates and individual items, replicating a traditional Italian family feast. Relax, sit back and enjoy a long lunch with great company, live music while looking out over the most spectacular botanic garden and harbour in the world. Tickets on sale now untilThursday 8 February 2018 unless sold out beforehand.
- Cooking & Learning Hub: Join us for inspiring free gardening talks and cooking demonstrations in the Cooking & Learning Hub. Sessions include how to make mouth-watering desserts, tomato preserving with Alex Elliott-Howery from Cornersmith, along with gardening talks from industry experts. Learn how to grow heirloom tomatoes and get top tips for growing edible gardens.
- Vannella Cheese Australia: Vito, the founder of Vannella Cheese Australia, began stretching and moulding formaggio in the Puglian town of Conversano in the 1970s, when he was just a teenager. After being taught by the master craftsmen in Lazio, Vito returned with the cheese handcrafting traditions that won him European awards. Today he brought his family’s tradition of handcrafted cheese to Australia and to the Tomato Festival Sydney. They will have a range of their specialty cheeses as well as their Mozzarella bar serving two dishes: Scamorza Chips and Caprese Salad.
- Wild Kombucha by Ballsy Brewing: born after Matt and Lara returned from Maui, having been inspired by the vibrant energy of the Hawaiian Islands and the way they felt after drinking the local kombucha. Kombucha is an ancient beverage produced by the aerobic fermentation of tea with raw sugar. It has been referred to as the ‘Tea of Immortality’. Matt and Lara will be creating some special tomato inspired brews for the Festival.
- Prosciutto di Parma: since Roman times, this geographically protected food became world renowned for its delicate and sweet flavour. Prosciutto di Parma producers are only located around Parma, within the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, where the mountain air is sweet, dry and aromatic.
- Harris Farm Markets: a range of delicious heirloom and other tomato varieties will be available.
- Beeswax Wraps Australia: the amazing eco-friendly alternative to plastic wrap. Washable reusable and more manageable than plastic.
- Healthy Buddha Gardens: handcrafted Buddha Boxes waterproofed and ready-to-plant are made from recycling old fence palings and posts, bringing old hardwoods back to life. They are full of rustic charm and come in a blend of different coloured hardwoods and textures. Perfect for creating your edible garden.
“Tomatoes are enjoyed all over the world, in all manner of ways. From salads to sauces, pizza to pastas, the fabulous tomato has become a key ingredient in all our lives. In 2016 chillies spiced up the Festival, in 2017 we are celebrating the fragrant and diverse world of herbs,” said Wendy Symonds, Festival Director.
“The Festival is important as it promotes local and seasonal produce, heirloom varieties, bush tucker as well as growing and preserving the season’s bounty in an imaginative and accessible way. This, in turn, can change behaviour and drive a passion for food, where it comes from and an understanding of the important role plants play in our lives.”