Food and Wine Festival goes supersize with Village Feast in Gippsland

Thorpdale, a 19th-century town of 180 souls, will for the weekend supersize its food and drink offer in collaboration with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, bringing together some of Gippsland's brightest lights as well as talent from around Australia to celebrate everything that's great about eating in Victoria.

The Village Feast 2022 will take place on Thorpdale's main drag on the weekend of November 19-20, making for a big day out in a beautiful town enriched with exceptional one-off food collaborations, a delicious array of Gippsland wines, beers, ciders and spirits as well as plenty of things to see and do.

A crack team of chefs promises outstanding Gippsland produce as you've never seen it before. Grab a choripan, everyone's favourite hot-chorizo-on-a-bun situation from Danielle Alvarez, former head chef of Sydney's Fred's restaurant, catch Tasmanian chef and How Wild Things Are author Analiese Gregory working the grill, or savour a sausage and egg muffin from cult Richmond sandwich geniuses Hector's Deli as they take over the old post office.

Alejandro Saravia from Farmer's Daughters and Victoria is bringing all the deli good times, terrines and pickles and you won't want to miss the trout tartare with Baw Baw wild herbs and gaufrette potatoes and the wild venison cooked over charcoal from Hogget chef Trevor Perkins. And no country fair is complete without some sweet treats - not least when we've got the supremely talented Patti Chimkire from Mali Bakes doing what she does best, served by the slice.

The former general store is transforming into a pop-up wine bar, just the place to taste your way through drops from William Downie, ARC Wines and the best the region has to offer.

Thorpdale's own food heros are bringing their A-game to the weekend, whether it's pies and potato bread from the Thorpdale Bakery, or the magic of one of the region's premier art deco pubs, The Travellers Rest, where Gippsland brewers are taking over all the taps and the kitchen is turning it up on the bangers and mash and parmas, and the smoker is turning out pulled-pork rolls. They will be joined by Gippsland restaurants Trulli, who will be firing up the wood fire pizza oven, and The Tinamba Hotel, who will bring a taste of central Gippsland to the event.

This is superb dairy country, and there's no shortage of dairy on show at the feast. Sallie Jones from Gippsland Jersey leads the charge, accompanied by The Fromagerie by Loch Grocer and That's Amore, to offer cheesy pasta, cannoli, milkshakes, ice-cream and cheese platters from across the region.

Thirsty? In addition to the wine bar, the tap takeover at the pub and the coffee options, there are also pop-up bars across the site to make sure you've got refreshment to hand from Sailors Grave, Good Land and other top Gippsland brewers, cideries and distilleries.

You can also visit the marketplace for a winning selection of Gippsland growers, producers, makers and creators, giving you an opportunity to bring a taste of the region home with you. The Meet the Maker booths dotted around the site provide the perfect opportunity to get to know the region's producers and hear their personal stories.

Thorpdale is the gateway to the Strzelecki Ranges and can be found about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Melbourne.

Early-bird tickets to the Village Feast are $31 (before November 9); otherwise $45.

A bus will run from Federation Square, Melbourne, to The Village Feast at a cost of $30 return. If you are coming by rail, continuous shuttles will run from Trafalgar Station to the event site.

For more, go to www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au and click on Village Feast.