Nigella Lawson ‘excited’ to be back for Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
TV cook Nigella Lawson is “bouncing up and down” in excitement to be back in Melbourne, while organisers are gearing up for big crowds at this year’s Food and Wine Festival.
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Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson is ‘excited as a kid at Christmas’ to be back in Melbourne headlining the city’s blockbuster Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, which kicks off today with the Herald Sun’s World’s Longest Lunch.
“I feel like a small child just before Christmas, I’m fairly bouncing up and down in excited anticipation,” she said
“Melbourne is a city that crackles with life, and the MFWF reflects and celebrates that – to be part of it, to be able to breathe it all in – feels like a such an expansive joy after all this confinement.”
Lawson is hosting a sold-out intimate afternoon tea tomorrow and one-off Sunday lunch at Federation Square.
In Saturday’s V-Weekend, she reveals the Melbourne restaurants she’s itching to try and why she’s determined to eat widely while in town.
“I came (to Melbourne) in 2011 and that was my first time, so that means a lot. I am so excited to see old friends, make new ones, and, of course, eat as widely in the city as time affords,” she said.
“I have to try and make myself not just return to places that I know I love, as there is always so much that is new in Melbourne.”
From noon today, Ben Shewry, of Australia’s top restaurant Attica, will for the first time bring his world-class cooking to the masses at the festival’s flagship event- the Herald Sun’s World’s Longest Lunch.
The event launches a bumper, two-week food and wine extravaganza in our city for the first time since 2019.
Food and Wine Victoria chief executive Anthea Loucas Bosha said she was thrilled to see the festival’s return and the city comeback to life after two years of lockdown.
“We are so thrilled to be back with our 30th anniversary Melbourne Food & Wine Festival program,” she said on Thursday.
“We have the amazing Nigella and 12 incredible international chefs in town, Ben Shewry cooking for 1800 people in the Treasury Gardens, plus super-fun events taking over the Queen Victoria Market including Maximum Chips happening Friday night, and next week Welcome to the Jungle, a ground-breaking and plant-based party.”
“There’s something for everyone, and we’re looking forward to snacking and raising a glass with tens of thousands of event-goers over the next 16 days.”
Lawson is among the many big-name international and local chefs part of this year’s line-up, including LA comedian and winemaker Eric Wareheim, Sichuan food expert Fuchsia Dunlop and London chef Skye Gyngell and Melbourne’s own George Calombaris, Karen Martini and Guy and Carlo Grossi.
Tickets via: mfwf.com.au
CROWDS FLOCKING BACK TO CITY
Melbourne got its mojo back in March with big events drawing huge crowds amid balmy weather and rising optimism.
And tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in Melbourne Food and Wine Festival programs over the next few weeks.
A record 1.44 million people attended Moomba festivities over the Labour Day long weekend, according to the latest City of Melbourne data.
Foot traffic around Town Hall on Swanston Street was at 96 per cent of pre-pandemic levels on the Labour Day Monday.
The momentum continued during the month with a 93 per cent count last weekend.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said it was clear that the community was fully embracing all the events in a jam-packed March calendar.
“The Formula One Grand Prix has sold out, AFL games in Melbourne are drawing huge crowds, and we’re expecting tens of thousands of people to take part in the many Melbourne Food and Wine Festival events over the next few weeks,” she said.
“We’ve already reimbursed diners $4m worth of Melbourne Money, which is playing a key factor in drawing more visitors into our CBD between Monday and Thursday.”
And two forms of racing have come together to celebrate their respective sports.
Melbourne Cup winning jockey Jye McNeil and legendary horse Apache Cat came head to head with a Formula 1 car at Moonee Valley ahead of the $1m Group 1 William Reid Stakes on Friday, and the F1 Grand Prix from April 7-10.
“I am really looking forward to the 3 Point William Reid Stakes,’’ McNeil said.
“Marabi will be hard to beat, but my horse Electric Girl will give it a red hot crack.”
“I have great interest in Formula One racing also. I have to support the Australian Daniel Ricciardo, and I will be cheering him on in a couple of weeks’ time”.
Superstar sprinter Marabi is looking to make it eight wins in a row, and the Friday of the Grand Prix will offer crowds a first look at the new-spec Formula One cars which are expected to hit 330km/h.
Ms Capp, who was due to attend the opening night of hit musical Hamilton on Thursday, said she will “soon be enjoying belly-laughs at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival”.
“There is so much to do in Melbourne this March and beyond, so make sure you snap up tickets to that event you’re eyeing off as they are selling out fast,” she said.
Some 40,000 people saw St Kilda play Collingwood at the Docklands last Friday night, with sensor activity on the Bourke Street Bridge going up 461 per cent compared to the previous week, and up 27 per cent compared to the 2019 benchmark.
Meanwhile, property group Knight Frank’s latest Melbourne CBD Office Market Report revealed $2B in office sales for 2021, in line with 2020 records.
It said the CBD vacancy rate was expected to peak at 12.4 per cent in mid-2022 before easing to about 9 per cent over the next few years.
Colliers state CEO John Marasco said despite the large overall vacancy rate, there were only two office tower developments in the pipeline.
“If activity returns to normalised levels we may in fact have an undersupply, as the
majority of major developments will not be delivered until 2026, assuming they obtain pre-
commitment this year,” he said.
Mr Marasco said most big organisations were reducing their office footprint, especially the major banks.
