Today, a new concept to help out home cooks; natural wine and local food in Willunga; the Adelaide Food & Wine Festival gets a headstart, and prepare yourself for Adelaide’s annual celebration of German food and beer.
DIY delicious
An innovative new East End food business is directed at people who love to cook but are too busy to manage the full task of choosing a recipe and sourcing ingredients.
DIY Gourmet, which opened just a week ago, conveniently packages the ingredients you need for a delicious meal, plus a detailed recipe.
Set up by Nick Schadegg, son of legendary restaurateur Leo (of Alphütte fame), DIY Gourmet is offering a surprisingly inexpensive menu of dishes available for pick-up from its Grenfell Street premises, or for home delivery within the city or Kent Town for a reasonable $3 fee.
Nick says the service is for time-poor but keen cooks – many of the ingredients are pre-chopped, ready to go. He also argues that the dishes are cheaper than if you sourced the ingredients at the supermarket.
The list of dishes include beef pho ($8.90 per serve), Umbrian lentil and artichoke soup ($6.90 per serve), prawn pad Thai ($9.90 per serve), and mushroom risotto ($6.90 per serve), to name a few. The full range can be viewed on the website.
Customers can pop into the shop at 248 Grenfell Street and choose a meal (open Monday-Friday, 1-8pm, and weekends, 4.30-8pm).
Nick says if you call ahead with your order it will be waiting for you when you come in – portioned, packaged and ready to go.
Part of the menu on the DIY Gourmet website.
Untamed wine at Fino
Tickets are still available for a special wine lunch at Willunga’s Fino restaurant on Saturday, January 18.
James Erskine of Jauma Wines will be showing off his wines, matched to four courses of David Swain’s excellent food, which always makes the most of local Fleurieu produce.
Erskine, a former sommelier of the year, is now making a name for himself as a winemaker, focusing on “natural”, unfiltered and cloudy wine styles.
Based in the Adelaide Hills, Erskine produces all of his wines without the addition of yeasts, acids, enzymes, polymers or tannins.
For more info and to book tickets, go here. 
- Fino’s Sharon Romeo and David Swain.
Festival gets a headstart
The independent Adelaide Food & Wine Festival isn’t due to get underway until April, but organiser Amanda James-Pritchard is getting in early with a series of Riverbank events starting on Sunday, January 19.
The Sunday Sessions on the Riverbank will continue until February 23, starting with a giant bibimbap produced by Korean chef Chung Jae Lee and finishing with a vermentino and sardine spectacular overseen by David Swain.
It will take place at the Blue Hive, a new venue at the rear of the Adelaide Convention Centre near the Torrens footbridge. The food will be accompanied by a pop-up bar featuring local wine and beer.
On Australia Day, Adelaide’s master of fine meat Richard Gunner will look after the Great Aussie BBQ, followed by a Spanish fiesta on February 2 featuring a giant paella cooked by Georgie from El Choto. On February 9, there will be craft beer showcase matched with meatballs from Delectaballs.
Entry is free, with food and wine available for purchase.
For more info about the festival, keep an eye on the Facebook page.
- Vermentino and sardines are natural partners, and events have previously been held in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
Wunderbar
The annual Schutzenfest returns to Bonython Park on Friday and Saturday, with plenty of food and drinks for the many fans of German cuisine and fun.
Festival-goers can choose from the free tram or shuttle bus to and from the city.
There will be plenty of beer and schnapps to wash down the German cake, pretzels, schnitzels and smallgoods.
The event kicks off at 4pm on Friday. For the full program and more details, go here.
