Unley Gourmet Gala – January 16

More than 20,000 revellers are expected to attend the Unley Gourmet Gala street party, which is held annually in conjunction with the Tour Down Under and celebrates its 18^th birthday next Tuesday. The event will feature around 30 gourmet food and wine stalls, with local restaurants also opening for longer and spilling out onto the street. There will be cooking demonstrations, fashion parades, live music, DJs and roving performers. The event runs from 5-10pm.

Willunga Farmers’ Market twilight market – January 19

This special event is also celebrating the Tour Down Under, stage five of which travels from McLaren Vale to Willunga Hill on Saturday, January 20. The Friday twilight Farmers’ Market, from 5-8.30pm, replaces Willunga’s usual Saturday morning market, and as well as the usual produce stalls there will be hot food stalls, licensed areas and late-night trading. More info on the Facebook event page.

Adelaide French Festival – January 12-14

French cuisine, art and music will come together for La Soirée Cliché, “a non-stop feast for the senses” at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Banquet Room on Saturday, January 13. Part of the inaugural Adelaide French Festival, the event will feature food by Cliché executive chef Fabien Streit, body art by Emma Hack and music by Baby et Lulu. For a more informal taste of French food and wine, the AFC will present Gastronomie from 11am till late on Saturday and Sunday on the Riverdeck, with edibles from La Buvette, The Smelly Cheese Shop, Crepe Bar and La Provence, plus a Pol Roger bar. The French Festival also includes cooking demos, and cheese, wine and Pol Roger Champagne masterclasses. Browse all events here, and read InDaily‘s story about the festival here.

Rooftop BBQ and Beer Cooking Class – January 20

This Work-Shop Adelaide event promises to teach you “everything you need to know about cooking on a barbecue”. Participants will learn how to make dishes ranging from slow-cooked beef cheeks to charred vegetables, grilled fish – and even corn tortillas. Young Henrys will be providing brews to quench your thirst during the class, which runs from 5pm-8.30pm at the WOTSO workspace in Flinders St. Tickets and details here.

Adelaide Showground Farmers Market cooking demos – until January 28

Guest chefs from the TV cooking shows MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules are hosting cooking demonstrations inside the market pavilion at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Market throughout January. This Sunday (January 14), Sam Whitehead of Gut Feeling Fermentation will share tips on preparing and working with fermented, raw, local, probiotic products; on January 21, Callum Hann of Sprout Cooking School
will create two dishes showcasing fresh seasonal produce; and on January 28 Jessie Spiby
 of Jessie Does Food will offer her cooking inspiration. Demos start at 11am; more details here.

Bottomless Brunch at Electra House – January 20

You can shake off the January back-to-work blues with this bottomless brunch hosted by the hospitable team at Electra House. Tickets are available for 12pm and 2pm sittings, and the $69.31 price includes a three-course meal and an endless supply of spritzes, prosecco, Bloody Marys and Mimosas for the duration of your sitting. For tickets, see the event page.

Crush Festival – January 26-28

Longview Vineyard’s annual The Piece Project Crush Festival event.

Crush is back in 2018 and taking punters on a wine odyssey throughout the Adelaide Hills. General entry to is free, and a $10 souvenir glass can be purchased on the day, but there are also a bunch of ticketed events on offer. Greenhill Wines will be hosting a Mad Hatter’s Picnic, featuring a picnic lunch matched to wine, courtesy of winemaker Paul Henschke; Howard Vineyard is throwing a rosé party, Rosé. Repeat, and Longview Vineyard will host its annual Piece Project, featuring street artists competing for The Piece Shiraz label, accompanied by Longview’s wines and tunes. For full details on Crush 2018, head to the website.

Taste Eden Riesling Festival – January 27

More than 30 aged and new-release Rieslings will be on show during Eden Valley’s Taste Eden Riesling Festival, hosted in the historic Franklin House gardens. Mingle with the makers and enjoy food by Andre’s Cucina project Mangia Mangia. Tickets are $25, available here.

Espresso Martini Festival – February 2-3

Adelaide’s best and brightest bartenders will compete for the title of Best Espresso Martini in Town at this cocktail festival, which runs from 5pm until 11pm on Friday, February 2, and from 12pm-10pm on Saturday, February 3. The list of participating venues will be announced soon, and all attendees will be given the opportunity to vote for which cocktail the 2019 event will focus on. Tickets are $30 a piece, for more information, see the event page.

Long Lunches on the Palais – March 4-12

One of last year’s Palais long lunches. Photo: Adelaide Festival

The Adelaide Festival is presenting a second series of long, lazy lunches aboard the Riverbank Palais across five dates from March 4 to 12. Curated by Gill Minervini (Dark MOFO Winter Feast), the 2018 program features guest chefs O Tama Carey, Jared Ingersoll, Alex Herbert, Jordan Theodoros and Janet Jeffs (you can read more about them on the festival program here). The cost is $169 for a long-table meal paired with beer and wine which explores SA’s food heritage and also provides an insight into each chef’s food story.

News, tips and information?

Please send details of any upcoming food and/or drink events to: [email protected].­­