Maleny Real Food Festival

What a magic weekend.  Not only was the weather wonderful but I spent quality time with Hubby and my best friend Sandra and attended the Maleny Real Food Festival.

This is the introduction from their website and I cannot speak highly enough about the wonderful festival that the organisers put on.

The Real Food Festival is a fantastic celebration of the wonderful variety of food that Sunshine Coast producers, manufacturers and restaurants have to offer, and a brilliant way to talk, taste and buy from them.  With stalls, demonstrations, discussions, hands-on and other activities throughout the weekend, the Festival has something for everyone and is a great way for people to support the best of Sunshine Coast regional food.

The weather was glorious and Sandra and I got there at 9am just as the gates were opening.  This was a great plan as we had time to speak to a number of stall holders before the crowds arrived.  And arrive they did.

The range of food, products and information on offer was amazing.  There were so many great stalls to visit and interesting people to talk to.   Here are some of my highlights although not even a drop in the ocean of the great things there were to see.
Meeting the lovely Rhonda from Down to Earth.  Rhonda was there as a presenter on the day and it was great to be able to introduce myself and thank Rhonda for all the work she puts into her blog.
The Crystal Waters Community Co-Op stand with, the very welcoming and generous with her time, Robin Clayfield.  Robin runs permaculture courses and I will be doing one in the first half of next year.

There were the ladies from Fabulous Food Ferments who were sharing their knowledge about fermented foods.  This is a subject that I am interested in learning more about.

Felix from Kin Kin Naturals was there and this was the first time we had meet in person.  I am a big fan of the products he produces and although I receive no incentives to talk about his products I am happy to do so.

With not a cloud in the sky it was a great day to be out and about and there were plenty of families enjoying a day out.

On the way home we stopped to take in the views over the glasshouse mountains.  It was a bit smoky from controlled burn offs.

Here are some of the locally produced goodies I picked up.

A goat and cow  blend soft cheese, vintage cheddar and brie

Tasty spreads

The most devine jam and Bunya Nuts in Liquer

Chocolate covered Blueberries, chilli sauce and nougat

Next year I think I will plan to go for the weekend and plan to see more of the presentations.  This year it was not an option but next year I will make sure I do not have any conflicting plans.

Have you been to any great local events lately?