Just one week to go – this week is your last chance to secure tickets to Australia’s most decadent winter festival, Truffle Kerfuffle held at Fonty’s Pool in Manjimup from June 28 to 30, 2024.
With some events already sold out, get in quick and plan an indulgent winter escape.
Expect the intoxicating, unmistakable aroma of freshly harvested black truffle at every turn as seasoned chefs sharpen their shavers to delicately slice more than $70,000 worth of ‘black diamonds’ across the weekend.
Black Manjimup Truffles (tuber melansoporum) are sought-after by chefs across the globe for their consistent high quality, impossible-to-describe taste and heady, earthy aroma.
Alex Crisp, a contestant and top ten finalist of the current season of MasterChef, jumps straight off our living room screens to join celebrity chefs Gary Mehigan and Christine Manfield, alongside Amy Hamilton (Liberté, Albany), Paul Iskov (Fervor), Evan Hayter (de’scendent, Margaret River), and Brian Cole (Ritz Carlton, Perth).
Ms Crisp will be doing two demonstrations on the Festival Village Stage, her first gig after being eliminated from MasterChef a few days ago.
“Being a part of Truffle Kerfuffle is a big deal to me, I’m super excited,” Ms Crisp said.
“I’ll be demonstrating a dish like the one that I cooked as part of my audition for MasterChef but better because it’ll have truffle, an ooey, gooey truffle raviolo.
“I can’t wait to be amongst like-minded people at a wonderful event, I’ve never had the chance to go to before.
“I love Manjimup and the Southern Forests and all the suppliers, growers, farmers, producers and all the fresh high-quality fruit and vegetable that come from the region, and of course, I love truffles.
“I’m so excited to do a truffle hunt, it’ll be my first one, I’ve never been on a truffle hunt before,” said the 27-year-old.
New to the Truffle Kerfuffle program is Truffle Truffle Cooking School with Rebecca Sullivan, where kids will make their own truffle-flavoured chocolate truffles. Free with Festival Village entry, there are three sessions each day, split into age groups and each class limited to 10 kids per session.
Forever a crowd favourite is Facepainting with Colour Me, ready to paint a smile or truffle dog whiskers onto the faces of little ones at the Festival Village from 11am to 3pm.
See the clever canines at work as they nose out hidden truffles at the free Truffle Dog Demonstration on Saturday (29/6/24) and Sunday (30/6/24) at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm at the Festival Village.
The Marketplace will also be buzzing with stall holders selling freshly unearthed truffles at great prices, truffle products, truffle dishes, along with gourmet products, wine, beer, cider and spirit tastings and local artisan products.
Step outside into the Festival Village and follow your nose to the Campfire Kitchen for truffle-laden food, enjoy live music, gather around a fire pit, then perch at the Festival Bar and settle in for the afternoon.
There are a few tickets left to long table dining events, Speaking Local Brunch with Amy Hamilton on Saturday, and A Place, A Taste and A Story Brunch with Paul Iskov on Sunday, as well as a scattering of tickets to the Chef’s Cabin Masterclasses.
Nestled in the Southern Forests, Manjimup pioneered the Australian truffle industry. With a unique climate, loamy soils, rain fall and proximity to the ocean, Manjimup is the most prolific truffle growing region in the Southern Hemisphere producing 85 per cent of premium black truffles in Australia.
There are more than 50 different types of fruits and vegetables, truffles, nuts, award-winning wines, beers, spirits, and ciders, gourmet products, beef, sheep, pork, and dairy farms in the Southern Forests region, many of which will be showcased at Truffle Kerfuffle.
Date: June 28 – 30 2024
Location: Fonty’s Pool, Manjimup, Western Australia
Bookings – www.trufflekerfuffle.com.au
