Chef heads West from River Cottage for Taste Great Southern

WA foodies whose imaginations were captured by the TV series River Cottage Australia will have an opportunity to meet celebrity chef Paul West at Taste Great Southern. West, who learned his trade at the bistro of Melbourne’s highly regarded Vue de Monde, will make a special appearance at Due South on Friday, April 3, for Beef It Up, an event hosted by Due South’s head chef Nic Lancaster. While Lancaster and MasterChef 2019 fan favourite Derek Lau produce a mouth-watering three-course meal, guests will have the chance to hear from West. The NSW father-of-two will be at the Albany Farmers Market on Saturday, April 4, for Shop Local/Eat Local, followed by the Albany Wine and Food Festival later that day. He will also be helping Denmark’s Pepper and Salt chef Silas Masih at the Amazing Marron Feast on April 5. West said he had heard great things about the region’s wines and he was looking forward to sampling them at the Albany Wine and Food Festival at Eyre Park. “I’m definitely planning on getting familiar with them while I’m in the Great Southern,” he said. Since River Cottage finished four years ago, West has been hosting cooking demonstrations at food festivals around Australia and appearing on Catalyst, Back Roads and Gardening Australia as a guest presenter. He has also published a cookbook and vegetable growing guide called The Edible Garden, which encapsulates much of what he learned at River Cottage. The TV series followed West as he built up a sustainable farm in Central Tilba on NSW’s far south coast, harvesting, cooking and sharing his produce with the locals. West, wife Alicia and their sons Otto and Bowie left NSW after filming ended, but they have since moved back to the south coast, settling in Bermagui. He said he saw similarities between Bermagui and Albany, from the scenery to the fishing. “I’m also looking forward to sampling the local produce, something I’m passionate about as an advocate of real food, community, regional living and sustainable culture,” he said.