October 6 2005

Ellerslie Flower Show 2005 is more than beautiful flowers, breathtaking design and unusual plants. With edible gardening top of the menu this year, the Show is guaranteed to tantalise the tastebuds!

Visitors will be treated to a veritable feast of fine wine and cuisine, with this year’s Foodtown and Woolworths Marquee one of the culinary highlights at the Show. A larger than life marquee celebrating the best in food and drink, the Foodtown and Woolworths Marquee will be where garden party meets gourmet delights, with stunning feature displays and new product releases for visitors to taste and sample.

Produce on offer in the Fresh Zone will include everything from the freshest and softest bread rolls, spicy fruit buns and baps, to pecan nuts, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. Fine cuts of meat including lamb racks, sirloin steak and delicious Italian sausage are also part of The Fresh Zone.

The Show’s Hort Galore Marquee will be home to two different edible gardening-inspired exhibits from Auckland Vegetable Growers and Landscapes Limited and Tharfield Nursery Ltd.

Auckland Vegetable Growers and Landscapes Limited have characterised their exhibit with a walk-through menu, featuring edible displays, names associated with edible delights such as the Monsteria Fruit Salad Vine and fantastic local produce.

There will also be a giant marquee surrounded by hail-cloth that will give the impression of a restaurant with a fabulous foliage-inspired menu. Included in the mains will be a pig on a spit, with the pig made entirely from peanuts, lit up with lights shining through red capsicums placed under its belly.

Tharfield Nursery ‘Incredible Edibles’ exhibit will inspire the public to bring their gardens alive with fruit. The exhibit will concentrate on smaller garden requirements and introduce plants not before considered in this environment, such as blueberries and figs in pots.

There will also be coffee and tea plants, Pepino’s and Japanese Raisin Trees, providing the public with an opportunity to see how to create the Wow! factor in their own gardens.

If you want to learn simple ways to improve your health then check out Auckland Botanic Gardens ‘Menu for Life’ exhibit at the Sunday magazine Exhibition Gardens.

Auckland Botanic Gardens has teamed up with 5+ A Day to create an exhibit that will focus on tasty and nutritious fruit and vegetables, with an aim to encourage Kiwis to grow them in their own backyard.

International chef Mark Nicholson will work his culinary magic at the exhibit, with cooking demonstrations using delicious fresh produce displayed in the garden.

There will be also be a stunning home garden complete with fruit, vegetables and edible flowers, outdoor cooking area and composting area that will demonstrate how achievable it is for New Zealanders to lead a healthier lifestyle.

To get in the know about edible gardening and how to recreate the fantastic cuisine ideas on Show, check out NZ Gardener speaker series line-up. Julian Matthews and Dennis Greville will intrigue with their discussion on ‘Vegetables for the kitchen garden’ and Andrew Boylan will delight with his talk ‘Incredible edibles – Let me bring your garden alive with fruit’.

And at the end of the day when all you need is a nice strong cuppa, head to the Twinings Tea Stop, where you’ll find highly-scented plants that also feature in their refreshing teas – this is the ultimate spot to get passionate about tea!

Ellerslie Flower Show 2005 will provide insight to the world of edible gardening, an increasing trend in New Zealand that is truly good enough to eat!

The Ellerslie Flower Show 2005 promises to be Like Never Before, with innovation, inspiration and floral delights to warm even the coldest gardening heart! The Show will spring into bloom from 16–20 November. Tickets can be purchased at any Ticketek outlet, by contacting 09 307 5000 (or your local Ticketek number) or via the website www.ticketek.co.nz