Chelsea Winter to Judge at Fritter Festival

Bestselling cookbook author and food writer Chelsea Winter will be the celebrity judge at the Whangarei Fritter Festival on Saturday 28 March at Toll Stadium. Chelsea’s job is to sample each fritter made by the cafes and restaurants from around the region and award the Best Fritter Trophy won in 2014 by Absolute Caterers for their Pina Colada Fritter.

Chelsea’s warm, fun and fresh approach has seen her quickly become a household name across the nation. With delicious recipes using everyday ingredients, Chelsea inspires people of all ages and experience levels, both locally and internationally and she is really looking forward to the festival.

"Fritters are an integral part of my summers - my mussel fritters from Everyday Delicious have been a regular on the family menu at the beach this year!” says Chelsea.

“I also love Whangarei, so it's safe to say I'm pretty excited about being a part of the Whangarei Fritter Festival where I'll taste some tantalising frittery treats. It's going to be an amazing day of delicious food, great music and awesome people - what more you could ask for?!"

The cafes and restaurants will also be competing for the New World People’s Choice award voted by the public.

Returning to the festival this year are Absolute Caterers, Bank Street Social Club, The Cafe Helena Bay Hill, Cafe Jerusalem, Killer Prawn, Nectar Cafe, and The Apprentice, NorthTec. New cafes and restaurants on board are Land & Sea Cafe Bar and Eatery (Marsden Cove Marina), Carrington Resort (Karikari Peninsular), The Old Stone Butter Factory, The Coalminers Daughter, Reva’s on the Waterfront, Dickens Inn and Quality Hotel Oceans Tutukaka.

Land & Sea manager Kimberley Smyth who took over the business at the end of June, spent the majority of the build up to summer rebranding and renovating and says she is super excited to be joining the Fritter Festival in 2015.

“We have a great team that love to create meals from the land and the sea. We pride ourselves in baking with whole and local ingredients and serve seriously good 'real' food.”

To compliment the fritters, the cafes and restaurants will be joined by some of our region’s top wineries and vineyards including Ake Ake Vineyard, Cottle Hill Winery, Byrne Wines, Kainui Road Vineyard, Karikari Estate, Okahu Estate, Omata Estate, Marsden Estate and Sailfish Coves Wines.

Tickets for the festival are available from www.eventfinda.co.nz and Forum North Box Office.

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