May has been a huge month, and I am officially exhausted. I have grown in all the wrong places, drank far too much Chardonnay, exercised very little and worked too hard this month. And the word on the street is that it will continue to be busy here in our neck of the woods. Coming up is the Manning Winter Festival along with a trip to Coffs Harbour for the Restaurant and Catering Awards in June.

A major highlight of my month was a trip to Broken Hill. I have not been there before, and I did not realise that it was such a happening place. Can you believe it has 35 art galleries, with a population of 24,000? Now, that’s impressive. I was fortunate to attend the Community Economic Development Conference as the Manning Valley Community delegate with Manning Valley Tourism’s Kim MacDonald. I was inspired by some amazing people doing great things for their communities, but it is not my job to talk about the content of the conference. I am here to talk about the social scene.

The social highlight was definitely the Priscilla Ball, although just quietly I am still waiting for the band to play ‘I Will Survive’, as Crocodile Rock just didn’t cut it on a night when platform shoes and feather boas dominated the dress ‘sense’. Kim and I stayed in the salubrious Mario’s Palace Hotel in the famous ‘Priscilla Suite’, which was where the actors from ‘Priscilla Queen of the Dessert’ filmed some of their famous scenes. All I can say about this place is, WOW!. There are murals on most walls, except for the ones that have spiral carpet designs halfway up them.

On the Priscilla night, the pre dinner drinks were at our hotel, and we invited everyone to our suite for some great pics. The ball was at the Trades Hall, a place that stands out not just in architectural terms but because history was made within its walls and on the streets outside. The Trades Hall has been the home of the union movement in Broken Hill since it was built in 1905. We had a great time and met some great people.

The next big highlight was the weekend of the 15 and 16 May with My Kitchen Rules finalists Mossy and Gabe, who were kind enough to give up a weekend to visit the Manning Valley to cook up a storm and also to help us raise much needed funds for Snugglepot Day Care Centre’s nutritional program, which helps disadvantaged families in the Manning Valley.

On Saturday we cooked at the LJ Hooker Manning Valley Home and Leisure Expo, with Mossy and Gabe showcasing  their ‘Turmeric Crusted Barramundi’, which  was well received by the hoards of people who turned up to see these popular TV identities cook. The line up did not decline for the Bent on Food steak sandwiches either, which were cooked to perfection by Mossy and Bent on Food apprentice Bec House and assembled lovingly by myself and Gabe.

To top it off, Gabe gave out some of her wonderful brownies. If you ever saw the show you would know that Gabe is a wiz with sweets, and her lime cheesecake from the first episode gets huge hits on the MKR website.

We took them to Ems Thai in Harrington on Saturday night with the crew from the expo, where we had some of Ems fine cooking and great hospitality as usual.

On Sunday we visited Marrook Farm, where they were impressed by David and Heidi Marks’ passion for their craft. Mossy and Gabe agreed that their biodynamic yoghurt was brilliant. They also visited Wingham Brush, Ellenborough Falls and Artisans Retreat, and the night was topped off by some of Bev’s great hospitality at Tellers Restaurant in Wingham.

On Monday morning they cooked a barbecue breakfast outside Bent on Food – another great success and good fun. Finally, Bec shared her secrets to making a good scone, and they left the Manning Valley with good things to say about our region.

May is, of course, the month of Mother’s Day, where we spoil our mums for all the hard work they do during the year. I get to look after lots of mums on mother’s day, including my own ‘mums’. Bent on Food saw a steady flow of breakfast goers and a full house for lunch, with one of our favourite musicians Keith Bedggood, who played with John Boak on cornet, making the mums swoon with sounds from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s by such composers as George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Harry Warren, Irving Berlin, Les Brown, Louis Armstrong, Harold Arlen, to name a few.

The Inaugural Manning Produce Dinner was held at Bowers Café and Gallery on Saturday 15 May, with a sellout crowd enjoying food produced by Bowers own Cynthia Burke and Chad Simpson of the 3 Nippers Bistro, Australis Resort. The five course menu was designed to showcase Manning Valley produce, including Murray Grey Bowarra Biodynamic Beef accompanied by Wallambah Vale Chambourcin jus and hollandaise produced from Manning Valley Free Range Eggs. The next dinner will be held on June 26.

The penthouse suite at Rydges Port Macquarie was the perfect venue for Forever Young Management to hold the launch of new a financial year swimsuit calendar for men and women. Guests included the 12 models featured in the calendar, photographer Mason Rose, Gayle Price, Leo Gillespie, Candice Rose from Focus and a select group of guests who made the trip from the Manning Great Lakes. Canapés were accompanied by the flow of champagne and thank you speeches to celebrate this beautiful calendar. It was a great night, enjoyed by all.

Thirty members of Coomba Wine and Dine travelled by bus to Wingham to enjoy a 3 course meal at Bent on Food on April 27. The group like to enjoy a meal in various venues around the Great Lakes / Manning Valley and bring a selection of wonderful wines to accompany the menu items they select. They had a wonderful time and were a joy to work with. It was a cool night, and my Morrocan Lamb Shanks were perfect with their big red wine. Guests included Jan and Alf Irvine, Max and Hannie Clarke, and Rhonda and Martin Mahon along with President Bill Cooke and Val Cooke.

A few months ago a 30 year Chatham High School reunion was held at Wingham Memorial Services Club. This was my year, but unfortunately I was in Tasmania for the Tourism Awards and couldn’t make it to the event. According to some good sources, the night was a huge success and a wonderful get together for everyone; some haven’t seen each other since school and some still catch up, but all vowed to get together again soon, and I will be there this time!! Thanks for the pics, guys. Attendees included Donna Ballard, Michelle Brown, Graeme Emerton and Chris Bevitt, along with many more.

I look forward to hearing from you with any events you would like me to write about.

Send pics and info to donna.carrier@bigpond.com

Cheers, Donna.