TV chef looking forward to Bay's finest

Annabel Langbein will be in town hosting a beachfront dinner as part of the Hawke's Bay Food and Wine Classic festivities next month. Photo / APN

A beachfront dinner with television chef Annabel Langbein as part of the upcoming Hawke's Bay Food and Wine Classic, was sold out in minutes.

People will gather around a long table at Black Barn's White House retreat in Waimarama Beach next month, for an intimate evening of ocean-inspired dishes, using local, seasonal produce.

"It's going to be a feast, I think it's that idea of celebrating the bounty that you have available," Ms Langbein said.

"Spring is a wonderful time of year, it's about shopping the landscape what's going to be good right now, you don't have to think very hard; there's seafood, strawberries, asparagus, maybe some baby potatoes." She's busy building a menu, which plays to the environment and brings people to gather, socialise and share.

"There will be shared plates so there will be a lot of choice, if someone doesn't like something, they can leave it but they will have that option. I will be out there chit-chatting I don't think I will be stuck in the kitchen, I'll leave that in the hands of the chefs at Black Barn."

Ms Langbein was full of praise for Black Barn, who she believes, "set the bar for hospitality in New Zealand".

While here, she hopes to scour the Farmers Markets - at Black Barn on Saturday and at the A&P Showgrounds in Hastings on Sunday.

Already she had received messages from local food producers welcoming her to stop by.

"I got an email from the stonefruit people who said their fruit might not be quite ready, but to drop in and see them anyway. It's fabulous because the more I know about what each region's growing, the better I can show the rest of the country - it's easy to use what's around me when I'm in Wanaka or Auckland but it's great to know what else is on offer."

F.A.W.C! runs from November 1 to 10, for more information on the events, visit: www.fawc.co.nz