Visa Wellington On a Plate 2013 - Hero ImageRight now we’re knee-deep in deli­cious wine and food at the Welling­ton on a Plate launch at Pre­fab so if all’s going well, this post will go live right after the media embar­go ends. For now, here’s what we’ve writ­ten about Welling­ton on a Plate over the past cou­ple of years, and below is the press release for 2013. We’ll be back with our per­son­al picks as soon as we sober up and have time to read the whole huge cat­a­logue!

Visa Welling­ton On a Plate Reveals Fifth Feast


The coolest lit­tle culi­nary fes­ti­val in the world has launched its 2013 menu, with organ­is­ers reveal­ing the biggest Visa Welling­ton On a Plate ban­quet yet.

Fes­ti­val Co-direc­tor Sarah Meik­le says the ingre­di­ents for this year’s pro­gramme include 110 of the Welling­ton region’s finest eater­ies and 113 Fes­ti­val Events.

Visa Welling­ton On a Plate will begin its ser­vice on Fri­day 9 August, with a tasty open­ing week­end that includes Welling­ton Fish­er & Paykel Mas­ter­Class, Beer­vana and Prison Gate to Plate, a meal pre­pared and served by Rimu­ta­ka Prison inmates who have been under the tute­lage of Mar­tin Bosley as part of a Cor­rec­tions Depart­ment reha­bil­i­ta­tion pro­gramme.

“From night mar­kets to day trips, dumplings to degus­ta­tions, the 17 days of indul­gence that is Visa Welling­ton On a Plate well and tru­ly offers some­thing to please every palate and bud­get,” Ms Meik­le says.

This year’s events pro­gramme will see con­scious con­sumers enjoy lat­est Pest Con­trol mea­sures at The Larder, while those who hold veni­son deer will love Chameleon Restaurant’s Hunter and Gath­er­er: A Venista­tion. The menu will also see Ruth Pret­ty Fol­low the Pipi Trail, while Urban Har­vest plans to help kids get Cov­ered in Pud­ding, Arti­san will be serv­ing Gluten-free Glut­tony and the boys at Garage Project and Ti Kou­ka join forces for a Full Cir­cle Feast.

A num­ber of 2012 sell-outs are also back for sec­onds, includ­ing Beef Welling­ton, Kapi­ti Vin­tage, Pecha Kucha: Imbibe and Dom’s Cheese Scones. The pop­u­lar Oys­ter Saloon will again pop up on Cuba Street, while a home­made ice cream stall and a choco­late fac­to­ry will also appear in city loca­tions.

Car­o­line Ada, Coun­try Man­ag­er, New Zealand and South Pacif­ic, Visa says: “We’re proud to have sup­port­ed Visa Welling­ton On a Plate over the last four years, as it has become New Zealand’s largest culi­nary fes­ti­val. Not only is it a cel­e­bra­tion of food, it’s an impor­tant event that cel­e­brates the inno­va­tion and col­lab­o­ra­tion of our culi­nary indus­try. The imag­i­na­tion and hard work that goes into each and every meal is astound­ing. We know fes­ti­val-goers will enjoy every dish on offer.”

Din­ers will again decide who will go to the final cook-off in Garage Project presents Burg­er Welling­ton, with 69 DINE Welling­ton eater­ies steak­ing their claim for the ulti­mate bat­tle of the burg­er. This year also sees 73 restau­rants vying for the MiND­FOOD Welling­ton On a Plate Award, which will be award­ed to the DINE Welling­ton set menu that best reflects the capital’s flavour.

 Visa Welling­ton On a Plate Fes­ti­val Event tick­ets will be avail­able on Visa Pre­sale from 12pm Mon­day 17 June through until 12pm Wednes­day 19 June, before going on gen­er­al release.

Put your order in quick – tick­ets sell like hot cakes!