This weekend, explore Cooinda in the Adelaide Hills, experience new taste sensations on the Fleurieu, or hone your culinary skills at Tasting Australia.

Words Elisabeth Marie

Astounding autumn

Open Gardens SA is presenting their final garden of the season, Cooinda, on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1. Located at 8 Fowler Road, Mount George, the garden is the legacy of the late Mrs Chris Steele Scott, a horticulturist and one of the founders and SA Chair members of the former Open Gardens Australia. With vision, Chris planted the sloping hillside with choice trees and shrubs, creating magnificent views and a stunning setting for the spring-fed dam sited to be centre-stage on the property. Morning and afternoon tea will be available and all profits from the day will be donated to the Bridgewater CFS. Bring along a camera and put your dogs on their leads to capture the stunning red, orange and yellow foliage of this incredible autumn scene.

In the kitchen

Head to Bec Hardy Wines this weekend for the launch of The Kitchen at Bec Hardy, which will be serving up delicious meals from 10am to 3pm. Heading the kitchen is Anthony Schlenk, whose previous experience includes Penfolds Magill Estate Kitchen and the Moseley Beach Club at Glenelg. Anthony sees food as a platform for connecting people and bringing joy, and is passionate about sourcing ingredients for the menu responsibly and ethically. The frequently-changing menu features a selection of small and larger dishes, offering diners the opportunity to share, follow a traditional à la carte path, or sit back and let the chef decide with a “feed me” menu. The launch menu includes ingredients sourced from local producers including chorizo from Ellis Butchers, bread from Andy Clappis bakery and bio-dynamic organic cheese from Paris Creek Farms.

Kneading new skills

Elevate your kitchen know-how with the L Plates cooking classes as part of the Tasting Australia 2022 program. Professional chefs will teach the tricks of the trade, from starting an artisan sourdough to making tacos from scratch. These fun, hands-on sessions will be held in a commercial kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment and all ingredients are supplied, so simply turn up and learn something new.

A story of associates

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of SA will be presenting Tarantara! Tarantara!, the musical based on the lives of WS Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. The musical tells the story of the famous Gilbert and Sullivan partnership: the meeting, the association with D’Oyly Carte, the mounting success, the divergencies of temperament and conflicting ambitions, Gilbert’s obsession with his “lozenge” story and the trouble it caused, as well as Sullivan’s lavish social life and its disruptive consequences, and the famous tragi-comic quarrel over a new carpet for the theatre. The performance will be shown from  April 27 to 30 at The Arts Theatre on Angas Street with a cast of familiar Adelaide theatre faces as well as some new additions.

Spanish cinema

The Spanish Film Festival will be coming to Palace Nova Eastend on Wednesday, April 27, with a curated selection of films from Spain, Latin America and beyond. The festival will open with the Australian premiere of Official Competition, a star-studded behind-the-scene satire starring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez. Other highlights from the festival include Forgotten We’ll Be, an adaption of Héctor Abad Faciolince’s memoir about his father, Héctor Abad Gómez, and Our Voices, a documentary by Diana Paola Paez telling the story of a group of Spanish-speaking migrants who arrived in Victoria, Australia between the 1960s and 1980s.

Gathering goodies

Discover a wonderland of locally-made market delights at the first Gathered Design Market of the year on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 at the Torrens Parade Ground. Enjoy a weekend of shopping as more than 100 South Australian designers and makers showcase their wares alongside pop-up food and wine bars. Local artisans will be sharing their skills with creative workshops on ceramics, weaving, painting and gin infusion. Gather in the undercover dining area and sip on a cocktail to rest up between shopping sprees.

For more of what’s on around South Australia this month, pick up the April issue of SALIFE, which is on sale now.