In its sixth year, the festival has finally struck upon the perfect recipe  – a marriage of style, indulgence, local produce, markets, hands-on workshops and farm-gate experiences.

It’s an epicurean’s paradise, a celebration of the region’s inextricable links with food and wine production.

And just like the country music festival, its magic lays in its authenticity.

Where else could a New York-style laneway pop-up bar and an intimate country camp-oven lunch exist in the same festival?

The festival also works because of the passion and professionalism of its organisers.

Led by indefatigable co-ordinator Catherine Burton and council’s  destination development manager Craig Dunstan, the Taste team has 

fine-tuned the event and hit the right flavour notes this year.

Mr Dunstan, in his first year in the role, has a philosophy of “build it and they will come” – and come they did.

The community’s support of the Taste Festival was nothing short of breathtaking.

The marquee events – Taste in the Park, the laneway pop-up bar and the Long Lunch – are proving to be stunning successes, while many of the boutique events outstripped expectations.

While it will never rival the country music festival for numbers, we should never underestimate the economic value of events like Taste.

It also shows the rest of the nation that we can do more than put on a music festival; we’ve got another string to our banjo.

The Northern Daily Leader is proud to be a major sponsor of the Tamworth Taste Festival, and the Tamworth community should be proud to be part of it, too.

It may not be country music, but it tastes just as sweet.