The Melbourne Wine and Food Festival has now come and gone. I visited The Art of the Table at the NGV (showing until December 2014) and was delighted at the elegance and insights into times long gone. Of special delight the exquisitely-painted Meissen porcelain, also a portable picnic set comprising a velvet-lined carrying case, for a chocolate pot and spirit warmer; some exquisite glassware, and an epergne bursting with fruit and nuts (faux of course), a fitting finale to the grandest of celebrations.

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