The festival, held over the three days of Australian Sheep and Wool Show, will look at lamb through the lens of Australia’s various cultures.

Local restaurant Masons of Bendigo will be involved in this year’s festival, with head chef and owner Nick Anthony hosting a cooking demonstration at 1pm on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Anthony said he would be making two types of dumplings using lamb, pot stickers and bao, and depending on time, might also whip up some carpaccio of lamb loin.

He said the demonstration would be interactive, with audience members to be invited to have a go at creating the dishes.

Lamb was a great ingredient to use, Mr Anthony said.

“It’s one of our biggest sellers, I love eating it and I love using it,” he said.

This year the popular Bob the Butcher returns and is kicking off the festival with a masterclass on how to break down a whole carcass into primary, secondary and restaurant cuts, holding these classes every day of the festival.

He will also hold a sausage-making masterclass, for those who want to expand their culinary repertoire.

Children will be getting involved today with a class with Bob the Butcher, learning about where meat comes from.

They will also put their budding talents to good use with a cook-off between the students of Eaglehawk Primary School and Winters Flat Primary School.

For those looking for something a little different, Pete the Chef will cook up some haggis, a Scottish savoury pudding primarily made of lamb’s heart, liver and lungs.

The ladies of the Victorian Country Women’s Association will be taking a more homegrown tack in their session on Saturday, talking about lamb recipes and some Australian favourites, having written a cook book especially for the event.

The following morning Remi from Mama’s Gozleme will talk about the iconic Turkish dish of gozleme and his family’s story with cooking and lamb.

There will also be something for wine lovers, with Meehan Vineyard from Heathcote to host a session on matching wine with lamb on Saturday.

Australian Sheep Breeders’ Association president Malcolm Starritt said Australia was renowned for producing some of the best prime lamb in the world.

Mama’s Gozleme, Indian food truck Dhaba and lamb burgers will also be cooking during the festival.

But it is not just about the food – local blues and roots musicians will be providing a feast for the ears with a performance each afternoon.

The Australian Sheep and Wool Show starts Friday, July 15 and runs until Sunday.