The Argus Dining Room located at Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel in Hepburn Springs and owned by Wayne Cross and Chris Malden, have been recognised for their excellence in recent awards taking home gongs on both an international stage and at home. Golden Plate Awards 2014 The Argus Dining Room took out top honours at the…
“If the sine qua non of a food destination is quality bread, then Kyneton, a thriving little town in central Victoria, has hit the big time.” FOUR of Australia’s best bakeries – from Bondi to Subiaco. 2. Piper Street Food Co, Kyneton, Victoria. If the sine qua non of a food destination is quality bread,…
“The winning wine is the 2007 Pegeric Pinot Noir, grown on the estate vineyard at Tylden, just outside Kyneton in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges region.” – Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Challenge Chris Cormack’s Pegeric Wines of Macedon has won the Trophy for Best Wine in the World with Braised Abalone, his third trophy in 4…
“Each animal has a story, each is loved and each has a purpose and a place. ” – Danielle White, The Countryphiles Overwhelmed by the soul-enriching passion behind this week’s wonderful story, it’s hard to know where to start. So, the beginning will just have to do. A few weeks back, I was blessed to share…
“With two main wine labels under his management, Eastern Peake and Appellation Ballarat, Owen is a busy man.” – Kate Christensen, the wine project Photo credit: James Broadway I perch at a large wooden share table in the middle of the room, pick at some Holy Goat soft cheese, sip a local red and chat with…
Late winter is a busy time for media generated awards and as usual DMP members have been prominent in what might be called ‘awards season’. It starts in with the delicious Produce Awards which, apart from being a great guide for consumers to excellence in Australia’s small scale agricultural and artisan product development, it is…
“I feel like I’m in a MasterChef pressure test and it’s so intoxicating that when I burn myself on the frypan I ignore the pain and declare it a badge of honour. ” – Zoe Curtis, Herald Sun IT’S a line-up, but not as we know it. Chef Alla Wolf-Tasker has ordered us to show our…
“The Milking Yard’s ethos is to offer produce “the way nature intended”, but clearly Bruce uses all the modern methods of research and breeding and some forms of intervention to reach that goal.” – Kirsty Simpson, Eat In Photo credit: Angela Miller You couldn’t ask for better luck. The sheep that Bruce Burton had kept to…
“I remember when we put in the cellar and my mother said “are you nuts? It’s a little country restaurant!” a wobbly voiced Alla Wolf Tasker laughingly reminisced this afternoon after learning Lake House has won 2014 Wine List of the Year, Best Victorian Wine List and Sommelier of the Year. “It’s freaking nuts! It’s…
“Du Fermier takes quite a risk running such a pared back non-menu, but it doesn’t falter. It’s the added extras that help – the warm plates, the warm staff – but it’s the palpable connection with the kitchen that makes dinner here so memorable” – Larissa Dubecki, Good Food Photo credit: Simon Schluter It was a…
“We want to make it a place where people are proud and happy to actually come” Photo credit: Julie Hough Go to the article LOCAL business operators Chris Malden and Wayne Cross are the new lessees of the Boat House Cafe on the shore of Lake Daylesford. Hepburn Shire Council granted Mr Cross and Mr…
“The food I serve now is coming much more from the home and the heart. ” Photo credit: Sharyn Cairns When Annie Smithers sold her multi-award-winning restaurant Bistrot in Kyneton, Victoria last year, an idea was fermenting regarding her next move. She’d already opened Du Fermier, a French-inspired cafe in Trentham, about half an hour’s…
Warialda Wins. We’re guessing there might be one or two sore heads amongst our DMP members this morning after attending the ABC delicious. Produce Awards 2014 Awards in Sydney last night. Warialda Belted Galloway, Sher Wagyu, McIvor Pork, as well as our Chair Alla Wolf Tasker, celebrated with some of Australia’s most renowned chefs and…
“Moving from growers to marketers has been hard work, says Lizette Snaith, who now sells nearly 800kg of prime beef direct to consumers and chefs each week, but the rewards are slowly coming for this unique beef and its dedicated producers.” Go to the article GROWING up in Melbourne, Allen Snaith always wanted to be…
“And it is the aroma of slow-cooked pork roll with sweetcorn slaw, and the Saddleback sausages with caramelised onion, that lures customers to Marnie and Nick Zielinski’s Zed and Co stall at farmers’ markets.” Go to the article AS ANY foodie will tell you, it’s the nose that knows. And it is the aroma of…
“About 70 of us showed up on an ordinary sort of June day to Jonai Farm, Eganstown, home to local evangelists for ethical animal husbandry and preservation of rare breeds for the purpose of producing trustworthy food, Tammi and Stuart Jonas.” Go to the article SO, we went to the farm. We saw the pigs.…
“Local wags reckon there are three seasons in central Victoria: February, March and Winter…” So begins Gaye Leago’s funny, touching account of the trials and tribulations of veggie growing here in the Daylesford Macedon region, Growing Concerns, our winner of the #dmpharvest The Lake House Food Writing Award 2014. Gaye’s story was picked from a…
FIRSTLY, Grange Bellinzona in Hepburn Springs is open for Friday and Saturday night dinner. Secondly, it’s fantastic. I mention the first part because, so far, everyone I have talked to has no idea the lovely Heritage Restaurant is open to the public. Everyone seems to have assumed it’s all about weddings and conferences. Including me.…
Photo credit: Zoe Phillips Go to the article MANY around Hanging Rock reckon wine flows through John Ellis’ veins. Over three decades, he and his wife, Ann, have transformed a bare block into one of Australia’s best small wineries, producing award-winning cool-climate wines of exquisite depth and flavour. So why, given his gift of the…
Asparagus, broad beans and globe artichokes form a trinity of special vegetables that come together in spring. Pre-cooked and refreshed they simply need a bit of love in butter to make a delicious warm spring salad. If you like, add the crunch of a tempura-battered baby zucchini and its blossom. The tarragon aioli glistens as…