04.08.2010 19:50:28

Sally

	This year we have been lucky enough to have visited Tasmania three times! In fact we started the year there for the Taste Tasmania Festival which runs over New Year. What a way to catch up with the various Hobart restaurants and local producers, all together, undercover, in one place. Word is the venue, a hangar-sized shed on the waterfront, will be substantially upgraded and ‘renovated’ for this year’s event. Then in May it was back for a photographic lap around the Pure Tasmania properties – Cradle Mountain Chateau, Strahan Village, Henry Jones Art Hotel in  Hobart, Freycinet Lodge, and the Country Club in Launceston. Just weeks after returning home we boarded a plane for Tassie again, this time for Launceston and a long weekend at the north-west corner starring that fabulous Producers’ Lunch at the Old Cable Station in Stanley. We have talked at length about this lunch in a previous blog, so now I want to mention some of the other places we crammed into those very busy fifty-something hours. Rather than  a blow-by-blow itinerary, I thought it might be fun to talk about what we love about Tasmania – which translates to why pretty much anyone who’s ever been to this green gem of an island likes it too.

IT’S CLEAN

Jim Vaughan from Springfield Deer farms the shy and flighty fallow deer (‘fallow are the only deer farmed in Tasmania’ he told us) in the pristine high country near Mole Creek.

Near Stanley, Western Plains’ farmers John and Angela Bruce raise export-quality Cape Grim Beef in one of the island’s dampest corners. Their herd is carefully rotated between the lush pastures, while Cape Grim has been recorded as having the world’s purest air.

IT’S GREEN

Not just pastures and trees and growing things, but ecologically. At the Producers’ Lunch we met up again with Annie Ashbolt from further south, in New Norfolk The award-winning olive oil she and her husband produce glows with health and goodness. Like many producers they are not content to do just one thing, and also make unique elderflower and elderberry products.

A quick and drizzly visit to Mount Gnomon Farm out of Mole Creek was an eye-opener as to how pigs can be raised successfully. These rare-breed Wessex Saddlebacks are raised free-range and we found them as happy as the proverbial ‘pigs in mud’. Literally! Later we tracked down Gnomon Farm hams at Delish Fine Foods near Burnie and the difference in flavour to other ham was exceptional.

IT’S INNOVATIVE

Tasmanians seem to have the monopoly on creativity. You’ll find products here which are hardly seen elsewhere in Australia. Consider these: saffron, samphire, ginseng, wasabi, pepper berries…..even poppy flowers (alkaloids) grown for medicinal use only and protected by high security fences.

Here are some others we visited:

IT’S VISIONARY

When Tasmanian Truffle Enterprises (aka Truffles Australis) planted the first hazelnut and oak trees on their property in 1994, they hoped the inoculation of the rootlets with truffle spores would result in fine truffles one day. It was a long haul, fraught with fears it might not work out, but now despite the constant battle with truffle-predators such as  hares, rabbits, possums and potaroos – even the occasional bandicoot – the harvest is once again looking good this year. ‘It’s been the most exciting, frustrating, rewarding exercise I have ever been involved with,’ says visionary grower, Tim Terry.

IT’S ACHIEVABLE

At about five to six hours’ driving east to west and three or four north to south, Tasmania is a pocket-sized state. Bigger than it looks, people can travel around Tasmania and feel they have got to know it a little within a few days. It’s far enough away from the ‘mainland’ to feel remote and close enough to get there in a hurry. People simply enjoy living there. In fact it has a migrant population of those who have come on holidays and then decided to move back fulltime.

IT’S LUCKY

We did a double take in one shop when we spotted manuka honey. Once always associated with New Zealand, natural stands of manuka forest have been discovered in the wilderness areas of Tasmania. Blue Hills Honey is a family business which has collected honey from hives in leatherwood stands for generations. “ We used to call it “rubbish honey” and throw it out,’   Nicola Charles admitted to us.  That was before they realised they had a goldmine of this golden honey which is said to possess important health and nutritional benefits.

IT’S SUCCESSFUL

Catherine Stark from Seven Sheds reported to us that a recent US-guest of hers commented: ‘Tasmania is a land of opportunity. You could come here with a great idea and make it work’. And many have done just that.

In tiny Stanley (population: not many out of tourist season) we were lucky to get a table at Xanders in the main street. Extra lucky because the food here would sit well in any suburban or city environment. Owners Dane Poke and Kendall Evans have hit pay-dirt, and the locals are obviously delighted to have them in town.

Mole Creek is even smaller, yet there too, at Laurel Berry Restaurant attached to the Mole Creek Guesthouse, we enjoyed good honest fare using local produce, and a surprise bonus – an excellent dish of authentic South African bobotie, from the chef’s own heritage.

Barringwood Park Winery, perched overlooking its vineyards at picturesque Lower Barrington, since opening seven years ago has become one of the major wineries in north-west Tasmania. It is also known far and wide for its cellar-door lunch platters. ‘They’ve been popular since day one,’ says owner Ian Robinson.

IT’S TEMPTING (AND POSSIBLE) TO STAY LONGER

Tasmania’s heritage is long and many older buildings such as the Old Cable Station overlooking Stanley, where we stayed for two nights, lend themselves ideally to becoming comfortable accommodation options.

Others such as Mole Creek Lodge have been purpose-designed and well-heated to withstand Tassie’s sometimes chilly climate, and sited to perfectly capture calming rural views.

At  Glencoe Farm Guest House, near  Sheffield (a town that has reinstated itself on the tourist trail by commissioning many beautiful murals) French-born couple Remi and Ginette Bancal offer fine food and hospitality, with a backdrop of mountain views, in a meticulously restored Federation homestead.

IT’S INSULAR – IN A GOOD WAY

Tasmania is an island and can afford to be proud of its produce and producers, and no one minds if it is a little, well, single-minded about them. Little wonder there are places which, almost entirely, sell only Tasmanian products.

We found the following shops all proudly featuring Tasmanian produce:

At Devonport’s Saturday Farmers’ Market we found venison, farmed rabbits, lush cabbages, potatoes, onions, huge swedes and turnips. At one stand a man exclusively sold pepper-berry products harvested from his back yard. He told me that it is also called ‘Cornish pepper’ because early settlers took it back to Cornwall, where it grew so well that soon no one knew it had originated in the antipodes!

Nearby, we’d had to bypass the wonderful Anvers Chocolate, Ashgrove Cheese, Christmas Hills  Raspberry Farm, and several other favourites. We just couldn’t do it all in the time we had.

But, like many others – we’ll be back! Because, finally, the best reason of all to like this state is:

IT’S TASMANIA!

Follow this link to view large images in gallery

15.07.2010 03:32:50

Sally

Two meals, two widely separate venues, yet the common joy of eating fresh regional food, expertly prepared and served.

Firstly was an invitation to hunt + gather: ‘We would like to invite you to join us for an interactive evening where you will be able to participate in creating a dish with the Electrolux Appetite For Excellence Young Chef and Young Waiter national finalists,’ it said. ‘As they visit passionate primary producers, from Byron Bay to Sydney, they will be collecting ideas and produce along the way, culminating in a dinner utilising the ingredients they have sourced especially for you to try.’

How could we refuse such an offer? And this was what took us to the Electrolux Showcase in Mascot on a windy, chilly night two weeks ago.

Inside, the large area had been set up with several workstations. We were each given an apron and the number of a work station. Together, with three or four other guests, we were to be supervised by one of the Young Chef finalists. What a privilege to meet some of these fine young people and hear their own thrill at meeting producers on the NSW north coast in the week-long road trip which had taken them from the Queensland border to Sydney. It had been a bonding experience for them, but so much more as well.

We knew just what they meant. Once you meet and talk to someone whose hands have made the cheese you are tasting, or who has dug the ground, raised an animal or picked the fruit you are going to be working with, that ingredient will never seem the same again.

It was this personal interaction they couldn’t stop talking about. The producers had become friends and mentors. For us, as guests, it was making a personal connection with the next generation of chefs and waiters who will be designing and delivering our restaurant meals in the decades ahead. I can assure you that we will be in very good hands indeed, if these finalists are any indication.

The group had come back laden with bush tucker, pork, cheeses, cream, honey, herbs and fish, as well as heads full of ideas for how these products could be used in their kitchens all over the country.

I was assigned to the appetiser table where Chef Danika Heslop from Quay restaurant patiently took us through the filling of little moulds with chopped avocado, crème fraiche, diced salmon, wafer thin radish slices and caviar sprinkled with micro leaves (left). I learned to press down gently on the top to push out the perfect little towers, and we were all congratulated on how good they looked, and how quickly we had done our very simple tasks.

At one point Luke Mangan (yes, the Luke Mangan from glass restaurant at the Sydney Hilton - right) came by our work station. He was one of the visionaries who founded these awards (www.appetiteforexcellence.com) in  2005. And he almost ate my food! Well, his hand hovered over one of my appetisers, but someone else handed him theirs. Oh well!

The meal was served from large platters that filled an immense table and partnetred with specially selected wines, and it was fun to see the people who are usually working in the kitchens, and those on the floor waiting on us, seated with the guests and enjoying the meal with us.

They were a little distracted though. They had a cook-off on Monday to prepare for, and then the torturous wait until the results are announced on August 9th.

What a triumph this entire meal and its concept was. What a tribute to Mangan’s vision and the standard of regional produce. And what a memorable career-changing experience for the Australian food industry’s finest young professionals.

What did they cook?

Young Chef Danika Heslop (NSW) & Young Waiter Aaron Christian (SA)
• Avocado with cured ocean trout and salmon roe

Young Chef Daniel Crossman (VIC) & Young Waiter Morgan Frazer (NSW)
• Leather jacket ceviche with turmeric chutney, pomegranate & lemon myrtle salt

Young Chef Blake Thornley (QLD) & Young Waiter Louise Tamayo (NSW)
• Duo of cuttlefish: ink-braised, salt and pepper fried, chorizo puree, toasted sweetcorn and tomato salsa, shaved fennel salad

Young Chef Robert Withnall (WA) & Young Waiter Josh Smith (TAS)
• Pork rack with crackling and apple dipping sauce

Young Chef Emma Shearer (SA) & Young Waiter Josh Elias (VIC)
• Thai beef salad with nam jim dressing, peanut praline

Young Chef Todd Moses (VIC) & Young Waiter Jayde Hanley (TAS)
• Bangalow Blue cheese mousse, apple puree, honey jelly, almond crumble, pears

Young Chef Soren Lascelles (NSW) & Young Waiter Emma Davis (QLD)
• Macadamia nut fudge brownie

Watch out for those names. More than likely they will be plating up and serving some of your best meals in the years ahead!’

Then, by way of contrast, just last Sunday we were invited to attend a Producers’ Lunch at The Old Cable Station at Stanley, on the far north-western corner of Tasmania.

Charlotte Brown, who with her partner, chef Mic Whatley (right) run this revitalised historical building, stage these Slow Food events regularly and it was obvious from the happy buzz from the forty or so diners assembled there on a gusty winter day that they knew exactly what was ahead for them. There was an air of expectation as we gathered, glasses of sparkling wine and Ashbolt elderflower cordial in hand between a roaring open fire on one side, and Mic’s pride and joy, his wood-fired oven, on the opposite side of the room.

The starting time was set for noon, but we’d been told the meal would ‘go until 5pm – at least!’.

The six-course Paddock to Plate meal began simply enough with bruschetta topped with wood-oven roasted pumpkin and excellent prosciutto (left). It was the ideal preamble for Mic’s minestrone Genovese (see end of newsletter), topped with pesto and parmesan – a hearty, feel-good dish. Jerusalem artichokes featured in a vegetable gratin, rich with Heidi gruyere cheese, followed after a decent interval by the lightest, most tender house-made tagliatelle, topped with finely shaved truffle, sourced from truffle pioneer, Tim Terry, at Truffles Australia in Deloraine.

Main course was Cape Grim beef and oxtail with a spicy Hungarian goulash and the meal ‘finished’ with Charlotte's Ashbolt olive oil and pistachio cake dessert accompanied by poached quince and Blue Hills Honey mascarpone. Whew! (below)

The dishes were matched by wines from Tamar Valley wine producer, Grey Sands ranging from pinot gris with the bruschetta through a chardonnay-viognier to pinot noir, and merlot. An impromptu appearance of a ruby-red blend, Romanesque, matched an unexpected ‘seventh’ course of truffled cheese on crackers, followed by course-eight (by this time keeping count was becoming more of a challenge) a plate of chocolates from Blue Hills Honey, filled with creamy prickly box honey.

Earlier in the day, John Bruce, who raises premium grass-fed cattle whose export-quality meat will bear the Cape Grim label had taken us around some of his paddocks to see for ourselves the care and management of these cattle. The rich pastures and the clean air no doubt contribute to the animals' wellbeing and their ultimate appeal to chefs and diners.

Our fellow diners were amazed at the produce, but everyone I spoke to remarked on the flavour. Mic Whatley would not have been surprised. After all, he was doing what he always does, and what any good cook should do. He bought the best, dealt with it carefully and sensitively – and used a light enough touch, so that the food itself became the star.

Which was, after all, the dominating theme for both these sensational meals.

Tender but (Cape) Grim

09.06.2010 18:02:48

Gordon

There is a little patch of grain farming land in Victoria’s Mallee that didn’t budge in the massive dust storms of September last year.  While neighbouring farms watched their precious, fertile topsoil evaporate in a massive red cloud which bled over the country, this plot was unfazed by the ruckus of the wind. There is an interesting story behind this seemingly unimportant happening.

A few weeks ago I caught up with a classmate from my high school days. Geoff Hunt, was an unassuming, quiet student with a remarkable intellect. He later graduated with a science degree and spent many years in research. Eventually he returned to the practicalities of wheat farming on a property just south of Kerang in Victoria.  I found it fascinating to see how scientist runs a farm.

He ushered me into the mobile office of his tractor cabin. A couple of computer monitors, communications equipment, GPS navigational system, and a pressurised cabin to keep out dust, fumes and chemicals. This beast was multi-functional and very high tech. Seeding is completely automated and very sophisticated. As the machinery moves back and forth across the fields of its own accord, the GPS ensures that no excess seed is planted in the overlap of the rows. That is clever!

For centuries farmers in Europe and Britain tilled the soil with the plough producing bountiful crops. The balance of nature is
different in Australia. It has taken us a long time to understand how great that difference really is.

The thing that really intrigued me was the method of farming Hunt has adopted, referred to as Low Till (or Zero Till). The practice of ploughing followed by sowing was a continuation of centuries of English farming methods. After cropping, fields would lie fallow for a couple of years, allowing for regeneration of vital nitrogen in the soil and then the process would be repeated. The traditional method worked well in Europe, but has some major drawbacks in the drier, harsher conditions of Australia. Low till farming leaves the soil undisturbed. Seed is mechanically drilled into the soil by use of a pointer. Another method uses a disc which lifts the soil sufficiently to plant the seed and then tamps the slice to return the soil to its former state.

There are a number of very real advantages in this method including greater water retention in the soil, reduced carbon emissions, less need for artificial fertilisers, increased soil stability, and eliminating the need for long periods of fallow pasture. Certainly, Hunt would argue that in the long term he is well ahead of farmers who use conventional tilling methods.  His property has weathered dust storms and drought where many others failed.  Read more.

Huge tracts of land have been cleared of hardy mallee trees for grain cultivation using European farming methods.
The ploughed fields like the one behind this sturdy tree fed the dust storm of September, 2009. Same colour.

Low till farming makes sense in regions such as the Mallee. The spindly trees that thrive in these dry hot regions are perfectly adapted to their surroundings. The balance between what is happening in the life of the tree below and above the ground is what matters. Nature gives the clues, but sometimes we don’t always read them. Low till farming resonates with the local flora and fauna. When we work with nature rather than against it, we begin engage in the real science of cultivation. It is reassuring to know that there are capable farmers out there who can marry science and traditional knowledge to the advantage of us all. I dips me lid to thee, Geoff, and to all the farmers who are committed to preserving the sunburnt country.

What the early farmers saw:

This is what the early farmers saw when they went forth to conquer the Mallee. Scruffy trees in semi-arid bush land.
Their first task was to slash and burn the spindly trees and till the soil for crops of wheat and barley, just like they did in the old country.

What they didn't see:

This is what they didn't see. Massive, hardy root systems that stablised the soil and were an integral part of a finely balanced ecology. One of the rules of the bush which has taken a long time to learn is, only distrub the soil when you need to. Nature has many lessons for us to learn

11.01.2010 22:24:12

Gordon

The big Dutchman was already travel weary.  He had been peddling for several days and already cycled the equivalent of traversing the Netherlands from North to South. His objective was to cycle from West to East and then South to North across Australia, and he had only reached Kojonup on the Albany Highway, barely a dent in the vastness of the continent that stretched before him. With towns like Tambellup, Gnowangerup, Kebaringup, Ongerup, Needilup and Jerramungup  dotting the map before him, it was the beginning of an “up” hill ride for many weeks.

“Yah!” He had plenty of water – two bottles.  “No!”  He hadn’t checked the forecast.  A week of forty degree plus weather was shaping up ensuring that the bitumen ribbon he was about to follow would sizzle and radiate intense heat all the way to Esperance, across the Nullabor and on to South Australia. Summer is not the time to cycle across Australia. Like many before him, I fear he had misread our country.  Cycling in Holland, he had probably never climbed a hill in his life.  Little villages, civilised country and pleasant climate is very different to the hostile sunburnt wastes of much of Australia. I wished him well as he pumped his way down the long and weary road. I didn't have the heart to tell him about the road from Cooktown to the tip of Cape York.

Australia is not Europe. Read the stories of the early settlers and you will quickly realise that they didn’t know what to make of this quirky country which could burn one day and flood the next. And it is probably a good thing that Cook’s claim stuck and not that of La Perouse. The French who explored in the name of science and research actually had first rights. I wonder if they looked around and thought to themselves, “This is not France? Where is the foie gras,  the chevre,  the hams, vines and the wines. No pretty little villages. What self-respecting, food-loving Frenchman would want to settle Australia.  Leave it to convict mad dogs and Englishmen to sear their brains in the midday sun while we drink wine and make love”.

One cannot help but regard France as a template of regionalism and fine food. Driving around this beautiful country was one of the things that inspired Sally to write the first edition of the Australian Regional Food Guide.  With its glorious climate, rich fertile soil, an abundance of water and inhabitants who love the fine things of life, France is a natural when it comes to regional food.  Over centuries, each little village and region has developed its own distinctive flavours and food identity, relying on the locals who plant their vines, raise their pigs, milk their goats and cows, force-feed the geese, grow their fruit and vegetables – it is all rather idyllic and marvellous to behold. Everything is grown and produced within walking distance of each small village, a self-contained little food bowl. The weekly market in the village square has always been the place where locals replenish the larder with fresh, local and seasonal produce. But that is not exactly how it works in Australia. Our climate, sparse population and distance has meant that we do regional food differently.

Over the past couple of months we have visited a small portion of the Great Southern of Western Australia as well as last week motoring the Hume Highway from Sydney to Melbourne returning via the Yarra Valley and the Snowy Mountains. Sitting behind the wheel, cruising at highway speeds for hours at a time gives one plenty of time to contemplate and observe the nature of regional Australia. Unlike France, one of the things that stands out is the huge distances between towns and the vast acreages of open land or dense bush.  Apart from a few sheep and cattle in the paddocks, or hardy grains gambling with the unpredictable rain for survival, there is almost nothing of the perpetual lushness that is required to transform a country into food bowl. Anybody who rarely ventures from a large city or who flies over the great distances cannot really appreciate just how vast and empty Australia is. It is only as you hit the road and head for the bush that you begin to appreciate, understand and admire the heroes of regional food.

So often the players are average, gutsy Aussies who shape up against the odds of unpredictable elements, over-regulation, fickle markets, corporate exploitation and the vagaries running a small business to emerge the victors with a great product.  Of course, there are the food bowls which are well adapted to growing and producing the very best. They are remarkable places and every Australian should visit them often. But every time I travel the long roads of our country I become aware of the isolated small operators working far from the hubs of settlement, following their dream and energised by their passion.  Take Brad Spalding (left) who we met on Saturday. Halfway between Thredbo and Jindabyne he is creating a beautiful liquor, Wild Brumby Schnapps. He grows his own berries and runs a small restaurant using mainly home-grown vegetables and ingredients that come from somewhere not too far away. So much of our fine regional produce happens against the odds.  Ultimately, we, the traveller, the gourmet and the consumer are the ones who benefit. The country benefits. Tourism benefits.  Whether they are located in the fertile and prosperous areas of the country or off the beaten track, collectively the food heroes are the ones that delight our palates and bring the best that the country can offer on to our plates. They set the standard and lift the bar. We salute them.

15.11.2009 01:58:33

Sally

­November 15, 2009

Don’t you hate it when someone borrows something of yours and puts it back in another place? Or when the supermarket decides to change things around – and what used to be in Aisle 5 is now in Aisle 3.

Maybe it’s just me, but I get a bit frustrated when I can’t put my hand on something I know should be just there!

So, we’re sorry if our lovely old cluttered-yet-companionable site has morphed into something you don’t quite recognize. Some of you may have that now-I-can’t find-anything feeling.

Others of you may be new to the site and can’t quite figure out how things are arranged.

How do I find things now?

Find Your Way Around just below the Search button attempts to clarify it simply.

And I’ll try to help a bit more.

Look at the Search button on the top right of the Home page.

You’ll see: Select search phases.

There are actually TWO choices:

• • Search the pages
  • Search our directory

"Search the pages" lets you search the news items, newsletter, markets, events, features, our blog  – everything covered by the Main Menu – the line of options on the grey bar right under the bright heading at the top of the HOME page. To use this, decide if this is the one you want and click on it.

Now decide on a Keyword and type that in the space below. Almost immediately you’ll have a number of results.

"Search our directory" allows you to explore Australia's largest list of producers, restaurants and other users of regional produce. There are over 4000 listings and it is a rich resource for travelers, chefs, producers and anyone interested in seeing where products are produced. Or who does what.

As before, decide on a Keyword and type that in the space below. Almost immediately you’ll have a number of results on the directory.

The other way is to search individual states or regions. Just go to the blue row right under the Main Menu on the HOME page and simply click on whichever state you are interested in. Or click a state on the map of Australia.

This links you to the Directory where you may search by keyword, category, region, town or city.

This way you can find so many things:

• Individual producers – simply insert one word of the name you are looking for in the Keyword space.
• Markets
• Events
• Products
• Restaurants or cafes
• …….and so much more – just select what you want from the drop-down menu under Category

I think you’ll come to love this search function. It is extremely speedy, sophisticated and simple, but like any new thing, it just takes a little understanding and getting used to.

That will do for now. We’ve said that switching to this new system and format is like moving house – well it is, and we are still unpacking – and we understand if you might need help finding where we have put things.

Let’s hope this has made it a little easier for you. Please let us know if there is anything else that you may be having difficulties with and we will either fix it or try to explain it better.

Go on – have fun ‘discovering what the country does best’ on this site.

Here’s a practice exercise: See how quickly you can find the producers in your state or region that grow apples (or anything else you like) ………