All of the food

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Hello my loves,

As promised, this week I’m bringing your attention to some of the incredible food I uncovered on my recent and very epic road trip around western NSW and regional Victoria. From chocolate to cheese, salami to scallops, classic country-town Chinese food and the best bread ever, I've eaten a lot of goodness over the past few weeks! And it's now my absolute pleasure to share the highlights of my intensive research with you. Agh, so much to say! I hardly know where to start, so I’ll adopt my customary approach in such situations and leap off the diving board, arms flailing and body contorting, right into the thick of it all...
 

Daylesford-Castlemaine-Ballarat-Macedon

Daylesford Picnic Boxes – Daylesford
When you’re me and you’re travelling, getting to the heart of the local, sustainable food scene is sometimes a drawn-out task. I always want to know who’s doing the good stuff, but it can take a while to sift through everything that’s on offer and figure it all out. And y’know what? I don’t always have that kind of time! So it’s lucky for me (and for you) that Daylesford Picnic Boxes has taken the hard work right out of our hands, and curated an exquisite selection of the region’s best local offerings, with thought for the environment front and centre, and so much care in every aspect of their offering. Opening my Picnic Box was like Christmas coming early – it was absolutely packed full of the region’s finest food, and when I say packed, I mean it! Delicious morsels just kept on coming out of that box! Charcuterie, cheeses, condiments, sweet treats, crackers, and the most genius and delicious pull-apart picnic sourdough I have ever seen. Along with gorgeous picnic-ware, thoughtful storage options for leftovers, a guide to the best picnic spots in the region, a run-down on all the producers, and so much more! It was the tardis of hampers, in all the best ways, and you can tell that it’s been created with a lot of thought and love. If you're in the region, you would be a fool not to get your hands on one.

Lane's End Rosé – Macedon Ranges
On a chilly day, in a cosy pub, I stumbled on the bloody best rosé ever. Lane's End is a minimalist intervention delight from the Macedon Ranges. Just drink it! I command it.

Oakwood Smallgoods – Castlemaine
I’ve raved about Oakwood before, having discovered them on my first trip to the Daylesford-Castlemaine-Ballarat region in February, and they’re definitely worth a second mention. They offer a seemingly endless array of house-smoked charcuterie and smallgoods, all made with free range meat. Some of my faves include their smoked wagyu brisket, spicy chorizo and their delicious bresaola. But the absolute star of the show is their incredible black pudding. I know, I know, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s often not even mine, as black pudding comes in varying levels of quality, and the stuff that’s not good can be… not good at all. But Oakwood’s version is exceptional, full of oats and cinnamon and all-round incredible flavour, with not a skerrick of that unpleasant metallic taste you sometimes get with a black pudding. I’m obsessed.

Long Paddock Cheese – Castlemaine
Made locally in Castlemaine, Long Paddock Cheese has an incredible selection of artisan cheeses, delicately crafted from organic cows’ milk. Everything I’ve tried from them has been delectable.

North-East Victoria (Bright)

The Peaks Artisan Cheesemakers – Bright
When you go here (and you must), buy every single variety of cheese they have. It is all absolutely exquisite. Luke and Vanessa are two lovely people doing incredible things with beautiful milk, and it shows. Buy all of their cheese. Eat all of their cheese. Die happy.
 

Port Fairy, the Great Ocean Road and the Bellarine

Scallop mornay pie from Apollo Bay Bakery – Great Ocean Road
This was the first scallop pie I’ve ever tasted. I don’t know why it has taken me my whole life to try one, but there you are – some people are late bloomers. Now that I’m on the bandwagon, I plan to make up for lost time in a serious way, because this pie is something else. It’s stuffed full of the plumpest Bass Strait scallops, which themselves are lovingly smothered in a velvety mornay sauce. The entire luscious lot is encased in delicious pastry, which is just dense enough to match perfectly with the juicy interior. And you get to chomp it right next to the chilly Southern ocean from whence the scallops came. It is absolutely ten thousand percent worth driving all the way to Apollo Bay to eat one (or one hundred) of these. They are incredible.

The Original Queenscliff Fish and Chips – Queenscliff
When it comes to fish and chips, I’m a harsh judge. I was bred in New Zealand you see, where we really know how to do it right with the old F&C, and I’m sorry to say that Australian offerings rarely measure up. The Original Queenscliff Fish and Chips does. In a big way. In all the ways. Eighty-five stars and a sigh of delight from me.

Shaw River Buffalo Cheese Smoked Buffalino – Shaw River
I’m obsessed with any buffalo-milk cheese, and this is one of the absolute best I’ve tried. It has all the gentle tang that I so love about buffalo cheese, alongside a delicate, delightful smokiness that had me very sorry that I'd only purchased one solitary wedge. 

L’Artisan Mepunga Organic Gruyere – Great Ocean Road
So much funk in the trunk. And organic. And made with milk from a farm near the wild Southern ocean. This cheese is really, really, really good.
 

Gippsland

Pandesal Turkish bread – Meeniyan
In a tiny town in the heart of Gippsland, bread and baked-goods heaven awaits you at Pandesal. We snaffled a loaf of their Turkish bread fresh out of the oven, and oh my freaking god. Honestly it’s some of the best bread I’ve ever eaten. The texture was unbelievable, pillowy and plump, with just enough weight behind it to give each bite the gravitas it deserved. The entire loaf was gone by the end of the day.

Dragon Place Restaurant – Morwell
Have you seen Chopsticks or Fork? It’s an excellent docuseries that tells the stories of families who run Chinese restaurants in country towns. I watched it during lockdown and loved its perspective on this very special and unique cuisine, and the people who create it. And so of course, while tripping through country Victoria, I had my eye out for an opportunity to select my preferred utensil (chopsticks), and I found it at Dragon Place Restaurant on a rainy night in Morwell. From the prawn crackers to the sambal chilli beef to the exceptional special fried rice, it was a truly excellent meal, enjoyed in classic décor, and one that sated me through and through.

Bassine Specialty Cheeses Jam Jerrup Cheese – Glen Forbes
If you like a funky cheese (and I do), then Bassine’s Jam Jerrup is one for you. It’s a soft Tilsit-style cheese that I could not stop eating. Also a special mention to the scones with jam and cream at the Bassine retail store, which are stand-out examples of their class. 
 

Special mention of chocolate

Ruby chocolate from both:

I don’t know how I’ve missed this, but there is a new type of chocolate on the block! Alongside dark, milk and white, a stellar newcomer awaits your attention: ruby. I’ve never seen it before, but clearly I’m behind the eight-ball, because it featured front and centre at more than one of the beautiful chocolateries we visited. It has instantly become my favourite of all the chocolates in the history of ever. I’m not generally a huge chocolate person, but this ruby chocolate tickles me in all the right places. Firstly, it’s the most divine dusky-rose pink, a result not of colouring but the process by which it is made. And then there’s the flavour. Barry Callebaut, the company who concocted this magical stuff, describes it as ‘a totally new taste experience: neither bitter, milky or sweet, but a tension of fresh berry fruitiness and luscious smoothness’. They’re right. It’s smooth, luscious, fruity and a teensy bit tart. Perfection in every bite if you ask me.

WHOAR! That was epic! I hadn’t realised how many amazing food experiences I’d collected to share with you, and I do hope your whistle is as whetted as mine from all that deliciousness. It's definitely time for me to head off into my weekend, which sees me re-embrace the cosmopolitan offerings of Sydney with a trip to the theatre! A very dear friend is appearing in The Lovely Bones at the New Theatre, and because she's very clever, she's also designed the costumes for the production. I can't wait to enjoy the performance, and I do hope your weekend holds an equal amount of scintillating delight. Until next week my loves 💛.

Love, Rachel xxx