Well, hello 2021!
With the strange days behind us and exhilarating days of wining, dining and raising one’s spirits ahead, the Mornington Peninsula’s artisans, growers and hospitality folk can finally take a deep breath and get down to the business of doing what they do best: bringing the fruits of their labour that have stood the test of time to your savouring table.
It’s time to head outside and have a culinary adventure. To put down the picnic rug or pull up a seat opposite the bay, in the forest, a winery, a restaurant or café. To spill out on to the streets with hands up in the air and celebrate the fact that our food, wine and distillery craftspeople have continued to deliver delicious excellence in the face of everything that has been thrown at them.
are making artisan bread. Markets are selling the freshest seasonal produce while free-range eggs, avocados, olives, cherries, strawberries and apples are just down the road, ready to be picked up at a farmgate or hand-picked yourself. The Mornington Peninsula has a strong history of pastoral life. Today, generational graziers grow award-winning beef and lamb on the undulating pastures that rise up and down across the region, while farmers tucked away here and there are raising authentic free-range animals and creating magnificent smallgoods such as bacon, sausages and ham. Charcuterie is alive and well on the Peninsula. The cheeseries are making finely crafted cheese on the coast and in Red Hill, while vegetable growers are supplying their produce to residents, restaurant tables and the country’s supermarkets. Dedicated orchardists continue
Peninsula people are distinctive. Deeply connected to the land and sea and the understanding that the bounty these things bring must be hard won, this is the land where quality produce matters. From the bays to the bush to the forest, to the farmers, orchardists and vignerons tending to their harvest, this is where the song of a plentiful life began with our First Nations people and then our pioneers who came in droves to work the land. To this day the tradition goes on. This region has certainly changed since I was a kid wandering down from Latrobe Pde in Dromana to the corner shop with my father. Through the oak trees we’d go, collecting the acorns along the way before coming to the best part of the day. On the bench in the milk bar, in a large opaque jar, were the house-made pickled onions I still remember with a passion. The flavour was briny and light, and the aroma had a vinegary bite. This was my first foray into the foodiefirst innovators of the Mornington Peninsula, and the journey was magnificent. Fast-forward to today and the Mornington Peninsula’s sea-to-plate and paddock-to-platter offerings have become extensive. The drinkmakers are creating cider, gin, whisky, rum and beer while the bakers
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