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.

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 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

to deliver exceptional fruit – and picked straight from the branch, the reward is great. Down the country lanes you’ll see and hear the tractors coming and going as they continue on their merry way. The day is long but satisfying, for this is complete food bowl territory. Across the land where the grapevines grow and sow the stories of winemaking, there are vignerons who know their craft well. The Mornington Peninsula is recognised as a premier winemaking region, and the proof is in the internationally recognised product. With a history that dates back to the 1880s and with some 200 vineyards and 50 cellar doors providing some of the most desired cool-climate wines in creation, this is the part of the world where everything works better with a glass in hand. The chardonnay, pinot gris and pinot noir are standouts, while the adventurous nature of vignerons who continue to innovate secures the region’s stellar reputation. With multiple awardwinning labels on offer and the cellar doors swung wide open, there’s no reason not to take part of the Peninsula’s wine country home with you. With almost 3000ha of national park covering the Peninsula and a labyrinth of walking tracks and coastal paths connecting the coast-tocoast dots, people from all over the world come here to roam. Bikers ride the coastal roads too, and all have one aim: to experience the Mornington Peninsula’s magnificent organic terrain. In the hinterland, people gather for long autumn walks with family and friends that often end with an even longer leisurely lunch. The slippery jacks have come up and the dishes created by mushroom-hunting chefs are in full swing. The region has become a mecca for these well-known chefs, who are being drawn here because of the lifestyle and quality produce. Chef Hat-awarded creators continue to open incredible restaurants where the food is world-class yet still distinctively Mornington Peninsula, while dedicated chefs who have travelled the world before returning to where the hinterland meets the sea are plating up edible works of art. Combine these offerings and you have an area where every taste is catered for, from European and Middle Eastern to American-style barbecue and Asian street flavours. hits to patrons who wait patiently in line for an excellent home-roasted brew. From Port Phillip to Western Port and Frankston to Portsea, people gather for brunch and lunch opposite the water or further inland to indulge in fresh produce deliciousness. The selection of drinks on offer continues to grow and includes house-made lemonade and milkshakes, chai latte and cold brew, while the industrial-style communities placed between the café scene continue to evolve. Here the hip crowd congregate to indulge in afternoons and evenings full of conversation over first-rate locally brewed beer, cider and spirits and freshly baked pizza. Boutique breweries and distilleries thrive here with their seemingly endless ideas for handcrafting liquid excellence, while the laid-back bar life from Mornington to Balnarring is brilliant. When I was young, days were spent playing on the pristine beaches of Dromana, Blairgowrie and Sorrento, running to the water’s edge and back to dip my hands in and out of the Esky in the hope of grabbing a homemade sandwich, or day-dreaming while fishing out on the bay in a slightly swaying dinghy surrounded by seagulls squawking. Fishing has always been a part of the locality, and some people still fish for flathead just like my family did. There really is nothing quite like a freshly caught ‘flattie’ in the pan to remind you where you live. And there’s plenty of fishing folk still dropping a line from one of the many piers jutting out from the coastline. Our First Nations peoples must have led an incredible seafood and bush food existence, and the popularity of using these native foods that can be found growing from coast to coast to high on Arthurs Seat is becoming widespread. The Mornington Peninsula may be a place of turbulent wind, rocky outcrops and muscular ocean butting up against the shingle, but it is also a place of gentle summer sunsets across the plains and beaches, where the white sand and blue water glimmer as people voyage out to fish or frolic. Our part of the world is just 40km long and 15-20km wide, with water on three sides. We may be small but our generosity of quality produce and hospitality is huge. Come explore and Eat.Drink with us. Don’t delay – the first-rate food and wine life is waiting.