PENINSULA MADE Produce paradise for master chefs and home cooks

Alice Zaslavsky rose to fame as a much-loved contestant on TV’s MasterChef in 2012. Now an author and ABC TV and radio presenter, she draws on a rich family food culture of her homeland in Tbilisi in Georgia. Her books Alice’s Food A-Z, In Praise of Veg, and The Joy of Better Cooking educate, inform and inspire thousands of cooks across the country and around the world.

When not on air or public speaking, this proud Mornington Peninsula resident spends her time creating healthy recipes for both her readers at The Guardian and her young family. “I love living here and supporting our local producers,” Alice said. “The Mornington Peninsula is home to some great growers and suppliers. Anyone living here or even making a trip down here should stop at Torello Farm.” At the Dromana farmgate, vegetables are grown on site and beef and lamb come from animals grown at the owners’ family farm at nearby Tuerong. “They make such an effort with the display, the staff are really knowledgeable and there is a real sense of seasonality.” When she’s there she makes a beeline for the flours grown by Jason Cotter from Tuerong Farm. “He has built a bakery and makes some awesome sourdough. But I also can’t resist his pancake mix; they turn out so fluffy, and the mix keeps for ages in the fridge.”

Alice seeks out vegetables from Barragunda Collective, a regenerative farm at Cape Schanck. She also appreciates Peninsula Organic Farmgate at Baxter. This is the retail outlet of Tash and Wayne Shields, who have an organic farm nearby. The store not only stocks the Shields’ veg but also organic produce and organic foods from around the state. “There is also a friendly little fish and chip shop next door.”

Alice and her family also enjoy the chips at Hawkes Farm. This is a large family-owned vegetable farm in Boneo growing exceptional root vegetables and leafy greens, but it’s most famous for its fat french fries. Potatoes straight from the earth are washed, cut and then triple-cooked them to make “perhaps the best hot potato chips in the country. I buy three packs, eat one hot and use the other two next day to make a tortilla”.

On the Port Phillip side, Alice recommends shopping in Dromana for excellent free-range meat from Ministry of Meat. It is owned by Italian-born butcher Andrea Morba, known for his perfectly seasoned porchetta. Next door is the retro milk store Dairy Lane, specialising in fresh Jersey milk, butter and cream. “The Dromana IGA has brands of food I have never seen before. It and its sister store in Mount Eliza stock everything a healthy cook needs. And the Mediterranean aisle is, well, Instagram-worthy.

“The Peninsula has always been rich growing country, producing not only a broad range of crops but a culture of value-adding.”

Alice uses Mock Organics apple cider vinegar and the farmhouse goat’s milk cheeses made at Main Ridge Dairy. “There are also some great pick-your-own experiences, like Rocky Creek for strawberries and Ripe ‘n’ Ready cherry farm. They are a great day out with the kids because you can not only see where and how food is grown but also who grows it, which is the fastest way to grow the next generation of foodies.”