Tuesday, 20 January 2015

Five fantastic Tasmanian culinary experiences

Tasmania is Australia's gourmet state; full of great wine and food experiences. Here are five of the best. 


The Agrarian Kitchen
A sustainable farm-based cooking school situated in a cute 19th-century schoolhouse at Lachlan, 45 minutes from Hobart in the Derwent Valley, the Agrarian Kitchen can sometimes be booked out for months in advance.

It was established by Rodney Dunn and his French wife Séverine, who moved from Sydney to Tasmania in 2007 to transform the schoolhouse into Tasmania’s first hands-on, farm-based school.

Set on five acres, it incorporates a vegetable garden, orchard, berry patch and herb garden, all grown using organic principles. Also in residence are Wessex saddleback pigs, Barnevelder chickens, Alpine goats and a flock of geese.

650 Lachlan Road, Lachlan. (03) 6261 1099. www.theagrariankitchen.com

Bruny Island Cheese
Gourmets will be in their element on Bruny Island, a short ferry ride from Kettering, south of Hobart.

It is here that colourful television personality and cheese master Nick Haddow produces some of Australia's finest cheeses, hand-made from local milk. 

Visitors are invited to do a tasting, check out the cheesery or sample a selection of artisan cheeses and wood-fired breads among the eucalyptus gum trees in the Bruny Island Cheese gardens. The cheeses are all made and matured using traditional techniques.

Tiny Bruny Island is a mini gourmet paradise and is also home to freshly shucked oysters from Get Shucked, wines from Bruny Island Premium Wines, Australia’s southernmost vineyard, the Bruny Island Smokehouse and the Bruny Island Berry Farm.
1807 Bruny Island Main Rd, Great Bay, Bruny Island. (03) 6260 6353. www.brunyislandcheese.com.au.

Launceston Harvest Market
Fancy sampling some hand-crafted Tasmanian cheeses from Red Cow Dairies, Yondover Farmhouse or Elgaar Organic Dairy? Or some new-season apricot jam, or perhaps some juicy fresh tomatoes direct from the Tamar Valley?

Maybe some organic pork and beef from Mount Gnomon Farm, some salmon from 41 Degrees South salmon farm, interesting cuts of rabbit meat, or some new-vintage local wines from boutique producers Sharmans or Humbug Reach?

Many of the best producers in the north of the state are at Launceston’s Harvest Farmers’ Market, held every Saturday morning rain or shine and one of the best examples of Tasmania’s growing producer-to-punter food culture.

71 Cimitiere St, Launceston. 0417 352 780. www.harvestmarket.org.au.

Lark Distillery
The Lark Distillery Whisky Bar and Café in downtown Hobart offers the chance to learn all about, and taste, a range of local whiskies and brandies in a relaxed atmosphere.

Lark, established by local businessman Bill Lark, and also offers a range of fully escorted tours including a one-day and two-day tour taking in local peat bogs, as well as the Ultimate Whisky Experience four-day tour.

The whiskies are made in small batches, exclusively from Tasmanian ingredients and are matured in small barrels before being hand bottled.

14 Davey Street, Hobart. (03) 6231 9088. www.larkdistillery.com.au.

Freycinet Marine Farm
Pacific oysters, native oysters and Tasmanian blue mussels all thrive in the pristine waters of the Greater Swanport river estuary and marine zones are off shore from Freycinet National Park.

Visitors to the Freycinet Marine Farm are able to don rubber wading boots and join group tours, learning how oysters and mussels are grown and harvested.

All tours includes a tasting of oysters and mussels fresh from the sea, as well as providing an overview of oyster farming in the state.

1784 Coles Bay Road, Coles Bay. (03) 62570140. www.freycinetmarinefarm.com


For more information about tourism and wine destinations in Tasmania visit: www.discovertasmania.com and www.winetasmania.com.au.

No comments:

Post a Comment