A BITE OF THE APPLE ISLE
From wineries to providores, farmers’ markets and its excellent restaurants, Tassie is a gourmet paradise. (Don’t forget an Esky for storing fresh produce!)
Famous for its superb fresh produce, Tasmania is a gourmet paradise.
IF YOU LOVE CHEESE, your first port of call from Devonport must be Ashgrove Cheese, where you can stock up on excellent cheeses as well as rich butter, cream, and milk. Be sure to also head to the St Helens region, where fourth-generation dairy farmer Jon Healey makes traditional cheddar cheeses at Pyengana Dairy Company using the same stirred-curd technique that’s been practised in this region for more than 100 years. You can taste his cheeses and eat ice-cream made with his cream and milk. 41° South, a working salmon and ginseng farm in Deloraine, is also a must-visit destination. Farmer Ziggy Pyka raises the salmon in tanks and then smokes it himself. Make sure you try the smoked salmon rillettes, one of 41° South’s most popular products. In Launceston, don’t miss Alps & Amici, a local favourite, stocking much of Tasmania’s best producers. If you can’t get to every farm gate on your list, this is a great alternative – it even has a kitchen; cooking a range of seasonal restaurant-style takehome meals. Also impressive is Davies Grand Central: a service station as well as a produce store, it’s open 24 hours and is brimming with locally sourced produce.
In the popular Pipers River wine region there’s great food and wine to sample. Stop at Lilydale Larder to enjoy food, wine, beer, cider, and whisky on its terrace. And closer to Scottsdale, make sure to visit Tulendeena Farmgate for a brilliant selection of jams, pickles, chutneys, and preserved fruits. Gail Rockliff’s apricot and lavender jam and pears poached with saffron are worth the journey alone.
At St Marys, you can’t miss the brightly signposted Purple Possum Wholefoods and Cafe. Elaine Sullivan’s food is healthy and delicious, with many of the ingredients sourced from produce grown in the café’s garden. The most surprising foodie destination in this region
is Mount Elephant Pancakes. Perched 450 metres above the Tasman Sea on the Elephant Pass, enjoy savoury and sweet pancakes with panoramic views of the forest and the sea beyond. In the Huon Valley, visit three of Australia’s best chocolate makers in their workshops. Meet Andy Abramowich at The Cat’s Tongue in Huonville, Gillian Ryan at Cygneture in Cygnet, and John Zito at Nutpatch in Kettering. Nicholls Rivulet Organic Farm (order three days ahead for organic beef pies and rhubarb tarts) and on Tuesday afternoons you can visit the Fork & Hoe Collective’s (vegetable and meat producers) farm-gate outlets, too. Like most of Tasmania, this fertile region is a treasure trove of delicious produce, hidden gems and amazing people.