On Saturday, the health promotion team at West Wimmera Health Service hosted the fourth Grow Local, Eat Local cooking competition. Three home cooks from across the Wimmera—Warracknabeal, Horsham and Natimuk—each prepared a plant-based dish for the crowd, with television cook Tim Bone judging the entries and choosing the winner. Bone also treated attendees to his homemade baked beans, a crowd favourite.

Samridhi of Horsham was named winner for her family’s chickpea curry, a recipe handed down through generations. She received a $500 voucher to be spent locally.

“The event was a fun-filled family day out, with locals both young and old turning up to cheer on their local cooks, all while celebrating and sharing delicious food and promoting local produce and ingredients—there was a real buzz in the air,” competition organiser and Health Promotion Officer Jake Wiffen said.

Bone’s culinary skills were on show with a live demonstration and plenty of tips for cooking budget-friendly, plant-based meals using seasonal produce. After judging, he took questions from the audience and posed for photos with young food fans.

Runner-up dishes from Warracknabeal and Natimuk drew praise for flavour and presentation, and all three competitors shared their recipes so families can try them at home. “That’s the goal—simple food that celebrates what we grow here,” Bone said.

West Wimmera Health Service thanked the volunteers and local growers who supplied ingredients and helped plate hundreds of tastings. Recipes from the day—including Samridhi’s winning curry and Tim Bone’s baked beans—will be available via WWHS’s website and social channels. Planning is already underway for the fifth Grow Local, Eat Local next year, with organisers inviting new cooks to throw their hat in the ring.

This article appeared in Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 8 October 2025.