Food & Beverages

The weather gods were pleased with the sacrifices for Barham’s inaugural Feast! 21 degrees at 9pm in April is a miracle, and the patrons rejoiced, delighting in local produce and live music! Over 100 people filled the beautifully arranged setting from event company Mack and Mills on the boardwalk.

Meet John and Reina, as they prepare to open Lyrics Restaurant, and bring fine food to the Commercial Hotel, Kaniva. After fifty years of working all around the world in hospitality, John decided that "now was the time to run things his way" and create a new venture.

Last Friday, after six long years and several challenges, Neville Holt received his Certificate III in Meat Processing and Meat Retail. His certificate was presented by William Angliss trainer Trevor Edon, with IGA Store Manager Angus Harrison in attendance, along with some of Neville’s apprenticeship supporters.

South Australia’s world-class shiraz is currently being showcased on the global stage as part of the ‘Via Sensoria’ exhibition, running until November at the iconic world wine museum, La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, France. This partnership ensures South Australian wines can be showcased to thousands of visitors to the centre each year, as well creating a platform for producers to conduct wine tastings...

Author Jill Griffiths describes her debut book, 'What's For Dinner?' as “an exploration of the food on the table and the farming that puts it there and what it all means for people who grow food and those who eat it”. Australian Regional & Rural News reporter, Serena Kirby, spoke with Jill recently to learn more about her background, how the book came about and some of the fascinating things she discovered in the process.

On Thursday last week the Mount Alexander Falcons Women’s Sports Club launched a ginger beer made in collaboration with Shedshaker Brewing as a fundraiser to support the club and their community programs, which includes the outreach program at Tarrengower prison.

May the fourth beer with you! The Cairns Craft Beer Festival is back in 2024, with a frothing good lineup of ales from six of North Queensland’s craft breweries, delicious pub grub, lively entertainment, and competitions from noon until late...

Australian dairy products from Southern Queensland and northern New South Wales are on their way to Japan, marking the first international shipment from Norco’s Lismore dairy operations since before the Northern Rivers floods in 2022.

Naracoorte’s former Morris Bakery has been sold to a local buyer. The value of the sale was not disclosed to The [Naracoorte Community] News because of legal agreements ... Good news for food lovers, as the new owner intends to run the business as a “food place”.

Reto and Heike Bodenburg have been through a lot to get to the point where they are stable, have a thriving cafe, and are part of the Coraki community ... All that is on hold, with an immigration tribunal looming and the threat of Heike being forced to return to Switzerland and leave all they have built behind.

I’ve read a number of books that delve into issues surrounding Australian food production and it’s fair to say that I found Jill Griffiths’ book What’s For Dinner? the easiest one to digest (pun intended). Jill is a biologist and journalist who’s been writing about the environment and agriculture for more than three decades and her book is a blend of science, history and lived experience.

Sarah Herrmann. Moonta was hit by a particularly unfortunate power outage on Easter Monday ... while a large part of northern Yorke Peninsula was also off the grid ... with small hospitality businesses taking a hit ... Pasky Grab & Go Deli owner Sheree Moroney said the outage created ‘absolute chaos’ for her business.

Pia Funch & Trina Shepherd. Congratulation to Love Lord Howe for winning Gold at the Australian Tourism Awards! ... The  Destination North Coast Board (DNC) visited Lord Howe Island ... for the first time to hold their annual Board meeting and to meet and discuss tourism with local businesses and stakeholders.

The Harcourt Applefest sets out to showcase local produce – in particular, with a name like Applefest (DRUM ROLL)... yes, apples ... At the recent Applefest, one of Maldon’s-own was also showcased … The award-winning Gluten-free Poached Apple Tea Cake will be available at Maldon Rose over Easter.

The NSW Government is urging NSW residents to choose local fresh seafood this Easter and not only enjoy the best fish and prawns from the state’s top producers but support the economy as they sit down for a seasonal feast ... North Coast residents and visitors to the region in particular are encouraged to support the Clarence seafood industry by choosing local prawns and seafood this Easter.

Kerry Cain. From community support to culinary apprentice. Many readers would know Janet Mullholland from her five years managing the IGA Supermarket in Maldon or from Porcupine Village, where she is in the second year of a Commercial Cookery - Level 3 apprenticeship at the Golden Nugget Restaurant.

Norco, Australia’s largest and oldest dairy co-operative has announced the expansion of its ‘Farmer Army’ with new mental health recruit and dairy farmer veteran, Craig Waddell ... Michael Hampson, Norco Chief Executive Officer said the newly created position of Mental Health Support Officer will provide support exclusively to their farmer members who may need to talk to someone during challenging times or simply want to have a chat with another farmer.

Yes, our very own Aaron and Claire from Allora Butchery took on other Butchers and their Apprentice from around the region at the Meatstock Festival held over the weekend at the Toowoomba Showgrounds. The competition was based on speed and accuracy. They each had to bone a chicken, tie 5 kilos of sausages and roll five rissoles.

Forty-one tourism experiences have been named as the best in Australia for mature-age visitors, with Queensland dominating ... The Grey Nomad Awards is a niche national tourism program that shines a light on the best places for older travellers to stay and play around the country. The Award announcements reflect achievements throughout 2023.

The 4th Annual Vineyard of the Year Awards list of Australia’s top winegrowers has just landed. The Vineyard of the Year Awards were created in 2020 to advance the regional identity of Australian wine and promote leading edge sustainability and innovation in winegrowing.

Christine McKee. Sustainable food and sustainable employment were at the top of the list four years ago when planning began for a local food co-operative. Today, a network of local food producers and a greengrocery form the hub of Acres and Acres Co-op.