Local produce made with love

A MONTH of curated events highlighting local growers and producers got underway yesterday and there is plenty more to look forward to.

Forage and Feast, an initiative by Commerce Ballarat, is aiming to showcase what the region has to offer as well as launch the Central Highlands Growers and Producers Hub.

This Saturday a variety of local produce will be on offer on the Red Lion, including a gin tasting from Mrs Bakers Still House.

Attendees will receive a cocktail on arrival and then each gin will be paired with a dish using produce from Saltbush Kitchen, Morningswood Farm, Western Plains Pork and Meredith Dairy.

Mrs Bakers Still House is a family run business, led by Jane Baker and her daughters Georgette and Elizabeth.

“The core here is me and my two daughters so it is a close-knit team,” said Ms Baker.

“It is wonderful having a young person doing the distilling because they have a bright, fresh palette.”

Each gin has been chosen to pair with local ingredients.

“The chef at the Red Lion came out and did a tasting of all our gins and it was wonderful to get a foodie like that tasting as they say more about your gin then you’ve ever noticed before,” said Ms Baker.

“They then decided which ones they wanted to incorporate into their menu and there will be beautiful little tasting menu of locally produced food paired with our gins.”

Tregan Dixon, marketing manager at the Red Lion, said it was great to showcase a local producer.

“They have all the solar panels out there, so they are very resourceful, and we really just want to get their name out there for everyone to see what they’re about,” she said.

“It’s really good to get the recognition for local producers who might be quite small.”

Ms Baker said she hopes people who attend can see what is on offer in the region and make more sustainable choices.

“We grow a lot of our botanicals, and we collect local fruit,” she said.

“Getting things closer to home are fresher and brighter whereas things that travel a long way cost a lot to the environment.”

The Shared Table in Buninyong are another local business involved in Forage and Feast and they will be having a special summer menu using fresh produce.

This will include products from Black Cat Truffles, Western Plains Pork, Inglenook Dairy and many other local businesses.

Owner Dianne Ray said Forage and Feast embodies the values of the Shared Table.

“Our usual core business and the way that we operate at the Shared Table has always been hyper local, so Forage and Feast is more or less what we do as a restaurant,” she said.

“We utilise all the producers we can around our area because that supports our community.”

Ms Ray encouraged the community to support small producers as they create high quality products.

“One of the things which may not be highlighted is that for these small producers it’s their livelihood and it’s something they take a lot of pride in, and it takes a lot of work to make their product,” she said.

“The more we showcase what actually goes into growing, producing and nurturing those things I think will give people a better understanding of what goes into them.”

The full Forage and Feast program can be found at centralhighlandgrowers.com.au