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“We’re so lucky to host this festival,” Central Highlands Growers and Producers Hub, and Commerce Ballarat CEO Jodie Gillett said.<\/p>\n
“It’s creative, it’s adventurous, and it’s all local.<\/p>\n
“We’re proud to celebrate the diverse food culture and unique people and experiences that make the Central Highlands such a special destination.”<\/p>\n
Happy Scraps will be hosting a summer celebration of food, music and community at Odessa at Leavers Hotel in Creswick on Saturday 17 January.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The zero-waste dinner will showcase local produce and will be accompanied by music by folk band Gone Westerly, which donates profits to Foodbank.<\/p>\n “We’re going to have a no waste buffet for people with hot food, cold food, desserts, and people can go and fill up their plates,” Happy Scraps founder Rachel Yeo said.<\/p>\n “It will be predominantly rescued food, and it will be a really fun evening of music and laughs.”<\/p>\n Ms Yeo receives most of the produce from Mount Prospect Farm, Creswick Country Bakery, and Hendersons Lane, and she cooks around 65 $5 meals a week for the Creswick and Ballarat communities.<\/p>\n “It’s stopping waste from getting to the bin, stopping it before it gets thrown out and we are intercepting that process,” she said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “It’s also using everything like the stalks of the vegetables, making broth from the bones…<\/p>\n “You don’t actually have to cut the ends of your zucchini; you can eat them and you’re not going to die.”<\/p>\n Daylesford Cider, which won best cider in show, best traditional cider and best Australian cider at the 2025 Australian Cider Awards, will be hosting several events throughout the festival.<\/p>\n Across the five weeks it will be offering a special pizza menu using local produce and offering a tour of its orchard each Sunday.<\/p>\n Visitors can also enjoy cider paired with local cheese and learn how to make cider in their backyard.<\/p>\n “It will be led by one of our cider makers as well as a local brewer, so Hepburn Springs Brewery will come along as well and we’ll teach everyone how to make food in the backyard,” cellar door manager Steve Meadows said.<\/p>\n “We’ll go through small to large-scale creations and kitchen tricks and that will be paired with a tasting of a few ciders as well.”<\/p>\n Meredith Hotel will be holding a contemporary Australian four-course menu using regional produce and paired with local wines.<\/p>\n Head chef Chris Hassan said the festival is a great initiative that encourages people to travel to the region and try local food.<\/p>\n “It’s great for businesses to collaborate, bringing people new and old through,” he said.<\/p>\n “It makes people travel for food and showcases our region about how good food and wine around Victoria is.”<\/p>\n The festival will take place across the Ballarat, Hepburn, Pyrenees, Golden Plains, Moorabool and Ararat regions from Monday 12 January until Sunday 15 February.<\/p>\n For more information, visit the Central Highlands Growers and Producers Hub website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MONTH-long food and wine festival Forage and Feast will be beginning this month throughout the Central Highlands region. Across six Local Government Areas, more than 130 experiences will be on offer such as pork and pinot banquets, paddock to plate experiences, and food and history walking tours. “We’re so lucky to host this festival,” […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/01\/WildOak2025Awards_78281.jpeg\")
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