From the garden straight to the plate

Overlooking the picturesque Swan Bay sits Basils Farm, where their restaurant ingredients go straight from the garden and onto the plate.

With a seasonal menu influenced by what’s growing, it’s never boring and always fresh with produce harvested daily.

Basils Farm wedding and events Manager Katherine Hampson said growing their own produce was a big part of what they do and enhanced them as a venue.

“It gives us a point of difference if people are going to drive all the out to come to a restaurant, we’re trying to give them an experience.”

Part of that experience for patrons is being able to walk around the gardens when waiting for their meals, exploring the beauty of the farm.

The potager garden is hedged with espalier fruit trees, which are also utilised in the restaurant and bar, as well as their citrus trees.

 

“For our cocktails we use things like sliced pears, and we dehydrate them, and then they’re used in our pear cocktail, most of our cocktails have got something off the trees in them,” Hampson said.

Along with providing food to the kitchen, the garden is also an opportunity for kids to learn more about produce and where their fruits and vegetables come from.

The farm also has vineyards located behind the restaurant, the grapes are harvested by a local winery before they are turned into wine and sold back through the restaurant.

The venue started out as a cafe, quickly becoming popular before it transitioned into a bustling restaurant and wedding venue.

 

Hampson believes the biggest attraction to the restaurant and venue is a combination of being on a farm with water views to accompany it.

“It’s just one of those places I find, where you could sit down and feel like you could spend the whole afternoon here,” she said.

“Our landscape that we’re on with the views across to Queenscliff, across the water, is pretty unique.

“And our gardens are just really beautiful with all the bird life and everything that’s here, it’s definitely a wow factor when you arrive.”

The location and scenery of Basils Farm is what makes it a popular wedding venue in the area, providing a perfect ceremony backdrop for couples.

“We have a lot of local photographers that love coming out here just because there are so many beautiful places to shoot,’ Hampson said.

“With weddings we do like to really adapt and to let them make it their creative space for their day.”

 

The farm has a heavy focus on keeping their food really strong as they move more into the wedding and events space, with plans to expand the sustainability side of their business.

“We’re making plans to actually extend our garden so we can actually provide more food and produce to the kitchen.”

An Indigenous garden is also being set up at the farm with Warrigal Greens, Pepperberry, Lemon Myrtle and more.

As guests step onto the property they are met with a relaxing and calm atmosphere, a fire pit brings the warmth outside during the cooler months with umbrellas providing shade for the sunny days.

The venue also has a pavilion overlooking the water allowing guests to take in the views whilst being protected from the elements.

“It’s a very beautiful, peaceful and tranquil place to be,” Hampson said.

“We have full time gardeners that work here so the grounds are amazing and it’s still a bit of a tucked away piece of paradise that people are still discovering.”

 

Hampson said the staff at Basils Farm always “go an extra mile” for their guests, something that makes them stand out to their customers.

“It’s like a family environment being part of Basils Farm,” she said.

“I think that really comes across to our customers, they can see that it’s very personalised.”

Hampson said one of the highlights of working at the venue is its setting and the people she works with, stating they have a really strong team, which comes across to their guests.

The restaurant is open Thursday to Monday, with reservations highly encouraged to avoid disappointment.

Basils Farm is at 45-53 Nye Road, Swan Bay.

For more information, head to basilsfarm.com.au