delicious. Produce Award winners revealed
Australia’s best ingredients have been put under the microscope by the country’s finest chefs. This is the winning produce you should be putting on your plate.
QLD Taste
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FROM cheese to chicken, salad greens to grouper, the best foods in Australia were last night announced at the annual delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards.
The gongs celebrate the finest of local ingredients and the growers, fishers, farmers and artisans behind them, with major awards for produce in four categories: from the sea, from the earth, from the paddock and from the dairy; alongside a host of other honours.
Putting the ingredients under the microscope this year was an esteemed panel of some of the country’s biggest culinary stars: Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Guillaume Brahimi, Peter Gilmore, Christine Manfield, Alla Wolf-Tasker, Shannon Bennett, Andrew McConnell, Colin Fassnidge and Neil Perry.
“The delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards not only influence what you may see on restaurant menus for the next year to come, but most importantly give credit to the people who care for the produce that lands on our plates. It has never been more important to get behind our farmers and small producers. They need our help,” says delicious. editor-in-chief Kerrie McCallum.
Eighteen Queensland producers were in the running, and here are the winners and gold medallists, as well as the trophy winners for the major categories.
MUNGALLI CREEK POT SET BIO-DYNAMIC NATURAL YOGHURT
Based in the Atherton Tableland in far north Queensland, Mungalli Creek is an organic, biodynamic dairy committed to regenerating the land and leaving it in a better state for future generations and ensuring the cows that live on it are as happy as possible.
The business produces a diverse range of products, from milk to cheese and even kefir, but it was their natural-set yoghurt made from their full cream biodynamic milk that won over the judges, awarding it a gold medal. As with their milk, the cream in this yoghurt rises to the top to create a decadent layer to enjoy.
“Pot-set yoghurt can sometimes be a little grainy, but it was really beautiful and creamy and had great acidity. It was something that was a little bit different,” said judge Matt Moran.
COLLISON REEF FISH CORAL TROUT
Run by Ben and Coralie Collison, Bowen-based fishery Collison Reef Fish specialises in sustainably, hand line-caught fish, treated with the utmost care ensuring it’s an environmentally sound choice but also tastes great. Collison supplies to some of the top restaurants in the country including the multi-award-winning Saint Peter in Sydney. It was their north Queensland caught coral trout that had the judges so impressed they awarded it a gold medal.
“It’s a great quality coral trout,” says Moran.
“It’s a really well-handled, great product. The way that it’s caught and brain spiked, it’s second to none.”
FRASER ISLE SPANNER CRAB
From Les and Lyn Apps comes this incredible spanner crab caught around Fraser Island. The couple has been fishing spanner crab since the 1980s and maintaining the marine environment surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fraser Island is a top priority. The fishery was one of the first to be certified sustainable under the 1999 Biodiversity and Environment Protection Act and has since been recognised by environmental groups as having a zero by-catch and zero effect on the sea floor. The spanner crab has become a favourite of top chefs across the country for its sustainability and, of course, its flavour. It picked up a gold medal.
“The great thing about those guys is it’s all about sustainability and they only take what they need,” says Moran.
“And the quality of it is just unbelievable. Lightly steamed or poached in butter, it’s just insanely beautiful. Whenever I’m in Queensland I’ll always try to use it because the quality is always there.”
ROCKY POINT AQUACULTURE GIANT GROUPER
Based between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Rocky Point Aquaculture is run by the Zipf family and specialises in cobia and Queensland grouper, also known as giant grouper. The fish farm has become a favourite with Queensland chefs including Jake Nicolson of Blackbird Bar & Grill and Donna Chang, and Alanna Sapwell of Arc for its sustainable and ethical catches that are humanely killed using the ikijime method.
They entered their grouper into this year’s competition and the judges were so taken with it they awarded it a gold medal.
“Being an aquaculture product and having grouper that was unbelievable – it’s good to see something a little bit unusual,” Moran says.
WALKER SEAFOODS AUSTRALIA MSC CERTIFIED SWORDFISH
Run by husband and wife Pavo and Heidi Walker, Walker Seafoods is based at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast and specialises in tuna and swordfish. Sustainability is at the core of their business and they are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, with their catches managed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority so their practices ensure the fish they catch will be around well into the future.
The business supplies about 20 tonne of swordfish each week to the US for sale in gourmet grocery chain Whole Foods, while keeping around two tonne in Australia for the country’s best restaurants including Tetsuya’s, Rockpool, Saint Peter and Arc.
A third-time finalist in the awards, it claimed a gold medal.
“The quality is second to none,” Moran says. “They’re the best in the field when it comes to big fish like swordfish and tuna.”
CHRIS BOLTON FISHING WILD RED
EMPEROR
Based halfway between Innisfail and Mission Beach in far north Queensland, Chris Bolton is one of the most passionate fishermen you’ll meet.
Specialising in reef fish, such as coral trout and red emperor, his first and greatest priority is to the environment, using hand lines for his catches and electric anchors so he doesn’t destroy the reef.
He even makes his own steel sinkers using discarded steel from scrap yards and recyclers to prevent it going into landfill. His operations are solar-powered and he is always trying to reduce his environmental impact.
“We try to do everything we possibly can, we’re still not perfect, but we’re always trying to find a way of doing things better and thinking about the future all the time,” Bolton says.
The biggest difference is his approach to fishing, going out for no longer than 24 hours, sometimes just six hours at a time, killing his catches humanely, and ensuring they arrive at their destination within 48 hours of being caught. And that destination is usually the hands of some of the best chefs in the country, including Josh Niland from Sydney’s Saint Peter.
It’s this commitment to the environment and the obvious quality as a result in his product that this year scored Bolton the title of From the Sea Trophy Winner for his wild red emperor.
“God, it was bloody good, it was unbelievably good,” says Moran.
“The fish was so fresh you would think it was just out of the water. The handling of them and quality of them is second to none.”
Some of Bolton’s catch can be found locally at Morningside’s The Fish Factory and restaurant 1889 Enoteca in Woolloongabba.
SCENIC RIM
Stretching from Tamborine Mountain to Mt Barney, Boonah and Kalbar, Queensland’s Scenic Rim was awarded the title of Outstanding Region presented by Huon Salmon for its incredible culinary diversity and quality.
Foodies will find everything from camel milk and jersey milk to olives, honey, nuts, aquaculture, beer, wine, vegetables and more.
“Everyone has been talking about it,” says Moran. “There’s so much there, it seems like a food mecca.”
ALANNA SAPWELL
The chef at Brisbane’s Arc Dining is going to need a bigger trophy cabinet. After picking up a host of accolades this year, including The Courier Mail’s Chef of the Year title, she picked up the gong for Unearthed Next-Gen Chef last night. She was praised for her dedication to using only the best quality, sustainable produce, including that grown in her own garden outside the restaurant.
“She’s just a young creative, innovative, passionate chef,” says Moran. “She’s the most up-and-coming young chef in the country. I think people will be talking about her a lot more for a lot longer. With her, it’s all about sustainability and incredible produce. She’s just a good sweet girl and has a massive future.”
SPURRELL FORAGING NATIVE & SEASONAL EDIBLE PLANTS
Taking out the From the Earth category, this locally foraged produce from Victoria is supplied with environmental conscience a core value.
“For me, what makes Spurrell a winner is simple: its produce is seasonal, sustainable and hand picked,” says judge Guillaume Brahimi. “The herbs are picked and you can have them on the plate the following day. The quality of the licorice, Tasmanian mountain pepper leaves and native mint is unbelievable!”
EUGOWRA GAME BIRDS, PASTURED QUAIL
The only quail in Australia grown and processed in its natural environment (pasture), this chemical-free game bird from New South Wales scored the major trophy in the paddock category.
“Quail is unique in that it is pasture raised. The birds are free to roam and forage. You can taste this in the meat. It has a gamey, distinct flavour and beautiful texture. The birds are well-presented and, once cooked, the quail is far superior to all others I’ve tasted in Australia,” judge Peter Gilmore says.
PECORA DAIRY, RAW MILK FETA
The first Australian raw milk feta, this New South Wales entrant claimed the major win in the dairy category. Aged in brine for 75 days, it bursts with flavour, according to the judge Christine Manfield.
“Pecora’s dedication to its craft, ethical practice and passion for delivering excellence is tasted in every bite of its raw milk feta,” she says. “Its purity of flavour and voluptuous texture sets a new exciting standard for soft cheese.”
*For the full list of winners and gold medallists see the September issue of delicious. on sale from Thursday
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