Delectable Orange blossoms

A GOURMET escape to Orange in NSW's central west and Sheridan Rogers is feasting on local produce in a region that's fast becoming famous.

Ambassador ... Michael Manners helped put the NSW Central West town of Orange on the gastronomic map as the former chef of hatted restaurant Selkirks.

IT'S a golden autumn day in Orange and there's barely a table free in the courtyard at Belgravia at Union Bank.

I've dropped in for a late lunch and, after lingering over the tempting lunch menu, settle on one of the daily blackboard specials, Michael's Provencale fish soup with aioli and garlic toast.

Having just flown in from Sydney and not yet used to the cooler climate, I find this gutsy flavourful soup accompanied by a glass of local shiraz viognier is just what the doctor ordered.

As I sit and warm myself in the dappled sun, colourful plates of antipasti pass by. Today's platter includes duck neck sausage with onion jam, pork rillettes with pickled pear, stuffed peppers, zucchini flowers and ocean trout and kingfish tartare.

It's a sophisticated selection that reflects the exciting – and increasingly cosmopolitan – food and wine scene in Orange.

Head chef Scott Want is one of a number of smart young things trained by the legendary Michael Manners (which explains why the soup has Michael's name attached to it). Others indebted to Manners include Tony Worland, the talented owner-chef of Tonic in Millthorpe, a 20-minute drive from town, and brothers Cameron and Euan Macpherson, who took over from Manners at Selkirks last July and are continuing his tradition of using seasonal local produce, with a contemporary twist.

So important is Manners' contribution to the food and wine culture of the region that he and his wife Josephine Jagger Manners was honoured by the three young chefs at a tribute lunch at Tonic during this month's Orange F. O. O. D week.

Not that Manners has put away all his pans. You can still find him tucked away in a corner of the Woolworths car park at Manners & Borg where he's dishing out a range of fabulous take-home meals such as braised beef cheek in red wine with bacon and mushrooms, chicken and fig tagine and venison in Thai red curry sauce.

A range of gourmet sausages prepared by the award-winning butcher Michael Borg is also available, plus a number of charcuterie items. If you're staying in one of the B&Bs out of town, and don't want to drive back in for dinner, this is an ideal place to stock up.

Apart from his technical expertise in the kitchen, Manners' legacy is his promotion of the fresh local produce of the area which includes venison, mushrooms, berries, honey, nuts and organically grown vegetables.

With its high elevation (about 860m), cool climate and rich volcanic soils, Orange has been one of Australia's most productive horticultural areas for well over a century producing apples and pears and a wide range of stone fruits (ironically the climate is too cool for oranges).

Early on it made its name on sheep, cattle and gold and is rapidly becoming an important wine region even though the first vines were only planted 25 to 30 years ago. Today, it boasts 30 cellar doors and over 60 vineyards with almost 2000 under vine. Shiraz and cabernet are the leading plantings of red varieties (with merlot and pinot noir catching up) while chardonnay is the most widely planted white followed by sauvignon blanc and smaller volumes of pinot gris and riesling.

As I drove around the district, I detected a sense of excitement in the crisp, clean air as the various food producers, winemakers and chefs prepare for Orange F. O. O. D week, now just over.

But don't despair: you can devise your own self-drive program by visiting the various farm gates open to the public which include Hillside Orchard (apples, pears, berries and stone fruit), Norland Orchard (black figs), Thornbrook Orchard (black Muscat grapes, apples and stone fruit), Huntley Berry Farm, Mastronardi Fruit & Vegetable Farm, and Borrodell on the Mount (heritage apples, cherries, wines – and a sublime view from their Sisters Rock restaurant).

The monthly Farmers Market, on the second Saturday of the month at Orange Showground, is also well worth a visit.

Choosing between the 30 cellar doors is more challenging. Some, like Printhie Wines, are a fair way out, though the bonus is their "Sidetrack" winery tour which includes tastings and lunch.

Others, like La Colline and Orange Mountain Wines, are closer in and you might get a chance to chat to the winemaker. At La Colline, tastings are conducted inside the restaurant which also offers a delicious French provincial-style menu.

Just down the road is the Koomooloo Vineyard where acclaimed winemaker Philip Shaw is making elegant sauvignon blancs, chardonnays, merlots and pinot noirs. His efforts to create a wine style outside the mainstream are likely to set a new standard for the region.

If all that driving around becomes exhausting, you can always drop into the Borenore Store where Rick Wansey stocks 50 local wines and conducts a cook-it-yourself barbecue on alternate Fridays. Or drive back into town for a coffee hit at Bills Beans, a hip new espresso bar, and drink in the heady excitement in the Orange air.

The writer was a guest of Tourism NSW. 

The Sunday Telegraph