Wimmera Machinery Field Days: Event snags region’s best foodie finds

TWO of the Wimmera region’s newest and most progressive food business success stories will offer field days visitors next week a taste of what they can do.

TWO of the Wimmera region’s newest and most progressive food business success stories will offer field days visitors next week a taste of what they can do.

Amber Ridge Cafe, on the Wimmera Highway at Apsley, will present a session in the auditorium at 12.30pm on Tuesday, while Warracknabeal’s Creekside Hotel will follow at the same time two days later.

Both are appearing at the field days for the first time.

Top produce: Cindy Cross from Amber Ridge Cafe (right) will talk food at the field days, while the heat is on for competitors in the annual Creekside BBQ Battle (above). Thirty teams will cook for cash in the competition.

Amber Ridge is a farm shop, nursery and cafe offering homegrown produce, wood-fired pizzas, heirloom fruits and vegetables, preserves, trees, shrubs and seedlings housed in and around a 110-year-old cottage.

Owner Cindy Cross has been in business for more than five years and, apart from modernising the kitchen, has tried to keep most things true to their time.

“The walls and floors are original and I’ve even kept the old silver forks, bone-handled knives and enamel plates,” she said.

“I never expected the place to be busy, but on day one we had 200 people coming through.

“I like to use seasonal produce, so I’ll probably make a pesto from scratch at the field days, plus possibly a tomato bruschetta using all the different-coloured tomatoes from my garden.

“I’ll also try for some local sourdough bread so we can pan-fry that on the day.”

Creekside Hotel owners Kevin and Sally Gebert, who operate the only waterfront restaurant in the Wimmera, are famed for their annual Creekside BBQ Battle, planned this year for October 21-22. The contest – the only such event in country Victoria – sees 30 teams from around Australia competing for cash prizes and expected crowds of more than 2000 people.

“We really focus on as much local produce as we can and making things ourselves,” Sally said.

“Our strong focus is on low and slow barbecues and that’s how the ‘Creekside Signature Sausages’ we’ll be cooking at Wimmera came about.

“We’ve been making our own chicken and beef sausages on-site for the past three or four months, using natural skin casings and all fresh ingredients.”