A trip to the Mornington Peninsula
Eat local! That’s the call for the year. A couple of weeks ago, I joined a group of chefs visiting producers, restaurants and wineries on the Mornington Peninsula. A cooks’ tour, you might say. And if you want to eat local, the Mornington Peninsula’s the area to do it. The range is exceptional, thanks to the combination of sea and land, and a maritime climate. From the two bays (Westernport and Port Phillip), there were mussels, squid, and whiting. By now, there will be snapper, too. Fruit and vegetables? Avocadoes, berries, beetroot, carrots, cherries, garlic, potatoes, pears, mushrooms… lots of mushrooms, including shiitake and oyster mushrooms. Eggs. Truffles. Olive oil. Beef. Poultry. Beer. Cider, Wine. Spirits - gin, or course, and rum as well. Cheese. Mineral water. Even vegan ‘'cheese’’. The Mornington Peninsula table is looking good.
Mornington Peninsula Produce has an accreditation system, not unlike that for wine. For anyone wanting to follow our trail, these are the restaurants we visited: 400 Gradi in Mornington, the Flinders Hotel, Moke Dining (Flinders), the Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club (usually reserved for members), Stillwater at Crittenden. I’d be back at any of them in a flash. The wineries we visited: Red Hill Estate, Elgee Park, and Nazaaray Estate. For me, the surprise was pinot gris - Nazaaray Estate in particular, spicy and dry, very fresh. Some of the Nazaaray wines raise funds to protect Bengal Tigers by enabling better water sources. That way, the competition between villagers and tigers is minimised. Pinot noir and chardonnay are the two varieties that I think shine on the Peninsula - for me, the Elgee Park chardonnay is the pick of them. But there is shiraz, too - and I’ve always liked the fruit/oak/spice notes of Peninsula shiraz.
I tasted some excellent rum from Bass and Flinders Distillery. Four breweries - Jetty Road, Red Hill, Smart Brothers, and Two Bays. And the cidery of Hart’s Farm, where the ciders (produced from a range traditional cider apples) start at dry and work their way through to a fascinating blend of pome fruit - apples, pears, and quinces.
There’s chocolate in Flinders at the Chocolaterie. Cheese comes from the Boatshed, which was established by Tamara Newing. She has sold it, but the quality of the cheeses is very high indeed. Her daughter Brittany established her own vegan cheesemaking facility, using cashew and coconut as the base (rather than milk).
Mornington Peninsula Produce has a guide to farm gates, and there are winery maps too. Very good for the summer! And autumn, and any season. There are many places to stay, from simple camping to luxurious. Harts Farm has a cottage available; Flinders Hotel has excellent accommodation.
Sometime in the new year, the Continental at Sorrento will reopen. The Intercontinental Group has taken it over, and the food and beverage operations will be run by the Scott Pickett group. That’s another visit.