Visits
About Us...
- Jill Dyson,
- Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia
- Click on the link to read Jill's latest blog post. Jill has been running FoodPath in the Southern Highlands of NSW with her partner Nick since April 2010. They have grown the business to a level where they now include a range of activities including tours, workshops and collaboration with others (cooking schools, wineries, etc). During the past 10 years Jill and Nick have got to know the local producers and continue to promote and support these local small businesses. They have organised and run many food related activities including taste education workshops and producer visits. It was after they organised a successful tour for a group of chefs from some of the best restaurants in Sydney that they realised they could turn their interest into a business - and this led to the setting up of FoodPath - Culinary Tours with a Difference. Now Jill and Nick are working closely with Southern Highlands Tourism and Wingecarribee Council to help raise the profile of their area as a food destination where everyone will benefit - tourists, local consumers and the producers themselves.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
We started at the Moss Vale Produce Market meeting many local producers and food related businesses.
Jo and Geoff love baking bread and on weekends they try out recipes they are not allowed to use in their franchise bakery during the week. They are always friendly and welcoming. Jo had some starter dough to show us - to smell and touch, which was very interesting.
John and Jessie represent Thirlmere Poultry consistently at the produce markets. They have free range poultry and the business has been going for 50 years! We often buy a duck to take home. This time Nick bought a guinea fowl! I believe they are selling geese these days and there is a growing market. You would need a few friends to share a goose for dinner!
The producers all welcomed us and gave us special attention and tastings. FoodPath likes to support local producers and seeing them at the producer's market means you can see many people at once.
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After coffee from Elly we boarded our bus and went to see Warryn at the free range poultry farm out of Berrima. A favourite stop for us. Anne was away in Italy at the Slow Food Terra Madre but Warryn managed well on his own.
Then on for another delicious long table lunch at Stones Restaurant at Eling Forest where Jack always looks after us well.
After lunch we drove to Tammy and Craig's state of the art dairy to watch the afternoon milking of 190 cows. How fascinating to see how computers have improved efficiency and quality control. A trip to the USA 5 years ago to do some research was the catalyst for this young couple who decided to bite the bullet and upgrade their dairy.
Finally we went to Mount Ashby Estate, a beautiful winery out of Moss Vale in what was an old Throsby dairy. As well as a wine tasting Chris told us about the 100 Gingko trees and what they plan to do with these. What a lovely way to end the day - tired but happy. Glad we are eating in tonight :)
