- 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.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
We say we will do the Family Farm Tours rain, hail or shine but it was very soggy underfoot yesterday so we have changed our minds. Not very pleasant so we have decided to cancel the tour scheduled for Sun 2 Oct. We have to give notice a few days prior.
Other options for you to consider in wet weather are:
- 10 pin bowling (Mittagong)
- Neeny's Playhouse (Mittagong)
- A range of movies at our wonderful Empire Cinema (Bowral) and
- Bunnings are offering a free DIY Workshop for 5yr + age group.
There is one FoodPath Family Tour to go these holidays and that is on Wed 5 Oct if you are interested? We will be visiting the free range chook farm in the morning, a dairy in the afternoon with a picnic lunch in between.
Cross your fingers conditions improve by then. Please contact us if you want to come because we have to have a minimum number.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Had a phone call this morning from a very excited Kym Burrows, reporting that they had won two awards for their Sutton Forest Olive Oil at the Royal Canberra Show!
They won a Gold for their "Robust" olive oil and a Silver for their "Fresh and Fruity".
It was the first time Kym had entered a show with her oil and they came 2nd and 3rd in the whole event, Kym said! The winner was a large company in the Hunter Valley whereas Kym and her husband have no paid help. This is very exciting and makes all the hard work worth while.
We visit Kym both on our Day Tours on the farm and during our tour of the Bowral Public School Market and her passion about her product is plain to see. These awards will encourage her to go from strength to strength - congratulations Kym and Mathew!
They won a Gold for their "Robust" olive oil and a Silver for their "Fresh and Fruity".
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| We visit Kym at her olive farm with our tours |
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| Kym telling a FoodPath tour group about her business, |
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| Kym is a regular at the Bowral Public School Market on the 2nd Sat |
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| A display of Sutton Forest olive oil, dukkah, caramelised balsamic - all delicious |
Monday, September 19, 2011
Had a nice day yesterday at a Sustainability Festival at Penrose, one of the Southern villages in the Southern Highlands. I was representing Southern Highlands Harvest which is a council initiative encouraging locals to "eat local". We have developed a database of 33 local growers so far and where you can by their products and I was handing out this information to the enthusiastic public.
Monday, September 12, 2011
I am feeling very happy today looking back over the past
four days. Such a variety of activities and everything went swimmingly.
Great feedback coming in from the Probus tour on Thurs which
I have forwarded on to our "partners" on the itinerary. Without them
and all of us working well together it would not happen
Now more forward planning - never a dull moment. Let me know
if there is anything you would like in particular?
Don't forget it is much easier for us to work with groups -
groups of friends, family, workmates - all good. Thinking Xmas parties? Maybe
we can help.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Another very successful Cheese Appreciation Workshop today this time held in a beautiful setting at Sturt, Mittagong.
The group was mixed with members from Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Yass, Berry, Kangaroo Valley and the remainder from the Southern Highlands. Three women had come from various directions to have a weekend together as a school reunion - and they came to TWO of our activities over the weekend! What a great idea and good for us too :). Another four were friends from the South Coast.
We focused on local cheese makers again because that has a special appeal to visitors to the area. We were able to source 11 cheeses this time from 3 cheese makers - 2 cow's milk and 1 ewe's milk. One cheese was even infused with truffles from Braidwood - how special is that!!
Nick shared his vast knowledge of cheese generally and these cheeses in particular and the feedback from the group was excellent! (See our commendations page on the website)
We will be scheduling another workshop in November. Unfortunately October is fully booked with other FoodPath tours and activities.
The group was mixed with members from Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Yass, Berry, Kangaroo Valley and the remainder from the Southern Highlands. Three women had come from various directions to have a weekend together as a school reunion - and they came to TWO of our activities over the weekend! What a great idea and good for us too :). Another four were friends from the South Coast.
We focused on local cheese makers again because that has a special appeal to visitors to the area. We were able to source 11 cheeses this time from 3 cheese makers - 2 cow's milk and 1 ewe's milk. One cheese was even infused with truffles from Braidwood - how special is that!!
Nick shared his vast knowledge of cheese generally and these cheeses in particular and the feedback from the group was excellent! (See our commendations page on the website)
We will be scheduling another workshop in November. Unfortunately October is fully booked with other FoodPath tours and activities.
What a busy week!
First we have had a group of 17 women come on a customised tour with us while their partners played golf. That was a new itinerary which was a great success and we will definitely be repeating!
We ran TWO Farmers Market Tours yesterday at Bowral Public School! One was as part of a Market to Table Tour and was followed by a cooking class with Patricia from the Blue Bowl Cooking School and a long table lunch.
Patricia bought the ingredients at the market and these included free range duck, minced free range pork, organic shallots and other vegies, blood oranges, rhubarb and prawns (up from Wollongong).
The meal had an Asian theme and the group made -
We were all given a book with the recipes and some useful information about the produce - AND we got to take the apron home!
Thanks Patricia!
I am looking forward to the next one which is on Sat 8 Oct. Contact us from the website for bookings or more info www.foodpath.com.au.
The website for Patricia at the Blue Bowl Cooking School is www.bluebowl.com.au
First we have had a group of 17 women come on a customised tour with us while their partners played golf. That was a new itinerary which was a great success and we will definitely be repeating!
We ran TWO Farmers Market Tours yesterday at Bowral Public School! One was as part of a Market to Table Tour and was followed by a cooking class with Patricia from the Blue Bowl Cooking School and a long table lunch.
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| Thirlmere Poultry has been going for over 40 years and John and Jeanie represent them at the Bowral market |
Patricia bought the ingredients at the market and these included free range duck, minced free range pork, organic shallots and other vegies, blood oranges, rhubarb and prawns (up from Wollongong).
The meal had an Asian theme and the group made -
- Steamed Prawn Dumplings with the pork and prawn, with black vinegar dressing
- Mushroom Fried Rice using the shiitake, oyster and swiss brown mushrooms from the Mittagong mushroom tunnel (we have a tour to the tunnel scheduled for Tues 25 Oct)
- Szechuan Duck which was so tender and delicious
- Blood Orange Sorbet served with rhubarb which had been cooked in the juice of the oranges.
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| Enjoying the fruits of their labour the group lingered over lunch at Fitzroy Inn. Great to see the men cooking! |
We were all given a book with the recipes and some useful information about the produce - AND we got to take the apron home!
Thanks Patricia!
I am looking forward to the next one which is on Sat 8 Oct. Contact us from the website for bookings or more info www.foodpath.com.au.
The website for Patricia at the Blue Bowl Cooking School is www.bluebowl.com.au
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Have just been updated on the truffle situation in the Highlands.
Flash the dog has found his first real truffle - very exciting! We saw Alan training flash on our last tour but you don't know for sure until they actually find the real thing.
Much celebration in Robertson where a large truffle was found near the surface. Now they have their first should be more to come.
One local truffle farmer I have been told has had 80 kilos this year!!! Their trees must be older but that is huge! Most are exported so we don't get to try them here.
However at our Cheese Appreciation Workshop next Sun 11 Sept we will have some cheese from Thistledown Creamery at Windellama that has been impregnated with truffle from Braidwood! That is about as close as we will get this year - but we are looking forward to trying that.
If you are interested in coming to this workshop - the details:
Sun 11 Sept from 10.30 - 12.30 at Sturt, Mittagong. Price: $65.
We will be showcasing 3 local cheese makers.
Contact us from the website or email jill@foodpath.com.au
Flash the dog has found his first real truffle - very exciting! We saw Alan training flash on our last tour but you don't know for sure until they actually find the real thing.
Much celebration in Robertson where a large truffle was found near the surface. Now they have their first should be more to come.
One local truffle farmer I have been told has had 80 kilos this year!!! Their trees must be older but that is huge! Most are exported so we don't get to try them here.
However at our Cheese Appreciation Workshop next Sun 11 Sept we will have some cheese from Thistledown Creamery at Windellama that has been impregnated with truffle from Braidwood! That is about as close as we will get this year - but we are looking forward to trying that.
If you are interested in coming to this workshop - the details:
Sun 11 Sept from 10.30 - 12.30 at Sturt, Mittagong. Price: $65.
We will be showcasing 3 local cheese makers.
Contact us from the website or email jill@foodpath.com.au
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