Food
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A pause on packaging
After noticing a young child with seven packets in their lunchbox, Kyneton mother-of-three Kate Coleman decided to create ‘No Packet November’. The campaign encourages families to reduce their consumption of packaged food for one month to decrease the rubbish going to landfill and improve the health of our children. Kate, who is a nutrition and…
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Trio of golden Delicious wins
Three producers from the region have secured gold medals and national recognition in the 2020 Delicious Harvey Norman Produce Awards. Sutton Grange’s Holy Goat Cheese, Tellurian Fruit Gardens of Harcourt and Tooborac’s McIvor Farm Foods have all been named in the honours that celebrate the country’s new, innovative, native and outstanding produce. Holy Goat Cheese…
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Exploring degrowth
Castlemaine activist, scholar and author, Anitra Nelson, will be speaking on the topic of degrowth as part of an online event this Thursday evening. Nelson co-wrote the new book, Exploring Degrowth: A Critical Guide, with French activist and spokesperson for the French and international degrowth movements, Vincent Liegey, who is currently living a degrowth lifestyle…
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Parlour gone, but ice cream lives on
Pressures from the coronavirus pandemic have led to the closure of Castlemaine’s much-loved Icecream Social ice cream parlour at the corner of Forest and Hargraves Streets after three years of trading. Operators Helen Addison-Smith and Craig MacDonald said they were devastated to have to close the doors last week but unfortunately the extended lockdowns had…
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Dining heads outdoors
Central Victoria will experience summer in a whole new way this year, as hospitality businesses begin to reimagine the way they work. Macedon Ranges Council is helping local businesses fast-track applications to expand outdoor dining areas and welcome back customers now that COVID-19 restrictions are easing. Being able to dine outside will be key to…
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‘We all have stories to tell …’
Castlemaine resident Isis Jordan is thrilled to be the new manager for Lancefield and District Farmers Market. “We all have stories to tell, and I’m committed to honouring and sharing yours,” she assured stallholders in the lead-in to the monthly market held at Romsey Park on Saturday. For the second month in a row, the…
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Farm plans fast-tracked
Madeleine Jenkins and Tim Harvey had the rug pulled out from under them before they found solace in farm life at Tylden. The couple had a five-year plan in mind when they purchased their 48-acre block in 2018, but the double blow of the 2019 bushfires and COVID-19 ended Tim’s work in the events industry.…
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Foodies connect
A community of passionate Macedon Ranges cooks and foodies has formed to share ideas, recipes, tips and tricks, and swap food. Three mums who parked next to each other to drop and pick up their kids from school are the women behind the Facebook group ‘Macedon Ranges Food, Foodies, Wine and Cooking’. Joni, Anita and…
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Lancefield market makes a comeback
The Lancefield and District Farmers Market has been rescued by a passionate group of locals and will go ahead this Saturday at a new location: the Romsey Community Sports Oval. The market, usually held along Lancefield’s village green, has operated at Lancefield Park for the past few months to allow for greater social distancing, but…
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Juicy prospects for new brew
A Harcourt family business has developed a new alcoholic mango beverage that’s poised to take off nationally following uptake by a large Australia-wide retail chain. Mango Smash is an eight per cent sparkling alcoholic mango drink that Harcourt Valley Vineyards has now begun producing on a considerable scale, by fermenting Queensland mangoes, at Harcourt. After…
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Support grows for local producers
The face of farmers markets has changed across the region since coronavirus hit and has given rise to a more serious and intentional shopper, market facilitators have found. Bendigo Farmers Market organisers have surveyed a 30 per cent increase in regular local shoppers since coronavirus hit and expect to retain these consumers into the future.…
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Cheese venture ripens
Castlemaine’s new artisan cheesemaking business is on track to produce its first trial batches of cheese by mid-July and be fully operating by October. And a specialty cheesemaking school that’s also part of the new venture taking shape in premises at The Mill Castlemaine is expected to begin taking classes by August. The Cheese School…