The Edgy Veg Awards are set to return this April for the fourth year in the Macedon Ranges, and have now expanded to Mount Alexander Shire!
Given only 13 per cent of the local population eat enough veg, the event couldn’t have come at a better time.
Show your support for your favourite local (and not so local) venues from April 1-30 by tasting and scoring dishes across the region.
Each score puts you in the draw to win fabulous prizes, plus your score helps determine which dish will win the 2025 title of ‘Most Vegelicious Dish’ — celebrating the amazing skills of our local chefs!
This project is delivered by Veg Action of the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group and generously supported by Healthy Loddon Campaspe in Mount Alexander Shire.
With 47 venues on board, organisers have more vegelicious choice, more opportunities to support local business and growers, and new cafes, restaurants and pubs to discover. You can start planning your delicious Edgy Veg Trail now by visiting the website at edgyvegawards.com.au
From Maldon to Gisborne, and all the towns in between, the team has got you covered. From Maldon Bakery’s curried lentil and vegetable pie, to Holgate’s roasted stuffed capsicum in Woodend, to Macedon Ranges Wholefoods’ mushroom jaffle in Gisborne – you can eat your way across the region and score dishes as you go!
In Castlemaine there is a huge group of 12 businesses competing. Superhero Bánh Mì with their sticky soy glazed tofu bún; Shedshaker Brewing with its gnocchi alla romana; Johnny Baker with the green curry, tofu, chickpea and pumpkin pie; Wild Food and Wine’s broccoli raviolo, pea purée, macadamia mozzarella, and candied olives; Stak’s Café with their rainbow peanut noodle salad; The Railway Hotel’s fajita spiced field mushrooms; Togs Café’s Morroccan-inspired eggplant filo pie; Gornelly’s roasted cabbage, lavabread sauce and pickled mushrooms; Coffee Basics – Das Kaffeehaus’ eggplant gulasch (melanzani gulasch); Saffs Café with their crispy tofu bao buns; Taste of the Orient’s deep fried vegan dumplings; and Lazy Bones with their sweet potato and sweet corn fritters with aji amirillo and lime mayo.
Healthy Loddon Campaspe coordinator Alicia O’Brien says Healthy Loddon Campaspe is proud to be supporting the 2025 Edgy Veg Awards, including its expansion into Mount Alexander Shire.
“Data from the Active Living Census tells us that only 13 per cent of residents in our region eat enough vegetables. Through supporting the Edgy Veg Awards, we aim to promote the importance of eating fresh, seasonal vegetables, and fostering a vibrant and sustainable regional food system,” Alicia said.
Get out there and start sampling today!
Taste of the Orient Castlemaine’s Joe with their deep fried vegan dumplings. 
Maldon Bakery’s Rebecca with their curried lentil pie. Photos: Tiffany Warner Photography
