Driving just over an hour out of Brisbane we arrive at the elegant Kooroomba Lavender Farm and Winery. A sea of purple flower heads waft in the breeze on what is shaping up to be a perfect day.
The elegant stone restaurant with views to the mountains is welcoming and as we walk through and into the covered courtyard we are serenaded by the melodic tones of Andy Allem. It’s the annual launch of the Scenic Rim Eat Local Month, one of my favourite events of the year.
This event showcases the wide variety of produce available in this fertile region and encourages visitors to indulge in a smorgasbord of over 100 events throughout the month of June. Today we are here to sample the tastes of the region prepared lovingly with local ingredients by Scenic Rim Food Ambassador chefs, Elliot Platz (Kooroomba Restaurant), Glen Barratt (Wild Canary) and Simon Furley and the Embers Wood Fire Dining Team.
On arrival we are handed a welcome cocktail of either Kooroomba homemade limoncello spritz or Cauldron Distillery Lavender spritz. Both are refreshing and colourful after our morning drive. It’s lovely to catch up with friends, local chefs, media and producers and discover the gifts of the region and many local wares. Soon an excited and convivial atmosphere prevails with a range of scrumptious canapés being shared around. All are filled with the best of locally sourced ingredients.
Guests enjoy shredded pancake with 4 Real yoghurt and shaved Towri Sheep Cheese, equal favourite for me are the Tommerup’s Dairy Farm pigs head and Sarabah Estate Vineyard black waxed cheddar croquette with a garden herb emulsion. There are local pork sliders and coal roasted pumpkin wedges from Stuart’s Pumpkins plus a delightful Tempura Scenic Rim mushroom with a vegan dipping sauce.
It’s a hot day and I was glad to have my hat, but I was even more excited when I saw the Naughty Little Kids gelato cart with a variety of flavours from mint, strawberry or coffee to exotic flavours like licorice and cranberry. I decided on the delicious latte flavour, and it did not disappoint. Another sweet crowd favourite was Glen Baratt’s Petite Danish filled with Kengoon Farm Fingerlime, Dewars Honey, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm crème fraiche and local limes. This combination of flavours zinged and created a party on my tongue. My guest, Leigh tried the Kooroomba Lavender Zooper Dooper and gave it a thumbs up.
ABC Radio is partnering with Eat Local Month this year, so it was fitting that the lovely Loretta Ryan from Brisbane Breakfast was our MC for the day. We heard from chef Elliot Platz who is a local, the new mayor and the Scenic Rim council who shared with us some of the delights that will be on offer this year. There are markets, long lunches, farm tours, wine tasting, cooking and liqueur making classes, campfire cookouts, degustation dinners, flower picking and the popular Kalfresh Carrot Day.
The inviting Eat Local Month Program was soon shared with guests. For me High Tea in the fields at Beechmont Estate appealed, as did the Roadvale Degustation dinner, The Overflow Estate 1895 Long Lunch at Roast Beef & the Frog, Blume’s Guest chef series and a liqueur making class at Tamborine Mountain Distillery. All looked fabulous. So many events beckoned that I grabbed my highlighter and circled those I was interested in. But really the whole program is filled with sensational events all sharing the freshest of produce sourced from this amazing Queensland food bowl.
Little gourmands are not forgotten with the little farmer Humpty Day at Summerland Camels, edible flower picking and cupcake decorating at Eldeflower Farm, harvest with the farmer at Valley Pride Produce or a campfire cookout and nature play with Birdwings Forest School.
This June promises to be a jampacked feast of flavours in the cool Scenic Rim. So, grab your friends, family or partner and travel to the place that was voted one of the top destinations by Lonely Planet in 2022. Each time I visit there is more to see, eat, drink, discover and explore.
Plan your own country escape, albeit only a short drive from Brisbane or the Gold Coast, by visiting eatlocalmonth.com.au
Michelle Beesley is a Brisbane born and bred former primary school teacher. A wife, proud grandma and mother of three grown sons, Michelle is thrilled to have recently published her debut contemporary romance novel, It Happened in Paris, with Serenade Publishing. Her novella – Escape to D’ Amour was published in 2019. Michelle’s work can be found in the anthologies – Destination Romance and Short & Sweet. When not reading or writing Michelle can be found at a coffee shop chatting with friends, front row at a fashion show, or beside a rugby union field cheering on her favourite teams.
Michelle is a reluctant traveller, Francophile, keen walker and avid yoga enthusiast plus a book, film and theatre lover who loves everything pink and sparkly (including champagne). You can find Michelle on instagram @michellebeesley_writer and her website: michellebeesley.com.
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