Orange
Host: Mike Whitney
Mike’s headed west to Orange to take part in a ‘Blokes Only’ cooking class, visit a deer farm that produces some of Australia’s best venison and set up camp for a night in a luxurious shearing shed.
The Orange district has a well-deserved reputation for fine food, with the F.O.O.D. (Food Of the Orange District) celebration, held each April, now one of Australia's most popular gastronomic events. Orange's winemakers also have a reputation for producing distinctive wines, gaining from the district's high altitude (around 900 to 1000m) and long growing season.
Mandagery Creek Venison
Mandagery Creek Venison is produced from Red Deer raised on the natural pastures of Orange in the central west district of New South Wales. By selecting young red deer from 6 to12 months, Mandagery Creek Venison is consistently lean and tender with light colour and subtle flavour as opposed to older, darker and distinctly gamey venison. Manadgery Creek produces lean and delicate venison that is designed for the Australian palate. It is 100% natural and free of antibiotics and growth stimulants.
Mandagery Creek Australian Farmed Venison is sourced from their red deer farm in Orange and from selected farms in NSW and Victoria. All Mandagery Creek Venison stock is free-ranged and pasture-fed.
Tim Hansen, owner and Director, supervises both the slaughtering of all stock at a fully export-accredited abbatoir and the production and packaging of all carcasses at a fully export-accredited boning room.
The Mandagery Creek Australian Farmed Venison production process is fully Halal certified.
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Quality Control
The Mandagery Creek Australian Framed Venison processing system operates in compliance with the internationally recognised HACCP principles. Their internal quality assurance programme has been designed to ensure the highest quality standards of animal welfare and food safety are met, and this has been approved by AQIS - the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service.
Venison is the Healthy Alternative
Mandagery Creek Australian Farmed Venison is:
- LOW in fat.
- LOW in calories.
- LOW in cholesterol.
- HIGH in absorbable iron.
- HIGH in vitamins.
- HIGH in protein.
In fact, venison has less than HALF the fat content of beef and chicken and more absorbable iron - making it the perfect dish for health conscious Australians!
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More Information Mandagery Creek Venison Check out their website to find your local stockist at www.mandagerycreek.com.au |
Prices correct as at 22/09/07
Orange Regional Cooking School
Orange Regional Cooking School opened in July 2005 and is the first cooking school for Central West NSW.
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Classes at Orange Regional Cooking School promote produce driven cooking which reflects the region, it's people, seasons and lifestyle. The cooking school is situated in a former general store that has been transformed into a modern functional space combining the gleam of a professional kitchen with the conviviality of gathering around the kitchen table. Recipes are given out, dishes are shared and regional produce takes centre stage.
The cooking school is operated by Lesley Russell, a professional cook of twenty years standing. Lesley hails from regional Victoria and came to Orange in 1995 'to see what was happening' and is still living there eleven years later.
Classes
Lesley’s classes at Orange Regional Cooking School are demonstration style and are designed to inspire keen cooks while increasing skills, confidence and menu range.
Classes are relaxed, fun and informative. People gather, local wines are sampled, dishes are shared. Versatile food that is fresh, full of flavour and easy to prepare is the order of the day.
The cooking school is an integral part of the food and wine community of Orange with regional chefs, restaurateurs, producers and winemakers featuring regularly on the class program.
All Classes are conducted by Lesley Russell unless otherwise indicated and are 2½ hrs in duration. Prices include generous tastings of all dishes prepared and full recipes. Complimentary tasting of local wines is included in each class.
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More Information Orange Regional Cooking School 169 Hill Street, Orange Telephone: (02) 6361 3336 Classes are $60 per person all inclusive. |
Prices correct as at 22/09/07
Black Sheep Inn
Experience rural history in contemporary comfort. Kyalla Park's original shearing shed has been sympathetically transformed into modern and stylish accommodation.
The key elements of the building have been painstakingly conserved, such as the timbers hand-cut from the property, the galvanized iron, the flooring and sheep chutes, the wool table, the red Sunbeam shearing machines, the wool baskets and the huge Koerstz wool press. But the accommodation facilities of Black Sheep Inn provide a distinctive twenty-first century pizzazz and a unique rural experience.
The two communal areas have a sleek, spacious, rural feel. Breakfast can be a lingering affair at the glass-topped, restored wool sorting table in the main dining and lounge area. They delight in serving you with a celebration of local, fresh seasonal produce.
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A separate lounge area, warmed by a huge old Coalbrookdale wood-fired stove, is an ideal place to read, play games or just relax and enjoy the peaceful views to the east over Kyalla Park and the Molong Creek valley.
The five guest bedrooms are more than just a place to sleep. They have a sense of tranquility created by light, soft colours and peaceful views. Each has reverse-cycle heating and cooling, and queen beds with welcoming mohair blankets. Two rooms have an additional single bed.
Each bedroom has an ensuite in keeping with the shearing shed theme, Black Sheep Inn has an intriguing mix of old and new. It provides an inspirational and stylish space for guests to connect with each other and the unique qualities of the building. Its down-to-earth charm, serene countryside, big skies and friendly rural people will touch your heart and restore your soul.
There are also two self-contained estate cottages available for hire. Whispering Moon is the former shearers' quarters, impeccably converted to a comfortable living area with two bedrooms each with ensuites, and ideal for one or two couples. Wild Rose Cottage is a restored farm cottage with two bedrooms and two living areas, hidden in its own private garden.
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More Information Black Sheep Inn Kyalla Park, Forbes Road, Orange Telephone: (02) 6362 6946 Prices are $225 per couple per night. Minimum 2 night stay on the weekend. |
Prices correct as at 22/09/07