Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn - The Tweed

Taste the Tweed with Hayden Quinn

Cook, author, presenter and MasterChef Australia contestant Hayden Quinn has travelled around New South Wales discovering delicious local produce and meeting passionate producers for season two of Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn. This week he visits the Tweed to catch mud crabs in the river, taste fresh tropical fruit and sample local spirits.

“I’m headed up towards Uki to a place called Mavis’s Kitchen for a bit of breakfast.”

Mavis’s Kitchen. Image Credit: Taste of Australia

Set on a 25-acre former dairy farm at the base of Wollumbin-Mount Warning, Mavis’s Kitchen has a charming country-style restaurant and an organic kitchen garden where the chefs source most of the produce on the menu. There’s also eco-friendly cabins onsite if you want to stay a little longer.

 

“One thing the Tweed is known for is their seafood and in the river they’ve got plenty of mud crabs. So I’m going to meet up with a local bloke called Luther and he’s going to show me the traditional way of catching mud crabs.”

Yugambeh Aboriginal tribe member Luther Cora - Tweed Eco Cruises. Image Credit: Taste of Australia

Yugambeh Aboriginal tribe member Luther Cora takes guests on a pot to plate adventure with Tweed Eco Cruises. You’ll wade through mangroves along the Tweed River and hunt mud crabs with a bamboo spear, before cooking your catch for a feast on the sandbank.

 

“There’s one stop that I really want to make – Tropical Fruit World. There’s a lot of stuff I’ve never seen before.”

Tropical Fruit World. Image Credit: Taste of Australia

Set amongst the rainforest in rich volcanic soil from Wollumbin-Mount Warning, Tropical Fruit World grows more than 500 varieties of fruit from around the world. Take a tour of the farm and taste straight from the tree, pick up fresh produce at the Plantation Market or enjoy a meal at the Plantation Cafe.

 

“There’s one last stop that I want to check out, Husk Distillers. Their spiced rum is very different from what you would expect from other sort of rums – there’s a real freshness.”

Australian paddock-to-bottle rum at Husk Distillers. Image Credit: Taste of Australia

The Messenger family create uniquely Australian paddock-to-bottle rum at Husk Distillers, made from freshly crushed cane juice. They’re also famous for their Insta-worthy Ink Gin, with its distinctive purple hue. Take a tour of the cellar door and sample what’s on offer.