If your idea of foodie heaven is tootling along picturesque country roads and dropping into glorious farms, restaurants and cellar doors along the way, then be sure to mark May 4th and 5th in your diary.
Now in its ninth year the iconic Harvest Food Trail, brought to you by Northern Rivers Food, is a unique opportunity to wander through the gates and into the paddocks, kitchens, bottling rooms and packing sheds of some of the Northern Rivers finest food and beverage producers. For food lovers, it’s the ultimate way of going behind the scenes to where the magic happens.
Spend time with our local salt-of-the-earth farmers and learn what connects them so deeply to their land. Sample their produce, pat their animals and take home a jar of honey or a wedge of divine, handcrafted cheese.
Meet the new breed of young and passionate distillers creating extraordinary businesses and producing internationally award-winning whisky, vodka, gin and rum from local ingredients.
And talk food and wine with some our region’s finest restaurateurs. Join guided tours of their inspirational kitchen gardens and sample dishes created from the meats, fish, fruit and vegetables of their favourite local producers.
This year’s Harvest Food Trail is shaping up to be one of the best ever with some of the region’s finest farmers, producers and hospitality venues already confirmed - including Tweed River House, Potager, Duck Creek Macadamias, Five Sixty Farms, Nimbin Valley Dairy, Zentveld’s Coffee, The Spotted Pig, Cape Byron Distillery, Marquis Macadamias, Elements of Byron and North Byron Hotel. .
Preceding the actual Harvest Food Trail are two days dedicated to tastings, cooking demonstrations and food knowledge and skills. Think foraging walks, tasting menus, cooking with fire, cocktail making, nose to tail eating, knife techniques and more. Expect special events at some of your favourite restaurants, pubs and farmers markets. Then on the Saturday at the Bangalow Bowlo, you’ll have the chance to sample and buy directly from some of the local stars of the food and beverage industry.
Already signed up for the Harvest Hub are new distillers, nut producers, plant-based cheese and milk producers, seafood sellers, exquisite shrub makers, olive growers, and native jams and honey producers. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get up close and personal with these small business owners and hear the stories behind their brands.
This year’s Harvest Food Trail program will feature many free-to-visit locations, and several ticketed events that usually sell out quickly. Full details, including an interactive map to help you plan your self-drive trail, are available at
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