From paddock to plate, we take great care in everything we do. We have collaborated with award-winning author and food journalist Richard Cornish to develop and triple-test this beautiful collection of recipes, all cooked with our very own meat.
Nothing says Mother’s Day quite like breakfast in bed. This wonderful quiche recipe is for a family-size quiche – or you can make mini quiche’s in small 8cm dishes that are easier to handle when eating in bed!
We love our streaky bacon. Made from the belly, it is beautifully smoked, with a good layer of fat and seasoned with herbs giving it a rich smoky flavour.
Read MoreIt’s an early Easter this year so we have brought out a dish that is great for warmer days but still has everyone’s Easter favourite - lamb. The aromatics of rosemary with the punch of parmesan pairs beautifully with the sweet tender lamb. Making a little mustard glaze helps the panko crumbs stick to lamb and using panko crumbs are lighter and crunchier.
Read MoreJack Powlay is the head chef at Sault, one of Daylesford’s most beautiful restaurants. We love how he transforms classic dishes into meals that are both spectacular to look at and even more wonderful to eat. We are honoured that Jack and the team at Sault have shared this wonderful recipe with us for you to try at home.
Read MoreFlavoursome and delicious beef heart is a quietly making its way onto menus across the nation as diners look for something new, something delicious and something affordable. Beef heart is surprisingly tender. In fact beef heart is a lean muscle that tastes, well, beefy. Our version is redolent of spice, smoke and citrus and makes a great starter served with an IPA or a grenache or shiraz.
Read MoreThis quick version of the much-loved Vietnamese Pho soup is made using beef & chicken stock rather than cooking the broth from scratch.
Read MoreThis is a super quick and tasty stir fry to make during the week. You can change the types of greens you add, even throw in some nuts to finish off. Whatever you have handy in the fridge.
Read MoreFish sauce can be divisive to some palettes not used to its flavour but it’s impossible to imagine a meal in Vietnam without fish sauce featuring prominently. And like most things, there are good versions and bad. But on the island of Phu Quoc, famous for its fish sauce and pepper, you will find the makers of what is, undoubtedly, the finest fish sauce in the world.
Read MoreRichard Cornish gives us his five top ways to cook with Rump Steak.
Read MoreAlmost every cuisine around the world has versions of a green sauce – essentially an uncooked sauce featuring fresh green herbs, a good quality oil, and an acid component (vinegar or lemon juice).
Read MoreThere are so many recipes for Goulash and whilst this is not a traditional Hungarian Goulash, it is one of my favourites. This is all about the paprika. It doesn’t have as many vegetables as some and has a rich dark sauce. If you can get your hands on authentic Hungarian paprika, use that. You want to be using the very best quality paprika you can get. I also like to add a bit of smoky paprika to give it that extra depth.
Read MoreNothing beats the comfort of a good Cottage Pie in Winter. Or any cool day for that matter. When the months get a little warmer, I love the slightly lighter “Shepherds Pie” which is essentially the same dish but made with lamb mince, swap out beef stock for chicken stock and you can also omit the red wine. But in Winter, I love the rich taste of a beef Cottage Pie and the little pops of flavour from the green peas.
Read MoreMy nana was a great cook. Growing up without a lot of money, she knew how to stretch out meals, make great dishes from cheaper cuts and fill up the bellies of hungry men and fussy kids. But it was on special occasions when she would really impress and nobody could come close to making a roast like hers. Nana would get up before the dairy farmers so that lunch would still be served by noon but I have tweaked her recipe so that the whole process takes about 2 hours with some prep the night before – and it might not be quite as good as Nan’s, but it's pretty close.
Read MoreWant a hearty soup that has a spicy – but not spicy hot – tang to feed a few this winter? Then try this traditional dish of Georgia. There they call it kharcho which is pronounced ‘harcho’. It is exceptionally delicious and has a rich flavour thanks to a traditional spice mix called khmeli-suneli. And stacks of fresh herbs. Use a cut of beef that has a good fat content like chuck, brisket or blade that delivers, flavour, tenderness and value. While technically a soup, the addition of rice and hot toast, makes it a filling main course perfect for Winter in Daylesford!
Read MorePorterhouse is one of the best steaks in town. It sits next to the rib on the carcass and has a line of fat cap on one side. Our cattle produce porterhouse with a good amount of marbling, so they are always juicy and tender. These chips, by the way, are extra tasty, so easy to make, and can be made the day before if necessary.
Read MoreThis is a deeply satisfying osso buco that is made without tomatoes. It has a delicate citrus tang from a little orange rind and an earthy note from the sage. This is such a light version of osso buco, it can easily be served on its own with just a glass of refreshing white wine or a glass of pinot noir.
Read MoreWhen Mexican families get together there is a lot of food served to feed a lot of people. Tacos de Carnitas is a dish where tortillas are filled with loads of fresh salsa and then lashing of rich pork, slow cooked, sometimes over a smoky fire, with zingy citrus, loads of fresh herbs, onion and garlic until the pork is super soft sitting in a rich sweet yet tangy sauce. So easy to make. So easy to eat.
Read MoreOur ham hocks are big, beautiful, meaty golden chunks of smoky-flavoured ham that bring a beautiful tang to every dish they are used in. They also have a lot of ham, making them perfect for this meaty breakfast dish cooked in a rich, tomato sauce and loaded with healthy cannellini beans.
Read MoreSausages are not just for the BBQ. They are a raw material for making other great dishes. Our sausages have none of the pre-added nasties and the pork and fennel sausages make excellent polpette or Italian meatballs. Here they’re served with a filling risotto with pumpkin and sage, a great way to feed and fill a growing family.
Read MoreIt takes a bit of time, but this little trick will make your next roast pork dinner a true celebration. Start the day before and make sure the skin on the pork is bone dry to help it crisp up in the oven. These dishes have some Asian flavours and the meal is great with Tsing Tao beer or even a full flavoured chardonnay or pinot noir.
Read MoreIn Japanese, shoga means ginger and yaki means cooked over direct heat. This is a quick way of adding a little Japanese flavour to a meal and can be used as an entrée or a side dish in a Japanese banquet. In Japan, this is a dish often served in an Izakaya – a Japanese bar - with different types of sake.
Read MoreThis is an excellent way of bringing a little variety and spice into the kitchen and big family dinners. First, you make a stuffing that looks and tastes like paella and you stuff that into a big chicken to feed a crew. Then you cook potato and onions and chorizo in chicken stock and wine alongside the roast chook. The result is a juicy flavoursome bird, loads of paella stuffing and a load of delicious Spanish vegetables. Add a few greens, crusty bread, and a bottle of tempranillo and you have a dinner party for six or just a great family meal.
Read MoreThis is a great way to serve a good number of people without breaking the bank. The simple but punchy flavours of garlic and paprika make chicken taste six times better than it normally does and if you can cook this over a charcoal grill – even better. Make sure you soak the bamboo skewers for an hour or so before so cooking so they don’t burn.
Read MoreA beautiful rich slow cooked shoulder of lamb served on a salad of moghrabieh. You can buy these hand-rolled balls of semolina at Tonna’s in Daylesford or any other great deli where middle eastern products are sold. They are used in Middle Eastern cooking and soak up the flavours of everything they are cooked with.
Read MoreA dish that is exceptionally easy to make and takes about 30 minutes to pull together. You can garnish with crushed roasted peanuts and chopped spring onion. Some like the water chestnuts finely chopped, some like them in slices. You can add more bean sprouts to make the dish go further if you like. Delicious and perfect with a glass of cool climate chardonnay or sparkling wine.
Read MoreA dish popular in the Chinese populations of South East Asia it is originally from the Hainan province of Southern China. What we love about it is that it is so delicious and quite easy to make. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but they are all available in the stores in town. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be bringing this recipe out to feed the family or dinner party guests.
Read MoreThese are simple and delicious ways of serving BBQ lamb. Make it a special dish by making your own rosemary skewers. Take long stems of rosemary about 15cm long and strip almost all the leaves except a tuft at the end. Take a sharp knife and whittle away the thick end to form a point to form a skewer that will also impart flavour into the lamb.
Read MoreAnnie Smithers put us onto this dish from Flanders in Belgium. It is enjoyed in France, Belgium and The Netherlands and is a thick, beef stew that tastes like the most delicious French onion soup but served on toasted baguette with French mustard. It is unusual for European cooking as it is made without stock, instead it uses beer. Try the Daylesford Brewery ale or Coopers Ale.
Read MoreSweet, smoky, sticky and so delicious these pork ribs are the perfect finger-licking accompaniment for a get together with friends or as a meal for the family. You will need plenty of napkins or even wet towels to get your fingers clean when eating this very moreish treat. Blood oranges have extra flavour and will be in stores until mid-spring. If you can’t find them, try navel oranges. Hint: Zest citrus before juicing them as it is much easier.
Read MoreA rich sauce made from one of the best value pieces of lamb. Neck is packed with flavour and offers incredible value. Here is a Northern Italian ragu I first had when I dined with Stefano De Pieri at his famous restaurant in Mildura.
Read MoreThese beautiful ruby red burgers are packed full of goodness and have a full sweet flavour of lamb and the nutrition of beetroot. Beetroots are surprisingly full of sugar so you need to cook these beautiful burgers on a medium heat otherwise they can become too dark. And remember all meat, including burger, need resting. They freeze really well for up to three months.
Read MoreCook the perfect rib eye on the bone inside on a cast iron grill or frying pan.
Read MoreThis is a sneaky and slightly spicy way of pimping your chook so it is always golden brown. The trick is to coat the skin with a layer for golden turmeric, a healthy spice used in curry. Add to that some ground cumin for aroma and roast as per the recipe below. We’ve added a sure-fire stuffing too.
Read MoreA delicious meatloaf made using a little chef’s secret. First you make sofrito, the basis of hundreds of different dishes using cooked down veg and tomatoes. Fold this through the mix and it adds flavour and lighter texture. Save the cooking juices, skim off the fat and use them to make a gravy. Great hot but equally delicious in sandwiches the next day.
Read MoreAn easy cook-in-the-pot ragu packed with veg while being quite rich and deliciously sticky without too much tomato. It’s all about the lamb and veg. You can serve this with any pasta or even polenta. If you have leftovers, add some cooked vegetables and a little stock, and you have a hearty soup.
Read MoreIn the BBQ houses of Brazil, one of the most popular cuts is Picanha (pronounced peek–an–ya). The name comes from the pole used by the ranchers to tend their herds and in this delicious dish, it refers to the skewer on which the steaks are secured.
Read MoreA traditional Northern Indian recipe. You can ramp up the spiciness of the dish by using more chillies or omit them completely if you don’t like it hot. You can stretch this dish out to feed more by simply adding more vegetables, and more water and cooking up a pot of rice.
Read MoreThis is a rich and luscious osso buco that can be made without tomatoes. It has a delicate citrus tang from a little orange rind and an earthy note from the sage. It can be enjoyed with a textural Italian wine or a glass of pinot noir.
Read MoreThis is a great way of celebrating full-flavoured autumn lamb by roasting it with a few middle eastern flavours and finishing it with the beautiful ruby like jewels of fresh pomegranate.
Read MorePorchetta is a dramatic dish presenting a beautiful golden roll of crisp-skinned, boneless pork that looks impressive on the plate. The breadcrumbs are optional but do absorb a lot of the cooking juices, giving a juicer piece of pork. You can make the porchetta using pork belly, or you can purchase a porchetta already seasoned and trussed for a really easy impressive dish. The fat rendered from the pork is used to roast crisp, crunchy and tasty potatoes. Great with fermented cabbage, coleslaw or other brassicas serve with a medium bodied red wine, such as tempranillo or sangiovese.
Read MoreThis is a sure winner Bolognese sauce that comes from one of America’s best food writer’s Marcella Hazan. This is all about the beef and tomatoes coming together as one. We believe this allows our beef, from our Green Hills Farm at Malmsbury, is perfect for this dish.
Read MoreThis is a simple adaptation of the classic cacciatore. You put breadcrumbs on top. They soak up some of the cooking juices and go amazingly crisp and golden when you cook them in the oven. Cacciatore is Italian for hunter, and this is meant to be a dish cooked out over fire, putting some game birds into a pot with some herbs, wine, cured meat and vegetables. It is more a guide. Please feel free to use rabbit or quail, mix up the herbs, use red wine. But, if you get a chance this season to cook this in a pot over an open fire, you’ll get the real taste of cacciatore!
Read MoreThis simple yet effective way of cooking pork cutlets and keeping them juicy and tender by cooking the crackling separately. A classic favourite that should be in everyone’s repertoire.
Read MoreKorea is the flavour of the month and rightly so. This Asian nation’s fermented pastes and vegetables add layers of flavour to any dish. You can pick up kimchi in the local grocers. Give yourself plenty of time to make the ribs – we have them in stock all the time but order ahead if you’re making a big batch.
Read MoreLightly spiced with cumin and fennel these kebabs are quick and easy to make. Save your hands and mix them in the free-standing mixer. This is the perfect dish to make the most of our lean minced beef from our herd raised at Green Hill Farms at Malmsbury.
Read MoreThese delicious bite-sized morsels of lightly spiced pork and ricotta are soft, tender, and coated with a rich tomato sauce. The secret to perfect polpette is in the mixing. You need to think of the mixture like bread dough and mix it thoroughly until the protein starts to bond and the mix becomes sticky. It takes a few minutes, and you do need clean hands. It’s a good idea to remove jewellery - I know a woman who lost her wedding ring in the mix and didn’t find out until she had baked the polpette!
Read MoreThe flavours of the Middle East resonate with the Australian summer. Mint, figs, pomegranate, cumin, and thyme. This dish is packed with flavour and can be easily cooked in a BBQ with a lid. Just remember to cook it fast to get the golden-brown crust and then low and slow to make the meat inside lip-smackingly tender. This will feed a big family get-together, and you can stretch out the numbers by making more couscous salad.
Read MoreIt’s the season for BBQs and get-togethers when friends and relatives drop by or we’re invited for casual drinks or meals. These sweet and sticky chicken drumsticks and wings are covered in a secret herb and spice blend that we reckon tastes as close to BBQ shapes as we can get. Quick to prepare and quicker to cook they make the most of the more affordable cuts of chook.
Read MoreThis is a sure-fire method to stop complaints about a dry turkey. We take a whole turkey and brine it in a solution of salt, brown sugar, bourbon, and other spices and aromatics. We cook it until it is almost done, wrap it in a towel and finish it in an esky where it will cook a little more and become super juicy and super tender. You’ll need a big pot, a container that will fit a turkey AND fit into the fridge, a big Esky, aluminium foil, and some clean towels.
Read MoreServe it warm, serve it cold. Serve it with sparkling shiraz. Serve it on Christmas Day as an alternative to a hot roast or entertaining guests when you want to do the cooking before everyone arrives. This is a country classic that has been doing the rounds of farmhouse kitchens for over half a century and still tastes fresh and delicious. Serve with salads, especially potato salad and fresh tomatoes.
Read MoreCooking pork chops can sometimes be tricky – you want to render down the fat and turn the rind into beautiful crackling, but the chop itself can then become overcooked. This recipe (and cooking tip) will result in the perfect combination of tender juicy pork, crunchy crackling and the most delicious decadent potatoes roasted in pork fat served with a tangy, fluffy apple sauce you make with baked apples.
Read MoreWe are a land of pork and honey here in Daylesford, with some of the best pig growers and beekeepers in the nation right here on our doorstep. We love the honey from Des O’Toole in the heart of town and John Cable out near Glenlyon and use their honey to make this delicious glaze to go with our house-smoked free-range hams.
Read MoreWe are incredibly proud of our butchery at Daylesford Meat Co. We love how we can take a piece of meat that is a pretty decent cut already, but with a bit of knifework and decades of experience, we can make it into something truly special. The rolled shoulder is a great cut, with skin that crisps into crackling and meat that is tender and juicy with the added flavour of our special stuffing. Easy to carve and so delicious.
Read MoreThese glorious rich, succulent, and delicious pieces of beef were once considered trim. Thanks to the hard work of some serious chefs, beef cheeks are now a prized dish, perfect for those cooler spring nights and perfect with a big glass of shiraz.
Read MoreSpatchcock is a style of preparing poultry. The backbone is cut out from a chicken and the bird flattened to hasten cooking time. Cook your chook either on the grill plate or the BBQ for a fast and delicious dish and served with salad and vegetables along with this delicious Romesco sauce.
Read MoreThese are a great weekend bite, perfect for a picnic, drinks, family get together or to feed a hungry mob when they come in from the great outdoors.
Read MoreWhen you need to feed a few people outdoors, or just feel like some finger food, try these full-flavoured chicken drumsticks.
Read MoreWinter is pork season. Roast shoulder, roast leg, roast belly. Call ahead and order a whole shoulder, and we can bone it out, roll it and even stuff it.
Read MorePimp Your Chook! A simple way to transform our already excellent free-range chickens into a super luxurious dish to entertain or simply enjoy with family with a really good bottle of pinot noir or Nebbiolo. We have suggested you use truffle paste, (available at Tonna’s or Blake Family Grocers) but if you’ve got your hands on a locally grown Daylesford truffle, then nobody is going to stop you grating it into this dish. You can make a quick sauce by deglazing the roasting pan with a glass of white wine and cook until reduced by half.
Read MoreRich and fragrant, delicious and warming, Southeast Asia’s beef rendang is a dish with a long history that is as layered and diverse as this curry-like, dry stew. "Rendang" means 'slowly' and so cooking one requires patience and persistence. We developed this version of rendang based on ingredients readily available in food stores in Daylesford so you can make it here anytime. We used beef short rib but you can also ask for a kilo of chuck steak or oyster blade. It is a dish delicious served with fresh, steamed rice and perhaps an ice-cold Tiger beer.
Read MoreAutumn is a great time to hunker down and enjoy some juicy, tender slow-cooked lamb ribs. At the Daylesford Meat Company, our lambs are raised on pasture at Green Hills, the family farm near Malmsbury. We’re giving these ribs a touch of Spain with some smoky paprika and a luscious sauce made with red peppers in a jar that come all the way from Spain.
Read MoreWell, the garlic is out of the ground and the oregano is full of flavour at this time of the year. This easy to BBQ or roast chook dish is full of the bright, tangy flavours of the Indian summers our region is famous for. A full-flavoured dish that is great with a hoppy beer or a chilled glass of local chardonnay.
Read MoreIt has been a ripper season for mushrooms with thousands of the little fungus popping up in the forests and fields. For those who can’t get out for a forage, Daylesford has a ripper mushroom grower called So Mush Goodness at the Sunday farmer’s market. Mushrooms are the essential ingredient in this classic beef dish that is making a retro comeback. Serve Beef Wellington with some local greens and a good cool-climate pinot noir and you’ll have the perfect weekend lunch. Plus, it’s a surprisingly easy recipe to make.
Read MoreWith its golden crisp skin and super succulent flesh porchetta is a celebratory pork belly dish that is perfect for putting on the table to feed family and friends during the festive season, the big day itself, or any time you need to feed a few. There will be some fat render as the porchetta cooks, and this is excellent for coating potatoes before you roast them. Speaking of potatoes – serve this porchetta with these wonderfully tasty salt and vinegar potatoes.
Read MoreThis is more a method than a real recipe. It allows you to bathe your turkey, or turkey buffe, or large chicken, in an aromatic solution of salt, sugar, herbs and spices. This salty bath allows the flesh of the bird to soak up the flavours and a little bit of salt and sugar, making for a delicious but very juicy bird.
Read MoreWe are a land of pork and honey here in Daylesford, with some of the best pig growers and beekeepers in the nation right here on our doorstep. We love the honey from Des O’Toole in the heart of town and John Cable out near Glenlyon and use their honey to make this delicious honey glazed ham with one of our free-range hams.
Read MoreThese are the perfect chicken sandwiches to line up in the Tupperware and plonk down on the picnic blanket.
Read MoreFull of flavour and great value for money, forequarter chops were once the BBQ chop of choice. They come from the shoulder of lamb, which means they are on the bone. The Greeks know the secret of basting the chops in lemon juice and white wine overnight, slowly taken on the fragrance of herbs and garlic. Serve with a big fat Greek salad, some tzatziki, and loads of crusty bread to mop up those aromatic pan juices.
Read MoreThis is a modern take on the old-fashioned steak sandwich. This is more delicate, easier to eat, and perfect for casual meals or even party food.
Read MoreTake a whole shoulder of lamb, rub it with herbs and spices, plonk it top of a bed of potatoes and peppers and slowly cook it until the juices run down to flavour and enrich the dish. This dish, with a loaf of crusty bread, will easily feed four or with some other vegetable dishes, feed a family of six. Serve it with a big red wine. As they say in Spain Buen Provecho – Enjoy!
Read MoreThis is an easy way to make a great tender piece of beef brisket with a lovely smoky tang. In Daylesford and surrounds we grow the most flavoursome winter vegetables and this little slaw cuts through the richness of the brisket. Serve with fries or grill a bun and make a brisket and slaw roll. Wrap smoky brisket and it will keep in the fridge for a week.
Read MoreFor generations, the lamb shank was the grandmother’s secret. Cheap, sweet and filling a lamb shank strew could feed a big country family when spooned over piping hot mashed spuds. The secret’s out, but we still reckon that shanks offer great value as they are rich, have great flavour and go a long way. Here’s a special winter dish, perfect for a Sunday lunch. We love making this dish with the local sweet carrots grown in the rich volcanic soil and serving it with a bowl of piping hot mashed potato.
Read MoreMinced beef and pork are seasoned with sweet spices such as cinnamon and cloves, garlic and red wine and stuffed into skins. This dish uses the aromatic and beautifully spiced sausage meat inside the sausages to make a rich, delicious ragu that is topped with golden, buttery discs of semolina gnocchi. Perfect with a cold climate pinot noir from Passing Clouds.
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