Mercurio's Menu: The Yarra Valley

Rolling hills, lush valleys, world-renowned wineries, and enough fresh produce to make a food-lover swoon, the Yarra Valley is hard to beat for an indulgent weekend getaway or a long, peaceful sojourn. Whichever way you choose to explore the region, you’ll find a host of passionate producers eager to share their wares. Episode guide: Yarra Valley, Channel 7, 5pm Saturday 31 May Tempting trout Farmhouse cheeses Healesville delights Labour of love French fare from the valley Tempting trout This week’s episode opens at the Buxton Trout and Salmon Farm, Victoria’s oldest commercial trout hatchery celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Owner Mitch MacRae gives Paul a few tips on catching trout before showing him the smoking process. As a member of the Victorian Trout Association, Buxton Trout and Salmon Farm uses best practice environmental guidelines (PDF 1.89mb) for the aquaculture industry developed by DPI Fisheries Victoria. The guidelines integrate world-class expertise into a Victorian farming context to help industry and regulators improve and demonstrate environmental management. Fast facts: Commercial fishing is Australia’s fourth most valuable food-based industry, with a value of about $2 billion The Victorian aquaculture industry produces five species of salmonids: rainbow trout, brown trout, Chinook salmon, brook trout and Atlantic salmon The Victorian trout farming industry is Australia’s largest producer of freshwater trout The Victorian aquaculture industry produced about 1,700 tonnes of salmonids, in 2005–06, with a farm gate value of $9 million Juvenile fish produced in the aquaculture industry are also used to re-stock rivers. Farmhouse cheeses Paul grabs some trout for later and heads back down towards Yarra Glen, arriving at Yarra Valley Dairy just in time to bring the cows up for milking and taste some delicious cheeses. DPI's Farm Services Victoria helps Yarra Valley Dairy and other specialty cheese producers in Victoria export their delicious products overseas as part of a project promoting Australian table cheese to the American retail market. Working with Dairy Australia and producers, DPI is identifying the challenges of exporting to the US and creating a more efficient way of distributing Australian cheeses to the market. DPI also offers advice on production, marketing, physical requirements and training courses for new and established farmhouse cheesemakers (external link). Fast facts: Victoria dominates the dairy industry in Australia, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the country’s dairy production The Victorian dairy industry has an export market worth more than $2 billion annually The history of Australian cheese spans more than 200 years, and production first began when white settlers domesticated sheep and cattle in the 1800s Victoria has 37 cheese plants, making it the biggest cheese producing state in Australia Australians consume an average of 12 kilograms of cheese per head, each year. Healesville delights The main street of Healesville has undergone a dramatic change in the last couple of years. At its heart is the Giant Steps Innocent Bystander complex. Here Paul finds all the important things in life under one roof – wine, pizza, coffee, bread and cheese. It’s vintage time and the winemakers are flat out, so Paul whips up a special gourmet breakfast for them using Buxton Trout and Yarra Valley Dairy cheeses. Labour of love Yarra Valley Free Range Pork is a labour of love for Christine Ross. Paul visits Christine at her Macclesfield property where she is trying to save the endangered large black pig breed by re-introducing them to the market place. Next up, it’s off to the Mont De Lancey Farmers Market, one of the Valley’s best kept secrets. Paul finds not only fabulous produce, but an historical homestead and a working blacksmith. About 40 DPI staff are involved in an ongoing project to increase the value of pork and pork products from Victoria. The project aims to increase production efficiency, improve both the quality and consistency of pork and facilitate the adoption of best practice and quality assurance principles. DPI's Biosciences Research division and the Australian Pork Industry (external link) have developed animal welfare quality assurance standards for the sector, so that buyers of Victorian pork can be assured that internationally accepted standards have been met in the production, transport and processing of the product. Fast facts: Fresh pork consumption in Australia has grown by 35 per cent in the past four years, from 8.3 kilograms per head in 2003 to 11.2 kilograms per head in 2007 Australian producers are the biggest suppliers of fresh pork to Singapore The Victorian pork industry accounts for about 20 per cent of Australian pork production About 63,000 tonnes of pork is produced in Victoria each year About 70 per cent of Victoria’s pork production occurs in northern Victoria, where grain and feed supplies are more easily sourced The Victorian pork industry is worth about $150 million each year. French fare in the valley Where better to find a French restaurant than within the beautiful grounds of Mont De Lancey? Paul heads over to the kitchen of Les Chesselles and cooks up a storm with owner and cook, Chris Henneren. Paul uses his Yarra Valley pork while Chris opts for rabbit. For more information on this episode and the mouth-watering dishes created visit the Mercurio’s Menu website (external link). Featured businesses Buxton Trout and Salmon Farm ph: (03) 5774 7370, email: buxtontrout@bigpond.com Yarra Valley Dairy ph: (03) 9739 1222, website: www.yvd.com.au Giant Steps Innocent Bystander ph: (03) 5962 6111, website: www.giant-steps.com.au and www.innocentbystander.com.au Yarra Valley Free Range Pork ph: Ph. 97301252, email: christine@largeblackpigs.com.au Mont De Lancey Farmers Market ph: (03) 5964 2088, email: info@montdelancey.org.au, website: info@montdelancey.org.au More information Visit the Promoting Victorian Produce section for more information about Victoria’s regions. For more information on DPI’s contribution to agriculture and food in the Bellarine Peninsula, visit the Agriculture and Food section of this website.

Delicious smoked trout A Yarra Valley vineyard Barbecue pork spare ribs Sampling the local produce Pork and rabbit rillettes To market, to market