About 1000 guests attended the Adelaide Entertainment Centre function and saw Adelaide Hills Food members Glen Ewin Estate take out the award for best Function Centre and The Lane Vineyard the award for best New enterprise.

Woodside Cheese Wrights wins gold in Adelaide

Woodside Cheese Wrights collected two Gold medals and a trophy at the 2008 Royal Adelaide Show Dairy Awards competition recently.

Woodside McLaren a luscious camembert style cheese and Woodside Figaro a semi hard goat wash rind cheese that is wrapped in vine leaves, both were awarded gold medals - with the Woodside Figaro also picking up the trophy for the Champion Farmhouse Cheese.

Cheese maker, Kris Lloyd said the Woodside Figaro which was first made in 2005 took her a year and a half to perfect.

Australian cheese consumers enjoy the challenge of cheeses like the Woodside Figaro which can be perfectly matched with a Pinot or even a slightly heavier bodied Red wine.

Judges commented on the rustic appearance of the Figaro which boasted a most elegant and clean palate.

The acclaimed producer continued its gold medal-winning run this month with two awards for its cheeses at the Australian Specialty Cheesemakers Competition in Melbourne last weekend.

The company won the gold medal in the semi hard cooked style category with the Woodside Figaro and gold in the washed rind category for the Woodside Vigneron. A total of 19 gold medals were awarded with about 200 cheeses entered.

Celebrating The Lane's award win were business co-owner Helen Edwards,
chef Glen Carr and bistro manager Murray Pope.

Winery named best restaurant

A Hahndorf winery is the toast of SA after being named the State’s best new restaurant.

The Lane, which opened just nine months ago, picked up the title at the 2008 Annual Awards for Excellence for Restaurant and Catering SA recently. It combines a winery and cellar door with a restaurant, set on a hill top surrounded by vines, and it is that mix of elements that co-owner Helen Edwards believes set the venue apart from its competitors.

“We have tried to provide a unique experience for the food and wine lover in combining the cellar door, the winery and the bistro and putting it right in the middle of the vineyard,” she said. “We really faced some stiff competition when we looked at some of the restaurants we were up against in that category.”

The operation began as a dream for Helen and husband John, who first planted vines on their Ravenswood Lane property in 1993. It wasn’t until 2005, after years spent honing their grape growing and winemaking skills, that the couple, along with sons Marty and Ben, decided to turn that dream into a reality. But their efforts met a number of challenges along the way, including a moratorium on new wineries and cellar doors in the Hills.

“We were the first new winery, cellar door and bistro approved under the new planning laws,” Mrs Edwards said.

With approval granted in late 2006, the winery was built in time for its first vintage in early 2007, before the cellar door and bistro were opened in October.

“John has had a lot of exposure to winemaking, but neither of us had run a hospitality business, so it’s been a steep learning curve for both of us in having the bistro, but we have very good staff,” Mrs Edwards said.

Chef Glen Carr has previously worked at the acclaimed Auge Ristorante, while bistro manager Murray Pope also has extensive hospitality experience. The family business has grown to employ about 24 people and the venture has gained strong support from customers.

“We have had amazing support from local Hills dwellers, people from Adelaide and also interstate and international tourists,” Mrs Edwards said. “People have been really generous not only with their support, but also with their comments and letting us know what they enjoy and any little areas where we might need to improve. “That’s so valuable because it helps us to keep fine-tuning the business.”

Houghton winery Glen Ewin Estate was also among the winners, named the best function centre.

From The Courier, by Lisa Symonds

Trace amounts of selenium have health benefits.

Bakery launches delicious new biscuit with health benefits

Millie's Bakery's new biscuits contain selenium. But what does that mean? According to Dr Margaret Rayman of the School of Biomedical & Life Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK:

“It is hard to overestimate the importance of selenium to biological systems.  Its crucial role is underlined by the fact that it is the only trace element to be specified in the genetic code.”

(Rayman MP 2002. The argument for increasing selenium intake. Proc Nutr Soc 61: 203-215)

Members and friends network night Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Adelaide Hills Food cordially invites all Members and Friends to the 2007-2008 Annual General Meeting wine tasting and Venison Hot Pot supper. Guest speaker Justin Ross PIRSA Food, Market Development General Manager on Food Tourism and World Food Exchange Howard Vineyard guided tour and wine tasting 5 to 6pm. Meeting commences at 6pm. Presentation and supper at 7pm. Announcement of the AHF Member Survey prize to follow. Supper $20 per head. RSVP by September 10, 2008 AHF Chair Sean Bradsaw on 8388 1007, 0402 413 715 or email hqcuisine@chariot.net.au All executive committee member nominations must be received by Adelaide Hills Food by Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Downloads AHF Committee Nomination Form [DOC] Constitution [DOC] Strategic Plan [PDF] For more information contact: Mary Fowler 0408 882 623 or email mfowler@adelaidehills.com.au

Master strokes

VISITORS to Adelaide this approaching spring have a unique treat in store: the Art Gallery of South Australia is mounting an exhibition of the work of a favourite son, Wilhelm Ernst Hans Franz Heysen.

Better known as Hans Heysen, he was the painter who opened the eyes of the public to the beauty of the South Australian landscape and its magnificent gum trees.

These were constants in his work because they represented his earliest memories of boyhood adventures in the Adelaide Hills. His love of the bush and its trees remained with him all his life.

Hans Heysen at the Art Gallery of South Australia opens November 14 and will run to November 15, 2009.