I’ve always been a big supporter of local Perth restaurants, cafes and bars but it’s only been recently that I’ve started to appreciate the amazing WA agriculture and food. I put it to lack of the time and lack of home cooking whilst juggling my day job, burger boy & I’s food business and the blog amongst other things. However, now with my more flexible hours and since getting involved in campaigns that celebrate Western Australia like Taste Great Southern, Buy West Eat Best’s WA Signature Dish and Eat Drink Perth. I have been making a conscious effort to cook more with the brilliant Western Australia produce we have on our doorstep. Especially now with junior burger on the way, I want to make sure I cook with the freshest and best ingredients I can get my hands on. As well as buying local to support small businesses in WA. So to celebrate the amazing produce we have here in Western Australia, I will be compiling my Top 5 WA Produce & Food Picks on foodie cravings as a quarterly feature.
Here’s my first foodie cravings Top 5 Western Australia Produce & Food Picks
#1 Swanville Citrus Imperial Mandarins ($6 for 2kg) - I easily go through half a dozen of Imperial Mandarins a day! The 2kg bag I picked up from Swanville Citrus in the Swan Valley on Wednesday is almost gone. I love Imperial Mandarins as they are juicy without being messy, sweet with a tiny tang and there’s usually hardly any seeds. You’ll find family owned Swanville Citris off Great Northern Highway and during the week you’ll be looked after by a 95 year old Nonna. It’s open from 12 – 5pm Monday and Wednesdays; 10 – 5pm Fridays and 9 – 5pm Saturday & Sundays. #2 Kailis Bros oysters - this is going back to Good Friday but gee these oysters from Kailis Bros tasted amazing. burger boy and I made a white sauce which we drizzled over the oysters with grated cheese then grilled it in our mini oven for 10 minutes. #3 Honey I’m Home Produce’s brown malt honey – the only time burger boy will eat fruit is when he is sick so I’ve started to make him banana smoothies. This smoothie is a simple blend of a banana, vanilla ice cream, milk and Honey I’m Home Produce’s brown malt honey which added a nice sweet flavour to the smoothie. #4 Torres Butcher’s scotch fillet - having Fresh Provisions on the doorstep of our business is super convenient and it’s so awesome that they stock Torre Butchers meats amongst other local food and produce. burger boy and I have been loving Torre Butchers marinated scotch fillet which makes for a tasty quick dinner. #5 Watermelon & grapes from Rangeview Vineyard in the Swan Valley – I had always thought the watermelon my mother-in-law bought for us was amazingly sweet and fresh. So I was pretty excited to visit the vineyard and meet the family behind these watermelons I love so much. Although watermelon and grapes are now out of season I thought it’s still very worth a mention and I am counting the months until they are back in season again. Although this might be a bit hard to get a hold off if you live in Perth, I have to also mention the organic spray free garlic I discovered whilst I was down south for Taste Great Southern. I was doing the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk with burger boy and met a lady guide whose husband grew his own garlic. I was given some to try out at home and was impressed The garlic cloves were massive, the flavour much more intense than the usual I’ve had and it stayed fresh for ages. If you happen to be doing the Tree Top Walk in Spring or next Autumn, you can pick up a garlic braid for $34 per kg or give Bo Svenson a call on 0429 108 044.