Nestled under the shelter of the Morrison Pavilion, shielded from the blistering wind, local businesses boasted an array of exquisite produce from across Gippsland at the 157th Sale & District Agricultural Society Show.
At the Show last Saturday, the Morrison Pavilion was infused with melodious sounds from Gippsland musician Misty Harlowe, the mouth-watering scent of slow-cooked meat wrapped in flaky, golden brown pastry, and eye-catching locally grown mushrooms of all shapes and sizes.
Vicki Rhodes, the founder of Gippsland Gourmet Pies, stood in front of dazzling golden streamers, reflecting a warming glow in the far left corner of the Morrison Pavilion. In front of her, food warmers were stocked with a wide variety of hot contenders for Gippsland’s best pie, alongside Vicki’s famous, award-winning pork with caramelised apple gourmet sausage roll.
On the next stall over, Josef Sestokas and his wife Leah from Flooding Creek Fungi boasted an extensive range of locally grown mushrooms; oyster, shiitake – you name it, they grow it.
“We started growing mushrooms four years ago for fun, and three years ago, we became serious and started the business,” Josef said.
From a hobby to a full-time job, today Josef and Leah have mushrooms growing out the ‘wazoo’.
“We calculated 1.5 tons of mushrooms last financial year,” Josef said.
Amrita and Andrew Bradley, founders of Windsong Farm Providore, producers and sellers of sustainable honey, chai, granola and beeswax products, were among the Gippsland businesses showcasing their extensive range of local merchandise.
Having begun dabbling in the bee business, Amrita and Andrew were in need of a “bee-change out” as their suburban backyard became inundated with live hives.
In 2018, the two beekeepers packed up their Melbourne lives, traded in skyscrapers for gumtrees and moved to a property in Denison, Gippsland, and opened Windsong Farm Providore.
Today, Amrita and Andrew have a total of five hives, each hive containing upward of 60,000 bees.
The Windsong Farm Providore founders established a stall at the recent Sale Show, boasting a variety of honey and beeswax products.
Not being honey season, Amrita said chai and nuts were currently their best sellers.
“The soaps are going great guns too,” she said.
Decadent smells tantalise nostrils as Amrita opens a jar of Windsong Farm Providore sticky chai, posing the question, ‘What is their secret to such wonderful honey?’
“It’s about taking care of the bees”, Amrita said, “not just using them for the honey.”
Situated at the opposite end of the Morrison Pavilion stood Natasha and Rosalie, founders of Sale local business Love in a Jar, a welcoming smile smeared across their faces.
Former nurses Natasha and Rosalie established their jams, pickles, chutneys and pastes business, Love in a Jar, six years ago from a humble beginning in a home kitchen.
Now, Love in a Jar operates out of an industrial kitchen, stocking the shelves at more than 40 shops across Gippsland.
Natasha and Rosalie carry on family recipes taught by those no longer with us, conjuring and sharing delicious berry jams, faultlessly spiced chutneys and pickles that turn a regular old ham and cheese sandwich into the perfect ham and cheese sandwich.
“We called the business Love in a Jar because my Nan used to put plumb jam into the gravy; she called it ‘Love in the gravy’,” Rosalie said.
Want to know more about the local producers at the 157th Sale Show? Simply find them on Facebook.
