Country Style
Back in April, we received a note from our friend Barbara at Country Style mag - send me your ‘hot 3’ Byron list she said. Impossible, I replied! How…on earth…do you select a top 3, or a top 10..a top anything, just on the back of setting up Bay Grocer and our eyes opened even wider to the plethora of such wonderful, unique, top-level produce being grown and products being made around this region…this place is full to the brim of some of Australia’s most creative folk punching our excellent ideas So I gave her 6….of my top 1000, and she selected 3…here’s the 12 inch remix!
“How…on earth…do you select a top 3, or a top 10..a top anything... So I gave her 6….of my top 1000, and she selected 3…here’s the 12 inch remix!”
Stone and Wood - Byron’s beer legends - proud to be associated with them as we stare through the food hatch at their awesome new brewery in the bay. Keeping us happy in beer now for 10 years. Brewed and drunk locally.
David Lovett's sublime focaccia and donuts - not much more to say here except the phone rings hot for these guys. A revolving door of flavours - from sweet local cherry tomatoes to bone marrow - and his crazy good fried donuts filled with jam, curd or custard.
Cape Byron Distillery - what happens when Brookfarm steps out of the muesli factory and into a cracking good gin distillery in their very own patch of rainforest. Pop in to the cellar door and take a guided walk with Martin, then settle back to taste the wares - best is the slow gin on ice with a squeeze of lime. These guys are phenomenal and tireless and have just released the 'Mac' -a macadamia liqueur - the whiskey is also in the barrels - but we dont get to see that for years yet.
Evan's organic rocket - this incredible leaf flies off the shelf at the grocer and it’s the best we’ve ever tasted. Grown by the incomparable Evan and his band of happy farmers at Hungry Earth Ecology in Byron. Nothing like it.
The Bay Smokehouse smoked fish rillette - Damien Curtis uses sustainable wild caught fish (by local fishermen) to make his incredible bundle of smokehouse delicacies. We are super fans of the smoked fish rillette. Small town goodness that would rival the best of any big city.
Farmers Market breakfasts by Rob at Nomadic Kitchen. Nice guy. Splendid cook. Breakfast at the Farmer’s Market cooked by this chap and his sister is second to none. Occasionally he drops by the grocer after the markets and brings us apples, quinces and the world’s best black muscat grapes to boot - and if we are lucky, a piece pf quince tart.
