Tasting the Tropics to unleash rare flavours

Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) is hoping to draw more visitors by bringing the destination’s food story to life in April with the launch of Tasting the Tropics.

TTNQ CEO Mark Olsen says Tasting the Tropics will be a celebration of Tropical North Queensland food and drink experiences, highlighting chefs, producers and agritourism stories behind the region’s dining culture.

“Restaurants, cafes, farms, hotels and tour operators have joined the month-long celebration by dishing up their best tropical creations and throwing in some great entertainment to complete the experience,” he said.

“Try a river dining experience, a chef’s masterclass, barrel painting with live music, local spirits and cheese, and discover that smoked green papaya is the new smoked salmon.

“We are so excited about Tasting the Tropics in April that we are kicking it off a few days early at Feast of the Senses in Innisfail, an annual festival now in its 23rd year that brings food lovers to the Cassowary Coast for a smorgasbord of exotic farm produce and tropical tastes.

“Tropical North Queensland’s unique food story has grown from a proud farming history steered by a multicultural population and finessed by creative chefs wanting a sea change.

“Ochre Restaurant owner and chef Craig Squire is among the pioneers who incorporated native Australian ingredients into modern cuisine and his team will be showcasing the Ooray plum in both food and drinks at Ochre during April.”

Ochre sous chef Mikayla Senn said Ooray is a versatile ingredient suitable for savoury and sweet dishes as well as drinks and was traditionally used to boost the immune system as it is rich in Vitamins C and E, potassium, zinc and antioxidants.

“At Ochre we infuse its unique flavour and vibrant colour into sugar syrups, stocks for sauces, wine reductions and puree for cocktails to use throughout our lunch and dinner menus,” she said.

Feast of the Senses spokesperson Dave Jensen said the four-day festival included food trails and a River Feast with rare fruit tastings, cooking demonstrations, food vans and market stalls. 

From red papaya to fruit wine tastings there will be a range of events to enjoy 

Discover details about Tasting the Tropics events at: tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/tasting-the-tropics/

How Oxford Landing is endeavouring to do its bit for the environment

 

Australia’s leading liquor retail group has teamed up with Oxford Landing as part of a campaign to plant more trees during Earth Month.

Endeavour Group is working the Oxford Landing brand to support native revegetation efforts across Australia throughout April. 

Oxford Landing will commit to regenerating one square meter of bushland for every bottle of its One to One brand sold during April.

Centred around Earth Day on April 22, Earth Month is a global celebration, with more than one billion people advocating for the environmental health of the planet.

Dan Holland, director of corporate affairs and sustainability at Endeavour Group, said: “Earth Month is a powerful reminder for us all to consider the collective action needed to protect our planet.

“We’re proud to be teaming up with Oxford Landing, a supplier committed to leading change.

“Partnering together, will help us talk to our customers about the impact small, individual choices can make collectively.”

This initiative invites Endeavour customers to be part of the change by purchasing select One to One products at Dan Murphy’s or BWS, online or in-store.

Oxford Landing has been devoted to the replanting and regeneration of native flora and fauna at its Riverland home, to date planting over 200,000 native trees and shrubs on 6.6 million square metres of dedicated conservation area. 

At the time of launching One to One in 2023, Oxford Landing partnered with Greenfleet to plant the One to One Bushland, allowing customers to directly track the impact of their wine purchase.

Louisa Rose, head of sustainability at Oxford Landing, said: “Every bottle of One to One sold has a positive impact on the planet. Restoring and enriching habitats and regenerating ecosystems with one square metre of bushland for every one case sold - that’s our One to One promise.

“We love working with Endeavour Group on our Earth Month campaign, as we know customers are looking to support planet-positive initiatives.” 

I'm working through some of the wines right now, and the 2022 Merlot is a standout with its bold favours and smooth finish. Recommended. I also very much enjoyed the very quaffable shiraz.   

See oxfordlanding.com and greenfleet.com.au