Say cheese: The Kiln ready to fire up again.

Short-lived but much-loved Tasmanian venue The Kiln is to be re-born as a new food and drink collective in a boost to the Huon Valley, south of Hobart. 

Nick Haddow, founder of Bruny Island Cheese & Beer, has leased the historic property, originally built to dry hops, to serve as the Kiln Collective, a collaborative cellar door and a Ranelagh food hub. 

The inaugural members will include Bruny Island Cheese & Beer, Haddow + Dineen Wines, Wild Mother and Henskens Rankin. 

Haddow hopes to have the site and a suite of upmarket gourmet experiences ready in July. 

The Kiln Collective will be a local outlet for quality small-batch and artisanal products in a space that has been empty since The Kiln restaurant closed earlier this year.

Haddow (above) founded Bruny Island cheese two decades ago and much of the milk for those cheeses comes from dairy herds in the Huon Valley.

Haddow and Dineen is a wine partnership with Jeremy Dineen, formerly chief winemaker at Josef Chromy. The duo has access to fruit from several of the best vineyard sites in the state. 

Hanskens Rankin is an artisan operation making only tiny batches of aged sparkling wines, while Tim Jones at Wild Mother makes small-batch vinegars, tonics and barrel-aged condiments. 

More collaborators and further details will be released shortly - along with a menu of coffee, cheese plates and other gourmet offerings.   

"We are being very slow and careful as we do want to reflect the best of Tasmania," Haddow told GoTR. 

"We want a shared tasting experience and to create a program of tasting experiences that will take people into the story behind the products - with the makers.

"The availability of the Kiln has brought our plans forward. We'll to add to the offering as we go ahead."   

For now, the venue will offer cellar door experiences; community events, farmers markets and one-off tastings, as well as bookable events like cheese and beer matchings, or a tasting with a winemaker.  

In the meantime, take a look at the logo:

   

Lost Captain leads the way for dinner

The Huon Valley in the deep south of Tasmania has many attractions, but had been short on restaurants that serve dinner - until the Lost Captain opened in the dying days of 2022.

A few months on, the Huonville eatery is in full swing, offering a menu that appeals equally to locals and interstate visitors.

Whether you are looking for a cosy booth with a few friends, or a spot in the garden where the kids can run around, this restaurant can be recommended.

The Lost Captain sits just across from the banks of the Huon River, a 30-minute drive south of Hobart.

The menu features an excellent selection of small plates ($15 each or three for $40). 

We found three small plates each more than enough to quell our hungers, although we were tempted by the desserts ($15).

We tried the traditional Tassei dish of mini scallop pies (three per serve, below) excellent; along with duck ham, cheese and aioli croquettes, torched thinly sliced Robbins Island wagyu with sourdough and dripping, Cygnet mushroom XO (in a rice paper roll) and tuna and wagyu tataki.

My standout was the crispy and tender fried chicken with purple kimchi that has more than a hint of heat. Crunchy and delicious.

The good news is that three small plates are quite enough for a meal - although there are some enticing looking mains, including the Pelverata-raised - just down the road - crispy lamb with chevre, olives and tomatoes ($34) and Lucaston-farmed - a bit further down the road - beef short rib ($40).

There are also several dishes designed for sharing by large groups, including a lamb shoulder and a suckling pig (book in advance).

The dessert choices include the hyper-local apple dumplings with salted caramel ice cream and golden syrup, and chocolate, fondant vanilla ice cream, tuile and chestnut crumb (above). My wife preferred the former, I enjoyed the latter.

The wine list has a Tasmanian focus with drinks from the likes of Hughes & Hughes, Stoney Rise, Ghost Rock and Wellington & Wolfe featuring on the "by the glass" list and several more Tasmanians, along with some tasty imports, on the list of bottles.

One major highlight was the bright, professional and attentive staff, many of whom have previously worked at Hobart's New Sydney Hotel.

In a time when good staff are hard to find, the Captain has managed to find a very good crew - including several familiar local faces. We'll be back.

The Lost Captain is at 2-4 Short St, Huonville. Open seven days. Monday-Friday: noon to late; Saturday: 8.30am-late; Sunday noon-6pm.

See https://www.lostcaptain.com.au/