On the trail of fine food in South Australia

It is best known for its wineries but the Barossa is also home to more than 50 artisanal producers. You will find the pick of the bunch every Saturday at the magnificent Barossa Farmers Market in Angaston. There is much to discover, with stalls stocking everything from fruit and veg to honey and herbal teas, cheese and much more. Pick up some cardamom buns for breakfast at the Eleni Barossa Handmade stand; happy carnivores will also want to try Michael Wohlstadt’s pork and fennel sausages (and the bacon!). Before you leave, head over to Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop and add a few of her preserves, oils or verjuices to your haul.

Pack a picnic on Kangaroo Island

With its sheltered beaches and bays, its rolling hills and forests, Kangaroo Island is packed with idyllic picnic spots. Even better, there are plenty of producers creating delicious treats to pack in your picnic hamper. From farmers rearing chicken and beef or growing oats and olives, to coffee roasters, fig growers and apiarists producing golden honey, you will discover plenty of goodies to tempt your tastebuds.

Every country town deserves a good pub and in the pretty Clare Valley town of Watervale, the Watervale Pub has been dishing up cold beverages since 1847. These days it is also known for its food, thanks to the hotel’s Penobscot Farm, being developed into an organic bio-dynamic farm. The best way to appreciate the farm’s paddock-to-plate philosophy is via its Six Senses experience. Start with a farm tour that gives you a crash-course on the principles of permaculture and biodynamic farming before settling in to taste that week’s harvest as part of a six-course degustation dinner.

The waters washing the Eyre Peninsula teem with seafood, from tuna and abalone to rock lobster, flathead, snapper and more. The largest fishing fleet in the southern hemisphere makes its home in Port Lincoln but you don’t have to wait until they dock to eat your fill, thanks to a host of different experiences available. Visit an oyster lease in Coffin Bay, cruise to the kingfish farms off Boston Island, or take a seafood tour at The Fresh Fish Place.

Bring your appetite when you head to the Mount Lofty Ranges. There are plenty of top-notch providores to get to know including Harris Smokehouse. This fourth-generation family business turns out excellent smoked seafood from salmon to oysters. Cheese fans will want to stop in at Udder Delights and Woodside Cheese Wrights, which has won a hefty haul of international awards for its ever-changing array of cow and goats’ milk cheeses. If you need some ideas on what to do with all that fabulous produce, head to Sticky Rice Cooking School where you can learn about all sorts of flavours, from Japanese to Mexican.

Looking for more wellness experiences in South Australia? You might like these stories – A weekend of urban wellness in Adelaide and Getting back to Nature.

Image credits: South Australian Tourism Commission