Introducing our Harvest Lunch Calendar
We love to cook and eat by the harvest calendar - the cycle of produce grown as the weather cools, rains, frosts and then warms again. It's no coincidence that the varieties of fruits and vegetables available each season are exactly what we want to eat at that time of year. A salad of fresh tomatoes and curd is what's needed in January's heat; pumpkins offer necessary comfort through May's chill; leafy brassicas deliver vitality against July's blights, and in September, asparagus gives us new life.
To celebrate the monthly harvest, we're introducing a weekday lunch addition, to showcase produce that is locally grown and perfectly in season. The dish will change every month - featuring a favourite local grower, some flair from our kitchen, and highlights from the cellar.
Month By Month
JULY — RAMARRO FARM CIME DI RAPA
For the month of July, we're serving Cime di Rapa with pillowy ricotta gnocchi, chilli, lemon and butter. Cime di Rapa is commonly known as broccoli rabe and is a favoured ingredient in Puglia, on the heel of Italy's boot. We source ours from Ramarro Farm, where Oliver and Lisa Shorthouse grow heritage varieties in nutrient-rich red soils outside of the Dandenong Ranges.
AUGUST - DAYS WALK FARM CELERIAC
Earthy and nutty, celeriac is about to hit its peak and through August we're using it as the hero ingredient in a velouté of spanner crab, sorrel and fried bread. We're sourcing it straight from Days Walk Farm who produce certified organic vegetables in Keilor. This soup is rich, warming and a lovely accompaniment to a glass of 2021 A. Rodda 'Smith's Vineyard Triangle Block' Chardonnay.
SEPTEMBER - RAMARRO FARM PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI
Sprouting broccoli is a true sign that spring has arrived and a moment for us to depart from winter's root vegetables. For lunch through September, we offer a salad of purple sprouting broccoli, broad bean leaves & tonnato. At the heart of the dish is new season sprouting broccoli, sourced from our friends at Ramarro Farm in the Patch. It's a bright and hearty dish - a lovely accompaniment to a glass of the Sicilian 2023 Feudo Montoni Catarratto 'Masso'.
OCTOBER - RAMARRO FARM ZUCCHINI FLOWERS
Golden and delicate, we're blessed with zucchini flowers from the middle of spring through late summer in Melbourne. Their arrival in October means we have many months ahead to enjoy this delicate flora. To celebrate, our chefs are baking a zucchini flower tart every weekday for lunch. Layered with Ramarro Farm zucchini flowers and enriched with cream, it's lovely with a glass of 2014 Yangarra 'Roux Beaute' Roussanne from McLaren Vale, South Australia.
NOVEMBER - JONELLA FARM ASPARAGUS
For our November Harvest Lunch, our chefs are preparing a dish of asparagus, buffalo mozzarella, hazelnut, frisée & tarragon. We source our asparagus from Jonella Farm in Koo Wee Rup. Located on an old flood plain, it's true asparagus territory where these stalks thrive during their limited season. Have it with a glass of 2022 Daniel Chotard Sancerre 'Classique' from the Loire Valley and some Baker Bleu bread to mop the plate with a flourish.
DECEMBER - RAMARRO FARM HEIRLOOM CUCUMBERS
Heirloom cucumbers are just hitting their peak and for December we're making the most of heirloom varieties from Oliver and Lisa at Ramarro Farm. Every weekday, we're serving a dish of Shark Bay scallops, heirloom cucumbers and verjus. It's just the style of refreshing dish we relish in the summer heat. Delicious with a glass from our 12 Wines of Christmas, the 2022 Nanclares Y Prieto Albariño 'A Graña' Val do Salnés from Rías Baixas in Spain
JANUARY - RAMARRO FARM TOMATOES
Long sunny days mean tomatoes are at their peak ripeness right now. To celebrate, our chefs are preparing a gazpacho with poached Skull Island prawns. At the heart of the dish are Ramarro Farm tomatoes, sourced from our friends Oliver Shorthouse and his wife Lisa in the Dandenong Ranges. Served chilled, have some gazpacho with an equally cold glass of the 2022 DC Shaw Cabernet Franc Rosé. It's a bright and textural Rosé inspired by the great Rosés of the Loire Valley and made with grapes from the McLaren Vale.
FEBRUARY - MUSHROOMS ANONYMOUS HEIRLOOM ZUCCHINI
In celebration of late summer produce, our chefs are preparing a dish of heirloom zucchini, buffalo mozzarella, rockmelon & basil. Crunchy and fresh, it's just the dish we want to enjoy during February's heat.
At the centre of the dish are heirloom zucchinis, sourced from former chefs Jo Corrigan and Matt Donnelly of Mushrooms Anonymous. They farm in the rich soil of the Macedon Ranges, providing vegetables directly to restaurants around the state.
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