Spicy sauces, booze-free beer and wild-boar salami – all of the must-try producers at this year’s Regional Flavours
We’re counting down the days until the return of one of our favourite annual free food-and-wine festivals, Regional Flavours, which is coming back to South Bank Parklands from May 13–15. This year the multi-day festival is using ‘ultimate grazing table’ as its theme, and The Marketplace on Little Stanley Street will be the perfect place to curate your own, with stalls selling local produce, artisanal pantry stuffers, cheeses, craft spirits, chocolates and morsels from regional restaurants. To get your appetites going (as if they aren’t already), we’ve rounded up some of the festival’s must-try producers, from tasty non-alcoholic beer to belly-warming bone broth.
My Dilly Bag
Formed by award-winning slow-food chef Aunty Dale Chapman (who will also return to Regional Flavours to host a native cooking demonstration), My Dilly Bag shines a spotlight on Australian native foods. Those interested in enjoying native food at home can nab the likes of native spices (think roasted wattleseed, lemon myrtle flakes and Tasmanian ground pepper), Davidson plum jam, and finger-lime dark chocolate from My Dilly Bag’s brimming bush-food pantry.
Goose on the Loose
Passionate about producing the best salami in the business, artisan producer Goose on the Loose achieves this by utilising products which are locally farmed and ethically sourced. Its award-winning salami must be eaten to believe how truly delicious it is, with flavours including the likes of kangaroo and chilli, duck and juniper berry, traditional pork and fennel, beef with horseradish and wasabi, and even wild boar!
Silver Tongue Foods
As an artisan producer of organic sourdough crackers, select pickles and preserves, Silver Tongue Foods’ mission is to source the very best local ingredients available and be true to the ‘Australian Made’ label. The result is a taste bud-tantalising line-up of goodies – you’ll be able to nab must-try treats like pink peppercorn sourdough crackers, raspberry jalapeno jam, and fennel and orange pickles.
Sobah
For those of you who love to crack open a tinnie (or three) but can live without the hangover, you’re well catered for thanks to SOBAH, a premium non-alcoholic craft beer infused with native Australian ingredients. The Gold Coast-born company uses ethically sourced high-quality ingredients to produce a whistle-wetting array of flavours – there’s Lemon Aspen Pilsner (our personal fave), Finger Lime Cerveza, Pepperberry IPA and many more.
The Village Pickle
A small family-owned-and-operated cafe in the Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Nambour, The Village Pickle is famous for its house-smoked meats, fermented foods and hot sauces. Its sweat-inducing selection of spicy sauces are naturally lacto-fermented for a minimum of 12 weeks and are chock-full of good bacteria and flavourful goodness. Said to be “tasty as hell”, these spicy sauces are worth nabbing if your taste buds love a tangy challenge.
Boneafide Broth Bar
Those looking to make some soul-warming soups, ramens and winter-warming remedies will be well looked after with Boneafide Broth Bar, a Sunshine Coast-born business that specialises in hearty bone broths. Treat your gut with good-for-you goodies like freeze-dried bone broth bombs, concentrated beef bone broth powder or even free-range chicken broth crisps.
Keen to fill your belly and basket with flavour-packed locally sourced fare? Entry to Regional Flavours is free but you can hop over here to grab your tickets to the masterclasses or opening party before they’re all snapped up.
This article was written in partnership with our friends at City Parklands.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
