8 great ways to Eat Local all year ‘round within the Scenic Rim

Don’t wait for a festival or special celebration to get into the Eat Local phenomenon that’s sweeping the world. Within the Scenic Rim there’s ample ways to eat with the seasons while supporting local farmers and producers all year ’round.

Queensland’s Scenic Rim is an Australia leader in the Eat Local movement, having staged their famous Eat Local festival, now a full month, for the since 2010. Now, you can visit this internationally acclaimed region to champion local restaurants and cafes that serve local produce all year ‘round and work closely with local farmers and producers with what’s in season, by designing their menus and dishes to highlight the region’s award-winning local produce.

Here’s where you can enjoy every bite, knowing it’s seasonal and local:

The Paddock, Beechmont Estate

At Beechmont Estate’s The Paddock restaurant, they have a saying – ‘if it’s not from ‘round here, it’s not on our plates’, and their dishes are remarkable. A casual take on fine dining, this chef-hatted restaurant serves up seasonal creations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With a close relationship with many local producers their chefs make regular visits to their own and local producers’ gardens and paddocks to select the freshest seasonal produce.

Blume Restaurant

Just a few years old and already a multi-award-winning, and nationally acclaimed fine-diner, Blume is a destination dining experience that’s putting the ‘oo’ and ‘ah’ in the town of Boonah. The menu reflects chef Jack Stuart’s ethos of ‘time and place’ – seasonal fresh food made using local ingredients and he and his team work with local suppliers to showcase the best of the Scenic Rim throughout the food and wine menus. Dining at Blume is a truly memorable experience, especially if you happen leave with a portrait sketched while you eat by Jack’s Uncle Angus!

Picnic Real Food Bar

The passion project of famed chef Brenda Fawdon, a path-maker in the food industry who owned Brisbane’s first organic restaurant, Picnic Real Food Bar on Tamborine Mountain serves local and seasonal produce, and nourishing food made with care. Sustainability is important, and there’s a closed-loop system that turns the kitchen waste into compost to minimise garbage and nourish the soil. Their food bar is stocked daily with freshly made salads, house-baked pastries and a range of healthy, wholefood options. The sausage rolls are life-changing!

Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Café

There’s something really special about the Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Café – it’s nestled under towering 120-year old jacarandas and surrounded by working farms, with carrot paddocks so close, you can almost pull out your own! Celebrating all that is local, seasonal and fresh in their menu, the coffee from Tamborine Mountain is worth the trip alone. You can also buy local produce at the farm shop and the freshest of flowers from the nearby fields of Elderflower Farm, so a visit is just heavenly!

Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm

One of the most beautiful places in the Scenic Rim, Kooroomba is an award-winning cellar door and restaurant, blending rustic and contemporary architecture all set amongst a haven of lavender fields and vineyards. Kooroomba’s selection of wines, along with modern Australian cuisine featuring local produce under Head Chef Elliot Platz, who grew up in the region, provides a unique regional wine and food experience.

Roastbeef and the Frog

A beautiful fusion of Scenic Rim produce meets an eighth generation French chef (Frog) and a British Michelin star trained chef (Roastbeef) at The Overflow Estate 1895.  The end result is just beautiful. Set amongst vineyards overlooking the tranquil Wyaralong Dam, here you’ll be treated to a two or three-course lunch or choose to spend the day enjoying a degustation paired with matching wines.

Oaky Creek Farm & Harvest Café

Authentic and welcoming, the family-owned Oaky Ceek Farm and Harvest Café offers stunning views of the Scenic Rim, prides itself in their use of local ingredients and boasts a selection of farm and local products for sale as well. Open by appointment only for groups of 20+, this is the perfect destination for special occasions and events.

Feeling hungry?
Find your perfect stay to match your meal within the Scenic Rim here.