One of the proudest things we do each year is the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards. These celebrate the very best artisan produce we can find around the country. It’s a wonderful way to shine a light on often under-appreciated farmers, growers, harvesters and producers who bring so much deliciousness into our lives. And what better way to celebrate than to ask a panel of top foodies, chefs and our Produce Awards judges to share their best example of Aussie produce? As for my picks? David Blackmore’s astonishing wagyu and the goat’s cheese from Holy Goat Cheese in Victoria, and the finger limes from coastal Queensland and NSW are the best Aussie produce I’ve tasted!

PROSCIUTTO

Chef and author Colin Fassnidge has also been in love with finger limes since he tasted them from a mate’s tree in Port Douglas. “The first time I tried one I was blown away by the texture and flavour,” he says. But, for his top spot, they’re pipped by the prosciutto from Vic’s Meats, made with marbled meat from heritage-breed Kurobuta pigs. “It’s Australian-artisan quality, and looked after, so I suppose you pay for what you get,” he adds, mouth watering. 

FLOUR

I was expecting Gary Mehigan to plump for a cheese such as BoatShed from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, or something generously sweet, but it’s Tuerong Farm’s heritage-grain flours that he rates as the greatest Australian produce he’s tasted. “Simply put, [the flours create] the best bread I’ve ever made; the red wheat especially gives an almost malty sweetness to my sourdough,” he says. 

OYSTERS

Fish guru Josh Niland from Sydney eatery Saint Peter, who joins the awards’ national judging panel this year, singles out the rock oysters from Gary and Jo Rodely’s Tathra Oysters in NSW. “This was unequivocally the most memorable thing I’ve ever eaten here in Australia,” he says. “The flesh was busting – fat, nearly exceeding the size of its own shell… It carried a wonderful balanced salinity that lent itself to the taste of a good anchovy, along with a sweetness that lingered for minutes later. Unbelievable!” 

MUSSELS

Manu Feildel’s greatest Aussie produce moment was the Eyre Peninsula’s black mussels. “They took me straight back to Le Bretagne where I come from in France,” he recalls. “They were a lot bigger than the petit bouchon mussels there; plump, sweet, salty jewels of the sea and very versatile. I feel that they’re still underrated here.” 

KANGAROO

The acceptance of roo meat has been far slower than other indigenous ingredients, but South Australian state judge Karena Armstrong says the meat she gets at her restaurant, The Salopian Inn in McLaren Vale, is a match for any other local produce she’s tasted. “I love the texture and clean, meaty notes; that pure, light gameness and the variation you find in the grass or saltbush-like notes, depending on terroir, is extraordinary. More than the taste, I feel good about eating this wild meat, too. It really doesn’t get much more free-range.” She recommends Paroo or K-Roo brands. 

CHICKEN

Matt Stone from Melbourne restaurant Future Food System picks out the cockerel (rooster) reared by Chooks At The Rooke in Victoria. “It’s a common ingredient in Europe but rarely seen here in Australia,” he says. “Delicious large legs full of flavour, beautifully textured breast meat and the bones make the best broth. Ethical, sustainable farming at its best,” he says. 

CABBAGE

Queensland state judge Adam Wolfers from Gerard’s Bistro says the sugarloaf cabbage grown by The Falls Farm in the Sunshine Coast hinterland is “seriously amazing”. “It’s naturally sweet and such a versatile ingredient; we use it in so many different dishes,” he says. “Each leaf can be separated perfectly without breaking and it’s a thing of beauty once you see inside it; the cross-section is the timeline of its growth.” 

OLIVE OIL

Like all who contributed, Jacqui Challinor, executive chef of Nomad in Sydney and a NSW state judge, struggled to name just one product. She finally settled on Alto Vividus extra virgin olive oil, made from Hardy’s Mammoth olives grown on Hopeful Ranch at the foothills of the NSW Great Dividing Range. “It is, without a doubt, the best olive oil I’ve ever had. It has an incredible fruity, fresh flavour profile that is so unique,” she says. “It’s made itself a permanent home on the Nomad menu in our olive oil ice-cream sandwich, which is probably one of my most cherished recipes.” 

CORAL TROUT

State judge Louis Tikaram was bowled over by Chris Bolton’s coral trout, which is a favourite on the menu at Tikaram’s Cantonese restaurant Stanley in Brisbane. “Not only for how beautiful it was but also for the amazing quality and how much respect the produce was caught and handled with,” he says. “The delicate subtle flesh with its gelatinous skin is perfect to steam with ginger, soy and shallot. Every customer comments on how unique it tastes. I think it’s the best fish is the world.”

For the full list of this year’s delicious. Produce Awards winners, head here.