Sydney Fine Food Championship judges go nuts … for Hazelbrae
We’re extremely proud of one of our local suppliers, Hazelbrae, who grow hazelnuts on their idyllic farm at Hagley, about 20 minutes west of Launceston in northern Tasmania. Read on to find out what all the excitement is about.
In late September, judges at the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Fine Food Championships tasted Hazelbrae’s Slow Cooked and Dry Roasted Hazelnuts. They went nuts, awarding Hazelbrae with the designation “Champion” along with 31 other esteemed growers and producers from across Australia in categories including smallgoods and charcuterie, pasta, bakery, oil, meat and seafood.
Owner Christie McLeod said of the win, “We are really excited about this one as it is for our core product – roasted hazelnuts. As you can imagine, it is extremely difficult to win highly regarded awards for a single ingredient product that you can’t check for flavour before sending … So an award like this is a grand achievement and testament to the amazing growing conditions and care we put into our product.”
Hazelbrae has won previous accolades including the same award for their hazelnut oil in 2018 and have also been awarded the Consistency of Excellence Medal at the Australian Food Awards for achieving Gold for three consecutive years.
Christie and her husband Mick have been dedicated to Hazelbrae for the last ten years and have worked hard to make it one of the largest and most productive hazelnut plantings in Australia. Christie says they are extremely proud of the quality of their product and feel lucky, every day, to be part of the farm’s story.
Ways to use hazelnuts, and where to get them
The best way to enjoy nuts as celebrated as Hazelbrae’s are on their own, with no additions. Hazelnuts however, do pair wonderfully well with chocolate, so there are milk and dark chocolate covered nuts in their range also. Raw hazelnuts are ideal for baking, and roasted hazelnuts are great for adding to salads. Try incorporating chopped hazelnuts, or hazelnut meal, into apple crumble for a wonderful crunchy texture. Hazelnuts go really well with roasted pumpkin and beetroot, so adding some chopped hazelnuts and some crumbled feta to either of these makes a delicious salad or side dish. Chopped hazelnuts or hazelnut meal can be used in a herby crust for salmon fillets or a rack of lamb and they also go really well with brussels sprouts.
We sell Hazelbrae’s nuts and nut products at our Devonport, Sandy Bay, Longford and Latrobe stores, and they will feature in this year’s Christmas Hamper range, which will be released in early November.
