Essence Food for the Soul

Food & Drink
Buy, chef, curries, Curry, Custard, delicious, Dessert, desserts, Eat, Essence, Food, Food for the Soul, Home, Kitchen, Love the Pen, lovethepeninsula, lunch, Mornington Peninsula, Pie, Pies, Portsea, Portsea Hotel, quality produce, quiches, Soup, Soups
When chef husband and wife team Jim and Melanie Houston got married at the Portsea Hotel, little did they know that 10 years later they would buy a business across the road from the Portsea Hotel and live in it with their three children for the best part of a year. That business is now known as Essence Food for the Soul. As chefs, life for Jim and Melanie was busy, particularly with three young children. The long hours took a strain, and they were ready to make a lifestyle change within the food industry. Sometimes everything falls into place and you find the ideal scenario, and this wholesale food business was perfect for the chef team. Essence Food for the Soul is all about the best quality produce made into delicious, heat and serve meals that help the time poor to eat well.

Barmah Park Vineyard

Food & Drink
Accommodation, Australia, Barmah Park, Cellar Door, chef, Coffee, Deck, Eat, Events, Food, Friends, Garden, Groups, Kitchen, Local, lunch, Moorooduc, Mornington Peninsula, Property, Restaurant, Summer, Victoria, Vineyard, Weddings, Weekend, Wine
Barmah Park is a stone's throw from Mornington, just off the Moorooduc Hwy. Come here to warm up beside their log fire and unwind with the help of stunning rural vineyard views, fine food, wine and friendly service. What was a working cattle farm is now an acclaimed restaurant with a spacious dining room - graced with natural light and a rustic cellar door. There is something for everyone with their modern Australian menu that reflects seasonal moods. 

Trofeo Estate

Food & Drink, Winemakers
Cellar Door, Drink, dromana, Estate, Farm, Food, Friends, Garden, Kitchen, Local, Love the Pen, lunch, Mornington Peninsula, Produce, Red Hill, Restaurant, Trofeo, Victoria, Vineyard, Wedding, Weekend, Wine
Trofeo Estate encompasses a vineyard, cellar door, winery, & a thriving cafe. At the core of the estate is a philosophy that embraces the practice of biodynamics, sustainability & old world winemaking techniques & this is expressed through fresh, home grown produce from the kitchen and café, delicious take home condiments and stunning array of wines from the cellar door.

Volpino

Food & Drink
Beach, Deck, Drinks, Eat, Family, Fish, Food, Friends, Kitchen, Local, Locals, lunch, Mornington Peninsula, mount martha, Pasta, Pizza, Restaurant, Seafood, Summer, Sunshine, Victoria, Volpino, Weekend, Wine, Winebar
With a strong emphasis on fresh and local produce, Volpino offers an array of Mediterranean inspired seasonal dishes to compliment the classic wood fired pizzas that are a mainstay of this vibrant, beachside venue. The deck is super sized and a perfect place to soak up the winters sun, unwind and dine alfresco with friends, family or as a couple. Add a unique, hand selected wine list and you have the perfect ingredients for a memorable day or night out. To borrow a famous Australian phrase, it’s all about the vibe and it’s this attitude that inspires us to follow the boys from Volpino.

Merricks General Store

Food & Drink, Winemakers
Cellar Door, Coffee, Eat, Exhibition, Food, Gallery, Garden, general store, Horse Riding, Kitchen, Local, lunch, Merricks, Merricks General Wine Store, Mornington Peninsula, Peninsula, Produce, Restaurant, Shop, Victoria, Vineyard, Weekend, Wine, Winemakes
Back in the days before impersonal supermarkets and oversized shopping centres, the humble general store was a community hub, a place that served an important social, as well as supply, service. In 1924, Merricks General Wine Store opened to serve a variety of needs of the local community. Built in a prime location on Hastings-Flinders Road, between Balnarring and Shoreham, it was a central point where locals could stock up on household items as well post mail, make phone calls at the phone booth, do banking and fill the petrol tank – a one-stop shop with friendly, familiar faces.

Green Olive at Red Hill

Food & Drink
Australia, Cafe, Cellar Door, Children, Coffee, Cooking Classes, Farm, Farmgate, Food, Garden, Green Olive, Horse Riding, Kitchen, lunch, Mornington Peninsula, Red Hill, Restaurant, Shop, Vineyard, Weekend, Wine
The olive trees on Sue and Greg O’Donoghue’s farm take three years to bear fruit, but when they do, one tree can provide up to 35 kilograms of olives. Similarly, patience and passion are key ingredients to bringing a big idea to life.