A highlight of the Barrington Coast is its local produce where visitors can enjoy the very best in fresh and artisanal food and drink. You'll find the Great Lakes Food Trail offers an exceptionally good foodie experience.
Experiencing the best in local produce
When you experience local fresh produce you are by its very nature experiencing an artisan's product. Small scale and niche production centres around expertise, innovation and quality. It's about provenance and fully understanding where the food and drink we are eating and drinking comes from.
Additionally, if I am cooking with eggs for example, I want to know those chickens live a good life. And similarly, with milk and bread I want to know that the farmers have been adequately compensated for their milk and raw ingredients. From an economic sustainability perspective too, buying and supporting local produce keeps money in the local economy – it keeps people in jobs.
The Great Lakes Food Trail is a collection of award winning producers and providores who share a passion for ethical and sustainable production.
The Great Lakes Food Trail
After opening Forster's first brewery in mid 2017, we became part of the Great Lakes Food Trail.
The Great Lakes Food Trail that follows the scenic Lakes Way between Bulahdelah and Rainbow Flat. Running twice a year, the Great Lakes Food Trail is a collection of award winning producers and providores who share a passion for ethical and sustainable production. By working together, these producers and providores have been able to raise the profile of local produce in the Barrington Coast region.Fellow producers and providores on the Great Lakes Food Trail include Palms Microbakery, Old Inn Road Vineyard, beef producer and winery Great Lakes Paddocks, lamb producers Yeo Farm, Maltese culinary delights from Josant, pastry and dessert chef Nadine the Cake Queen and chef.
Locally-made beauty products from The Natural Deodorant and Wild Temple Naturals are also part of the Great Lakes Food Trail as well as community contributors The Brush Turkey Café.
In addition, the Trail also has a number of accommodation partners including Seal Rocks Lighthouse Cottages and Bombah Point Eco Cottages.
Visitors to the region can access a range of local produce through onsite cellar door/tap room, local markets, delis, bottleshops and as well online local produce store – Farm to Fridge.
The Great Lakes Food Trail has played a key role in our brewery’s development. Not only through providing an avenue to market the Coastal Brewing Co beers but it’s also provided us with the opportunity to meet many like-minded people. We work closely with local producers and providores. In particular, we love that our spent grain from the brewing process is picked up on brew day and goes off to feed the pigs and chickens at Long Table Farm, based in Coomba Park.
The Barrington Coast has a bounty of local produce for you to experience and we look forward to welcoming you to our brewery tap room as part of the food trail or during our normal opening hours. Be sure to keep an eye out for our beers at local restaurants and bars next time you visit.
