As West Australians, it’s easy to forget just how lucky we are to have such delicious produce at our backdoor.
While countries across the world have to buy exported goods, fresh and quality produce are in arm's reach here on the west coast.
Which is why, everything from Mandurah sea mullet to Mount Barker’s iconic chicken, will be in the spotlight in Taste WA: Harvest to Kitchen.
The 30-minute special will take a culinary journey throughout WA, showcasing the agricultural passion and local produce on offer, which – as celebrity chef and South West local Anna Gare would say – provides enough content for at least a “10 part series”.
“We really do have amazing produce and you don’t realise how many small producers there are, living in the area,” she said.
“For example in Denmark – where I live – you’ve got these people producing cheese the old way and doing these beautiful boutique businesses selling cheese, or even doing milk the old fashioned way.
“And then there’s the eggs and the lamb, and we’ve got some of the best pork in the world of course, which we are exporting a lot of.”
Joining Gare on this WA flavoured journey is Nine News Perth’s Lisa Fernandez – who heads to Harvey to meet one of the state’s original suppliers of beef, and also becomes an artisan cheese maker for the day.
Meanwhile Nova breakfast presenter Nathan Morris meets an award-winning chocolatier, an ice-cream maker and a baker – all three with an infectious passion for their craft – and Nine News Perth sports presenter Michael Thomson travels to the Peel Estuary to catch sea mullet with local commercial fishermen.
“If you think about all these countries we are exporting to, they’re all just hammering at our doors (for our produce) because it is just so clean and is of such a high standard,” Fernandez said.
“It was really good to meet these people because they do, just really care about what they are doing and there is real passion behind what they’re doing.”
Taste WA: Harvest to Kitchen airs on Channel Nine or channel five regionally at 5.30pm, Sunday.