Admit it. There’s a part of Victoria you like best. And I’m prepared to wager that your preference has its roots in pure pleasure. A blast to the senses in a particular postcode can fill you with longing for a lifetime.

I love the Daylesford region for many reasons. Bullboar sausages and Tuki smoked trout are two of the printable sort. I know others who swear by the dairy bonanza of Gippsland; the fresh produce and berries from the Yarra Valley; the mustards and cheeses from the Milawa gourmet region in the King Valley.

It’s easy to be a Food Patriot in our fruitful state.

As aforementioned in this column, the 100 Mile Café has a radical and appetising approach to local food. Even as he reduces food miles, owner Paul Mathis finds no need to compromise on quality. Mathis counts among his favourite local products Mickelham free range ducks, Holy Goat cheese, Sutton Grange wines and Henry of Harcourt for apple and pear ciders.

This restaurant is at the vanguard of backyard cuisine. If it’s made within cooee of Melbourne, and it’s good, it’s on the menu here.

And nor should you go hungry when you limit your food miles. The buffet is vast and doesn’t stop on land.

Victorian seafood includes snapper, King George whiting, Australian salmon, Blue-Eye trevalla, Southern Blue Fin tuna, gummy shark (flake), Australian Blue Mussels, Southern rock lobster and crays. These treasures from the waters grace the menus of top restaurants and your local chippie alike. Acquaint yourself.

Back on dry land, Sher Wagyu beef from Ballan is top notch with a nine marbling score. (That’s very, very good, by the way. And for those who fret about fat, be advised: wagyu yields a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than regular meat.). Hopkins river beef from the south-western region of Victoria is also appearing on menus all over town. It’s the best protein hit you’ll get outside of Commercial Road.

Sunday February 24 sees The Age Harvest Picnic at Hanging Rock. If you can tolerate spoilt toddlers from Malvern East with a bad attitude and Baby Prada, it’s a great place to do your Food Miles research. Over a hundred local producers showcase their wares and introduce Melbournians to what’s growing in their own backyard.

Artisan cheesemaker Barry Charlton from Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese will be showing off his curds. Charlton handcrafts unique gourmet cheeses like sweet creamy blue Gorgonzola, white mould and hard Italian styles. You’ll also find Disaster Bay Chillies, providores of fresh chillies, chilli wine, chilli sauces and condiments.

Eating local isn’t the privilege nor the sole responsibility of snooty foodies. Produce to seek in your average supermarket includes Lilydale Free Range Chicken (I’m a thigh girl, myself), Bega cheeses, which are made with milk from Gippsland, Pantalica’s ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan from Thomastown, and Don Salami which hails from Altona.

Even at the megastores, small decisions can reduce food miles and help industry and producers in this state. Local purchasing has a positive influence on the economy and the environment. And, if you choose to become a localvore, you might just find a new passion for an unexplored region.

We all know how rewarding that can prove. 

Photo: James Lauritz/Tourism Victoria