Jump to: Local, gourmet food & drinks Daylesford picnics Our evolution Planning your visit

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Local, gourmet food & drinks

Daylesford picnics

Our evolution

Planning your visit

We bring together Daylesford’s best gourmet food & drinks

Our ethos

At Daylesford Gourmet, our primary focus and commitment is supporting and promoting local makers whilst being considerate of the natural environment, and acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owners as custodians of the land we’re so fortunate to live, work and relax on. Therefore our gourmet food and drinks have been selected based on their local origin, superior taste and small-batch quality, and also because of their makers’ shared commitment to making and packaging their products in an environmentally thoughtful way.

Our gourmet boxes and food packaging is either recyclable or certified home-compostable wherever possible, and in an effort to minimise our contribution to landfill, we avoid adding single-use serving products in our gourmet food boxes. If you fancy taking your box out of your BnB and into nature, you have the option to add a picnic ‘keep-kit’ including some useful picnic tools which can be used for many picnic years to come.

Local, gourmet food & drinks

Our gourmet food boxes, grazing boards and picnics have been thoughtfully curated to showcase a gourmet selection of locally-made gourmet food items that we genuinely love, and to give you a taste of the abundance of deliciousness created in and around Daylesford.

Each food item in our gourmet boxes, picnic packs and grazing boards has been chosen to complement the others, and the items are rotated so we can ensure we help support and promote our region’s growing range of local, small-batch artisans.

We also stock a small, but quality range of the best locally-made drinks including wines, ciders, ginger beer, gin and soft drinks which pair perfectly with our gourmet boxes, picnics and grazing boards.

Linking you to local makers

We are Daylesford locals, and pride ourselves on offering options to make your gourmet experience a seamless process. We partner with a number of local BnBs and accommodation groups and can usually arrange to deliver into the fridge of your accommodation before you arrive, or right to the cellar door, distillery, park or garden where you choose to enjoy your gourmet box or picnic. For Daylesford day-trippers, local pick-up from our Daylesford HQ can also be arranged.

A note about food safety: Meat and dairy products should be consumed within two hours of receiving your gourmet box or picnic pack, otherwise refrigeration is advised.

Daylesford Picnics

We believe that food is best enjoyed in the place it was made, and given there are so many beautiful options for immersing yourself in nature around Daylesford, we have created some picnic resources to make it really easy for visitors to enjoy a picnic during their Daylesford day-trip or mini-break.

Picnic Keep-Kit

We designed these nifty little kits is to arm you with all the tools you need to be able to enjoy an impromptu picnic, and reduce the need for you to add to landfill by replacing single-use items for those you can re-use for future picnicking.

Our picnic keep-kit includes:

a small bamboo chopping/serving board
a calico cutlery pouch including a multi-use picnic knife, a bamboo cutlery set & mini wooden condiment spoons
two washable picnic napkins
a food-grade BPA-free silicon pouch for your left-overs (and a handy addition to your kitchen!)
a souvenir calico over-the-shoulder satchel (with long handles for hands-free convenience).

This kit comes standard in our Daylesford Picnic Boxes, which for a limited time, also includes our chic jute Daylesford Picnic Boxes cooler bag with reusable ice pack. Total value of these items, all yours to keep is over $50! These picnic accessories can also be purchased separately, or added on to any of our gourmet boxes. Take a look at the full contents of our original Daylesford Picnic Box in this beaut little video (courtesy of Katelyn from @Adventures Of Katelyn).

Daylesford Gourmet Map

Each Daylesford Gourmet order unlocks our exclusive, interactive and ever-growing Daylesford Gourmet Map which shows the picnic spots within a half hour drive of Daylesford.

Accessed via a link in your confirmation email and powered by Google Maps, via the map legend you can select the features that you’d like to see, including:

picnic tables and undercover picnic areas
playground and BBQs
recycling, rubbish bins & doggy bag dispensers
public toilets
access to walking tracks including the famous Goldfields Track
mineral springs pumps
nearest parking.

You can also view all the local gourmet gems which include all our favourite local places to eat and drink, shop, and buy local produce.

Our evolution

The past

I grew up in a pretty active, outdoorsy family, and as a kid, weekends and school holidays would usually involve some type of outdoor activity. Cricket matches with my cousins and grandparents on dusty bush pitches. Sailboarding at the lake with family friends. Family camping in the backyard or at our family property in the Blue Mountains. Bobbing around Sydney Harbour on Dad’s boat, or being flung around behind it on water skis.

The one thing all these activities had in common, was there was always a point at which we would all stop moving, roll out a picnic rug or find a nice flattish rock to sit on, take in the view and have a little feast of whatever delicious goodies Mum had bundled together for us. And there was always a big old cooler of icy cold lemon cordial prepared by Dad. As fun as all the action was, my favourite part of the day was always the time to come together and stop and eat and drink all together by the water or under a shady tree.

As I grew older, I found great joy in planning, preparing and sharing food with family and friends – this evolved into a little catering business, Sassy Bites, where I started focussing on bite-sized cocktail and picnic catering for family events.

The present

After 40 years of city-living, the pull to move to a quieter, calmer place got stronger. Campervanning holidays around the regional areas of Australia and New Zealand became our holidays of choice whenever we could get away, and in early 2020 our ducks aligned, and we found ourselves with an opportunity to purchase a home in Daylesford.

As we prepared to make a move out of Melbourne in August 2020, I wondered whether there might be a little space in Daylesford for my little catering business. Making the most of our 5km/10km/regional area lockdowns, my dog, Saffy & I started exploring all the little towns, parks & walking tracks that connect Central Victoria & realised pretty quickly that I had moved into the epicentre of a super talented, passionate bunch of small-batch food makers across the Central Victorian district, and some of the most beautiful picnic spots you could imagine.

So, I had a little idea… instead of finding a local commercial kitchen to continue my catering, I’d bring all these food makers together into a delicious, convenient box for visitors to Daylesford. I’m also using this opportunity to promote ‘responsible picnicking’ by maintaining a strict ‘no single use products’ ethos, while sharing all our favourite picnic areas and local gems within half an hour of Daylesford, to help visitors make the most of their visit.

I sat down and had a chat with my friend, another passionate local Christine Lewis sales agent at Belle Properties Daylesford and accommodation owner of www.65main.com about our move to Daylesford and starting our local gourmet food business – Daylesford Picnic Boxes, which has evolved into Daylesford Gourmet.

The production of this video is an example of the power of collaboration with caring local contributors. I hope it might encourage you to consider a tree change, or at the least, to come to Daylesford for a picnic! ❤️

The future

Eating and sharing local food and drinks, and supporting local makers will always be our focus, and we’re always looking to bring more local products and suppliers into our mix. We’d love to hear from you if you are or know a local maker, or if you have any ideas about about what we can do to improve Daylesford Gourmet for you.

We’d be so grateful if you could drop us a line at hello@daylesfordgourmet.com.au to tell us what you think of our offering – what you love, what you don’t love, and what you’d love to see from Daylesford Gourmet.

Planning your visit

There are a number of ways we can link you with the perfect local, gourmet experience, which is just right for YOU! Below we’ve answered some of our more commonly asked questions.

Do you do local deliveries?

We offer local deliveries every day direct to your BnB door within 50kms of Daylesford (including Ballarat, Macedon, Woodend, Kyneton, Castlemaine, Maldon, Maryborough and everywhere in between!) Free delivery within 10km of Daylesford, then a small delivery fee based on driving distance from Daylesford. Order a gourmet box now!

Can you deliver a gourmet box into our accommodation?

We have partnered with some of the best accommodation in and around Daylesford who have made it easy for you to pre-order a gourmet box, so our fairies can deliver right into your BnB fridge before you arrive. In most cases we can also set up a grazing board for your arrival too! Learn more about our accommodation partners who make it really easy for you to order a box or grazing board.

We’re just coming to Daylesford for the day – can we pick up our order?

Of course! We can also arrange pick-ups from our HQ in Daylesford any day of the week – just get in touch with us first 0411 466 429, or email hello@daylesfordgourmet.com.au prior to ordering.

Can we have our picnic at a local winery?

We are proud partners with a select number of our favourite local wineries, experiences and tours so you can pair your picnic with some of the best of what the region has to offer. Learn more about our picnic experiences

Can I customise my box (e.g. gluten free, vegetarian, no pork, no blue cheese)?

Yes of course! Options to suit your taste and preference are offering during the check-out process, and all our boxes and grazing boards can be made gluten free or vegetarian. We also have a very popular ‘Vegan Snacks Box’ which you can order directly from our Gourmet Boxes Page. If you have more specific dietary requirements, feel free to contact us and we’ll do our best to source the best locally made items in-line with your requirements.

Can I order a gourmet box to post?

Our gourmet boxes contain perishable items that need to be refrigerated (such as cheese, dips and charcuterie) which is why they are only available for local delivery or pickup, HOWEVER we can post any of our non-perishable items all around Australia (think relishes, chocolates, syrups, spiced nuts, etc!) In response to many requests, we have put together a couple of ‘Taste of the Region Hampers‘ that are suitable to pop in the post, or get in touch if you have a specific budget in mind and we can put together a special hamper box containing a selection of delicious locally-made treats to give you/your lucky gift-receiver a taste of the Daylesford and Central Highlands region.

Can I cancel my order after I have paid?

Refunds will not be offered due to change of mind or circumstance, however if you contact us and provide at least one (1) week notice, we will happily send you a credit voucher to use at another suitable time. If you have ordered a box for delivery or pick-up but are unable to get to Daylesford as planned, we may also arrange a Melbourne delivery at an additional cost.

Still have questions? Call Sal on 0411 466 429 ahead of your visit, or shoot us an email at hello@daylesfordgourmet.com.au and we’ll work out the best plan to make sure you have the perfect gourmet experience!