Introducing Baked by Darren Purchese - Available Exclusively at Ferguson Plarre's Bakehouse

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Mon 01 Jul 2024 - Sat 31 Aug 2024

Welcome to the Taste of Victoria

Attending the 'Welcome to the Taste of Victoria' event was a bit like being on a discovery channel for me. I discovered the venue, The Lion and Wombat (107 Grey St, St Kilda) in a most unexpected place. On a grey day, in a stark street devoid of other shops, it was like a beacon of warmth. This British-inspired neighbourhood pub owned by Alex Back was just that. A welcoming place in warm tones, with a glass facade that lets the outside in. The table was set, and on it was a glass each of Fowles Farm to Table Shiraz and Chardonnay for each person, along with four varieties of cheeses from Maffra Cheese - all part of my new discoveries.


Artisan cheesemakers on our plate were Maffra's Cloth-Ashed Cheddar, a Red Leicester, a Brie, and a Glenmaggie Blue. These cheeses are hand-crafted the old way, typically using little mechanisation. Handmade cheese is a rare commodity today, and handmade cheddar is even rarer. A chemist by training, Ferial Zekiman, cheese maker and owner, is one of Australia's most accomplished and recognised cheese makers. The milk used to make Maffra Cheese is sourced mainly from Holstein-Friesian cows and no animal rennet is used in the manufacture of Maffra Cheeses, so it is suitable for vegetarians. The cheeses went down a treat, each with their own character, with the undeniable taste of quality, dancing on your palate.


Chatting to Ferial - she became a part of the Ferguson Plaare's Bakehouse and Darren Purchese collaboration when she received an email to say Ferguson Plaare would like to incorporate some of her cheeses in the pie. She tells me she's a small, one-owner business, and does have a factory with a cheddar plant and a soft cheese plant. They produce 2 million litres of milk a year, and that translates to around 200 tons of cheese a year. They make all the English Territorial Cheeses, a couple of blues, and a brie and a range of Club Cheeses, which are high-flavoured cheeses, blended with inclusions like pickled onion and chill, peppercorn and garlic, a Wensleydale cranberry and a vintage club as well, in Central Gippsland. Maffra only sells to distributors and not direct to the public. There are around 20 employees, and Maffra is export registered with distributors in each state.


Fowles, Farm to Table Shiraz and Chardonnay on our table was very pleasant and smooth indeed. Looking at the website, considering its very affordable price (which surprised me) of $20 each, they tasted full-bodied and perfectly balanced in their flavour and went down a treat. Chatting to Matt Fowles, the business is very much family-owned and run and Victorian proud, in the heart of the Strathbogie Ranges. He said 'if you drive 1.5 hours north of Melbourne heading up to the North East of the Hume Highway, they're off to the left - East and West the vineyards up in the hills'.


He explained how 'Farm to Table' is a really interesting project, where they tend to think a little bit differently about wine. They're wines that exude a sense of place, which is very important to Fowles, and with 'Farm to Table', they're wines that are made to go well with farmed meat. They look for different characters through sites they've grown, the ripeness they're picked at, and the way they are matured, so they're a really good match for food. What we were served was a fine sample of a wine that was very aromatic and very fresh on the palate so it gets your mouth watering. It makes it great in matching with food, and also great in food. It's clean and doesn't overpower other flavours, and it was interesting for him to see how their wine could be used in another context, with people skilled at doing it at the helm, in this collaboration.


Now to the main event. Being invited to dine with Darren Purchese , renowned chef, author and TV personality is an honour indeed. I've seen him a few times on MasterChef, putting up a challenge for the contestants, and at some live events he participates in. This event on 17 July 2024 celebrated a special winter collaboration between Ferguson Plarre's Bakehouse and Darren , for their brand new gourmet pie range. First, there were the introductions Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses has always been and still is a family-owned and operated business. They have a long and proud history dating back to the 1800s.


Steve Plaare talked about how his brother Mike was at an equipment demonstration 6-9 months ago, and Darren was there too. They connected over the subject of patisseries and creams. Darren mentioned he was doing a few things and that he was doing consultancy. Always into new ideas, the brothers Plaare had never had any celebrity collaboration. It was important for Ferguson Plarre that the culture fit, and Darren's persona and the kind of guy he was publicly just seemed to connect for the brothers. Hence they went on to explore the idea that Darren may be interested in bringing some premium recipe ideas to their brand, and that's how it started. For Darren, he mentions, it was a no-brainer. Having free reign to come up with pie flavours was like a dream. The pastry had to be on point, the shape of the pie was important, and that the fillings were unctuous and generous. There was no skimping on the quality of Victorian produce used, and there was a generosity about the pie.


Of the three pies we tasted, the Beef Cheek and Shiraz Pie and Cauliflower, Leek and Cheddar Pie is already available exclusively at Ferguson Plarre's Bakehouse this winter. Available for a limited time only, be sure to jump on board and get your order in online or visit a Ferguson Plarre store to enjoy it in-house. Steve teases there might even be a Summer Pie coming along down the track. The third flavour we tasted was the 'Chicken, mushroom, bacon and Chardonnay Pie' - which was my favourite. As promised, there was a generosity about the handmade pies, each one a different flavour, and very heart-warming and saucy enough to not need tomato sauce. The pies were served with shoestring chips, warm season greens and a spiced pumpkin with natural yoghurt and pomegranate. The fourth flavour will be coming a little further down the track, so be sure to stay in touch with Ferguson Plarre on social media. For afters, there was an assortment of Ferguson Plarre's signature treats, and of course, my favourite is always the Lemon Meringue Pie.


After the meal, there was a fun Q&A with Darren Purchese. The guests had sent in questions via the QR code on the menu, and it went like this.




Everyone went home with a Darren Purchese insulated bag each, filled with three pies, and a tea towel. A fun, tasty, and well put together event at a lovely venue, the day was complete.

Find out more at https://www.fergusonplarre.com.au/pies-by-darren-purchese



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