It all started with a glass of rosé, a sunny afternoon and a hotel for sale. Thirteen years later, Yarra Valley Harvest has it all covered with great places to eat, drink, celebrate, shop and sleep.
Yarra Valley Harvest comprises a number of separate dining and accommodation options. From the ‘old world charm’ of the Healesville Hotel to the K&B Butcher, where ‘country butcher meets delicatessen’, there’s something for every visitor. Read on to find out more.
Combining old world charm with new world style, the Healesville Hotel is at the heart of the Yarra Valley. With its outstanding food and wine, the hotel is the ideal base from which to explore the region.
Offering both fine dining and deluxe accommodation, the Healesville Hotel certainly is an ‘ideal base’. The hotel hosts 7 classic rooms upstairs, providing both king and queen-sized rooms. Also offered are packages involving other Healesville institutions such as the Four Pillars Gin Distillery and the TarraWarra Museum of Art – visit their website for further details.
As for the dining room, the menu is seasonal and the atmosphere is friendly. Also featured are daily specials – especially noteworthy is the Sunday Roast on their garden wood-fire grill, with a ‘family-style’ roast lunch in the dining room.
The newest addition to the Healesville Hotel offers smart and stylish accommodation just a hop, skip and a jump from the dining room and bar, K&B and the Harvest Cafe. Furmston House is set on the hill right behind the hotel.
Furmston House may be booked as a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom house. Booked as a whole, Furmston House can accommodate 6 guests with lounge, kitchen, decking and garden – just perfect for a group of friends or family to share. Nestle into the huge modular lounge and look to the mountains in the distance. In winter stoke the Nordic wood heater and in warmer weather throw open the French doors and enjoy the sunshine.
The third bedroom, which they call the Studio, has a large king size bedroom, en suite, sitting-room and a little private deck. Complete with tea and coffee making facilities, a small fridge, flat screen TV, iPod docking station and DVD player, Furmston Studio is well equipped as a base for exploring all the Yarra Valley has to offer and is perfect for friends and family groups who want a house with a little space.
Where country butcher meets delicatessen, bakery and charcuterie. With lots of local fresh produce, they aim to source the best of the season and region to bring together fine foods with inspiration and flavour.
K&B Butcher offers, it seems, a little of everything. Featuring an extensive range of local cheeses, preserves, sauces and pantry staples along with unusual cuts, trusses and rolls of meat, K&B also has a variety of kitchen and home wares. Gift hampers and catering services are also available.
The Harvest Cafe offers great Genovese coffee and simple, seasonal food ready to go.
Situated on the sunny side of the street next to the Healesville Hotel, the Harvest Cafe serves delicious food crafted from daily, seasonal and Yarra Valley produce. Open 7 days a week from 8am, the cafe serves freshly-cooked breakfast until 11am, and beautiful seasonal salads, soups, pies and sandwiches for lunch. Their coffee blend is from third-generation roasters A. Genovese & Sons, and their wine list is award-winning, and available at takeaway prices.
The Harvest has seating indoors amongst fresh local produce and flowers, as well as seating in their covered lane way. Or, you can order lunch and wander into the hotel’s garden to enjoy your meal.
Though admittedly a tad out of the way, the last of Yarra Valley Harvest’s ventures is no less worth a visit. At the heart of the Healesville Sanctuary sits Sanctuary Harvest, offering delicious food ready to go.
Sandwiches, salads and hot food are all available. Or, you could take the time to sit and relax and order from their seasonal menus. each featuring local produce with a bush food twist.
Sanctuary Harvest also caters for group bookings, offering delicious options anywhere from lunch hampers to a shared table roast. The cafe also provides for functions in either their newly renovated Brolga Room or the beautiful bush surroundings of the sanctuary itself – the koala boardwalk, the hidden huts, the sweeping lawns…
For further information on all venues listed in this article, please visit the Yarra Valley Harvest website.
