Robin Wickens

The Royal Mail Hotel is home to Australia’s largest working restaurant kitchen garden. Up to 80% of the produce showcased on the various Royal Mail Hotel dining menus is grown on-site, and harvested daily by the kitchen team. The neighbouring farm supplies beef and lamb which are born and bred for use specifically in the Royal Mail Hotel dining room, and further produce is grown and foraged for in surrounding orchards, olive groves and wild pastures.

The kitchen garden supplies the restaurants with basic produce such as potatoes, garlic and onions, while also growing interesting and obscure produce. The garden team is always refining and trialing the selection of plants and choosing the right varieties to suit the area and conditions. For example, cylindra beetroot is a less common variety but one that is used regularly in the kitchen. Other successful experiments have been white asparagus and watercress.