News bites: smashing tips for choc lovers

Have you ever dreamt of a block of chocolate so big, you need a hammer and chisel to crack into it? Yup, us too. Now Sydneysiders will have a chance to make that dream come true. In other choc-related good news (is there any other kind?), the maker of one of the world’s most amazing peanut butters has teamed up with a leading chocolate brand to create something so delicious, it’ll make your eyes roll back in your head a little.

This week we also bring you news of meat delivery service that’s as good for farmers as it is for lovers of quality Australian meat, and we’ve found you a new foodie TV show that will take you on a trip through one of our most productive food regions.

Edmonson Park welcomes Max Brenner

Chocolate restaurant and retail brand Max Brenner will officially be opening its 23rd Chocolate Bar in Australia at Ed Square Shopping Centre, Edmonson Park, tomorrow.

To celebrate the launch, Max Brenner invites all local chocolate-lovers to celebrate the occasion with their renowned chocolate-breaking ceremony at the Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, with celebrations commencing at 10am, Saturday, May 1, and concluding at 11pm.

In true Max Brenner fashion, the chocolate-breaking ceremony includes 100kg of Max chocolate chiselled and smashed into pieces, allowing everyone to get a taste of the delicious Max creation. Guests will also be able to take part in various in-store promotions and launch-day prizes, including the chance to win 1kg blocks of Max Brenner chocolate.

Max Brenner’s new Chocolate Bar is located at Ed Square Shopping Centre, 52 Soldiers Parade, Edmondson Park, NSW. To find out more, head to maxbrenner.com.au

Farmer-friendly monthly meat box service

Two young Australian farmers have launched a new farmer-friendly customisable monthly meat box subscription service. Founders of Our Cow, Dave McGiveron and Bianca Tarrant (pictured above), have released The Exclusive Eaters Club. The club offers subscribers 100 percent grass-fed, organic and free-range meat delivered to their door each month.

Our Cow was launched just over a year ago by McGiveron and Tarrant, with the aim to sell meat from their own farm to Aussie families.

“We wanted folks in the city to be able to support Australian farmers with their meat choices year-round, not just when there is drought or bushfires,” Tarrant says.

The business prides itself on offering Australian farmers a stable price for their livestock year-round and has seen significant growth over the last 12 months, expanding the business to now include pork, chicken and lamb. The business operates out of Casino in Northern NSW and employs 10 full-time staff, including butchers, packers and customer service.

Through The Exclusive Eaters Club, Our Cow is offering the first 300 new subscribers a joining deal of $180 worth of meat for free, distributed through their first three deliveries.

For more information on The Exclusive Eaters club and Our Cow, head to ourcow.com.au

A match made in heaven

In more good news for chocolate-lovers, the “Really Good” people at Pic’s Peanut Butter have brought their new Peanut & Chocolate Butter to Australia. The new PB is a combo of Pic’s crunchy peanuts with a mix of Whittaker’s Creamy Milk & Dark Ghana Chocolate.

The perfect pairing will be launching at Coles from April 19 and Woolworths from the end of May. For 13 years, founder and owner of Pic’s Peanut Butter, Pic Picot, had resisted adding anything but salt to his cherished peanut butter, but the Pic’s team had pleaded with him to try something new. In 2020, the opportunity to collaborate with fellow iconic New Zealand brand Whittaker’s arose, and Picot gave his blessing to the new creation.

The 290g jar will be available from all Coles, Woolworths and independent stores nationwide. For more information on Pic’s Peanut Butter, head to picspeanutbutter.com

Take a trip into Australia’s biggest food bowl

Celebrated Italian cook Stefano de Pieri makes a welcome return to television with his brand-new series, Australia’s Food Bowl with Stefano de Pieri. The restaurateur will take you on an insightful field trip to explore one of Australia’s most productive regions, the Murray-Darling River Basin, a river community he has called home for the last 30 years.

It’s been over two decades since Pieri enchanted audiences with the hugely popular A Gondola on the Murray, giving viewers here and internationally a glimpse of his beloved hometown of Mildura in regional Victoria. Now he has new passions to share and people to meet in the 10-part series, in which he’ll explore the connection between food producer and consumer and the relationship between food and the environment it comes from.

Australia’s Food Bowl with Stefano de Pieri premieres on SBS Food on Thursday, May 27, at 7:30pm. The series is available after broadcast on SBS On Demand.

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