Celebrate summer on the Mornington Peninsula with local produce, wine and seasonal flavours. From farm gates to cellar doors, discover what to put on your table this festive season.
Summer on the Mornington Peninsula is made for gathering. Long lunches that stretch into the evening, sandy feet under the table, cicadas humming in the background and plates piled high with food worth lingering over. This season, celebrate with local produce, wine and handmade goods grown, caught and crafted across the region, and let the Mornington Peninsula take pride of place on your table.
Begin with fruit bursting with summer flavour
Nothing says summer quite like fresh-picked cherries from Ripe N Ready Cherries. Red-stained fingers, full buckets and fruit so sweet it rarely makes it home, picking your own has become a Peninsula summer ritual.
At Rocky Creek Strawberry Farm, ripe, fragrant berries are made for summer desserts. Crown a pavlova, dip it in chocolate or eat it straight from the punnet, juice running down your wrist.
Farmgates worth the detour
Torello Farm is a go-to for seasonal produce sourced from their own land and neighbouring Peninsula farms. Their much-loved Ham Jam brings a perfect sweet-and-savoury note to summer lunches and festive platters.
At Hawkes Farm, you’ll find their famous potatoes alongside strawberries and Dutch carrots, ideal roasted, grilled on the barbecue, or served with butter and sea salt.
Mock Red Hill apples are part of the Mornington Peninsula's story. Bake your own apple pie or pick up one made from Granny Mock's iconic farmgate recipe that locals have loved for generations.
Summer cocktails and after-dinner sips
Mix relaxed summer cocktails with spirits from Bass & Flinders Distillery, JimmyRum Distillery, Penni Ave Distillery or Tar Barrel Brewery & Distillery. Think spritzes, sours, or something poured over ice as the afternoon fades.
As the evening cools, pour a Chief’s Son Distillery single malt whisky. Sip it neat, no rush, no fuss, just good company and conversation.
Sweet endings and chocolate rituals
Keep dessert simple with chocolates from Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery and Cocoa Rogue Chocolaterie. Passing a box around the table often becomes the moment everyone remembers most.
From the sea, straight to the table
Seafood is a summer staple on the Peninsula. Pick up prawns, mussels and fresh fish from Peninsula Fresh Seafood, locally caught and perfect for lunches that need little more than lemon, crusty bread and a chilled glass of white.
Cheese, olives and pantry heroes
Build an easygoing cheese board with cheeses from Boat Shed Cheese and Main Ridge Dairy, best enjoyed slowly as the sun dips.
Add olives and olive oil from Green Olive at Red Hill, plus Pure Peninsula Honey for glazing carrots, brushing onto pork or drizzling over cheese.
The essentials that make it all work
A great pavlova starts with eggs from Somerville Egg Farm, farm-fresh, golden-yolked and full of flavour.
For baked goods, Red Hill Baker Balnarring covers everything from bread to sweet treats, while Butterken Bakery delivers German-inspired festive classics like stollen and spiced biscuits.
Beer, cider and summer wine
Fill the esky with craft beer from Red Hill Brewery, St Andrews Beach Brewery Fingal and Jetty Road Brewery. Add a chilled bottle of Ruby Cider by Hickinbotham of Dromana, sweet, refreshing and best served over ice with a wedge of lemon.
When it comes to wine, the Mornington Peninsula delivers for every summer dish. You can see all the wineries on the Mornington Peninsula here - Wineries
And, here are just a few of our favourites!
Sparkling: Foxeys Hangout Winery, Rahona Valley
Chardonnay: Paringa Estate Winery, Crittenden, Ocean Eight, Port Phillip Estate
Pinot Grigio: Quealy Winemakers, Polperro Winery, T’Gallant, Red Hill Estate
Rosé: Pt Leo Estate, Trofeo Estate
Pinot Noir: Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge Estate, Montalto
Sparkling Rosé: Manton’s Creek
Syrah: Avani, Yabby Lake
Merlot: Tallarida, Stumpy Gully, Bittern Estate, Elan Vineyard
This summer, don't just set the table, set the scene. Bring the Mornington Peninsula to your table and invite your guests to slow down, share stories and enjoy a feast that tastes unmistakably local.
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Looking for more Mornington Peninsula flavours? Discover the best restaurants on the Mornington Peninsula, the way a local does Mornington Peninsula Restaurants
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