The Veg Action Group are excited to announce the winners of the 2024 Macedon Ranges Edgy Veg Awards!
These awards recognise the culinary pioneers in our region who are reshaping plant-based cuisine with their creative dishes.
Featuring 21 dishes from 17 eateries across the Macedon Ranges, it's been a flavourful journey! A big thank you to the 700+ food enthusiasts who participated in tasting and rating these dishes during the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival.
The deserving winners are:
Best Plant-Based Dish (Restaurant Category): The Flying Pigeon with their XO Beans
Best Plant-Based Dish (Cafe or Pub Category): Social Foundry with Wild Mushrooms
Congratulations to the winners! The dedication to innovation in plant-based cuisine is commendable and we thank you for showing us that plant-based food can be both delicious and inventive.
Best Plant-Based Dish - Restaurant Category
XO Beans by The Flying Pigeon
Announcing the winners of the Restaurant Category!
Our standout dish is the Crunchy and Crispy Green Beans, wok-tossed to perfection with a luscious homemade stir-fry sauce (featuring mushroom jus and gluten-free soy) and complemented by a sweet, smoky, savory vegan XO paste. Topped with toasted sesame seeds and crispy shallots, this dish has won the title of Best Plant-Based Dish in the Restaurant Category.
With comments like “I do like beans, but these are damn good beans!” and “Love this dish taste is awesome makes me want to keep eating” it’s not surprising that this dish came out on top.
Congratulations to The Flying Pigeon, owned by Stephanie and Stephen!
Best Plant-Based Dish - Cafe & Pub Category
Wild Mushrooms by Social Foundry
In the Cafe & Pub Category, we're thrilled to announce the winners: Social Foundry!
Their winning dish is a delightful Truffle Mixed Mushrooms and Kale, adorned with mixed seeds, pesto, porcini dust, and avocado, all served on sourdough toast.
Customers raved about this dish and said things like “ This is our second time devouring this delicious dish. Just too tasty not to order again.” and “LOVED IT!! The truffled mixed mushroom were delicious, the pesto added a lovely herby tang and the creamy avocado rounded out the dish. Absolutely would order again.. and again!!”
Congratulations to Jess and Mel for this fantastic creation!
2024 DISHES
Vegan Mapo Tofu
Fook Shing
82-84 Piper Street, Kyneton
Silken tofu with mushroom, wombok cabbage, & Sichuan style sauce.
Makkloubi
4/30 Hamilton Street, Gisborne
Makkloubi - meaning upside down, or flipped - is a middle eastern aromatic rice dish, layered with eggplant, potato, onions and cauliflower, garnished with pine nuts and slithered almonds.
Pad Thai - A Stir-Fry Symphony
Pig & Whistle Hotel
705 James Lane, Trentham East
Silky flat rice noodles wok-tossed with a medley of mushrooms, fresh broccoli, pak choy, and spring onions, paired with golden tofu. Drizzled in a zesty citrus soy sauce and crowned with peanuts and crispy shallots.
Crispy caramelized baked eggplant
Holgate Brewhouse
79 High Street, Woodend
Crisy caramelized baked eggplant served on a bed of coconut and cauliflower puree with lime and pomegranate dressing.
Zucchini and Corn Fritters
Newham General Store
2 Dons Road, Newham
Zucchini and corn fritters served with roasted tomatoes and mushroom.
Wild Mushrooms
86 Mollison Street, Kyneton
Truffle mixed mushrooms and kale with mixed seeds, pesto, porcini dust and avocado served on sourdough toast.
Navratan Korma
Sizzler Restobar
80 High Street, Woodend
Fresh vegetables cooked in a mild cashew nut sauce.
Vegetable Biryani
Sizzler Restobar
80 High Street, Woodend
Rice cooked with seasonal vegetables, spices, onion and coriander.
XO Beans
The Flying Pigeon
7/13 Goode Street, Gisborne
Crunchy and crispy green beans wok tossed with luscious made stir fry sauce (mushroom jus, GF soy) and sweet, smokey savoury vegan XO paste. Garnished with toasted sesame and crispy shallots.
Plant Based Thai Chick'n Satay Skewers
Lost Watering Hole
8-10 The Crescent, Lancefield
Grilled skewers served with spiced jasmine rice pilaf, pickled vegetables and a creamy coconut and peanut satay sauce.
Marinated tofu banh mi
Pollen
5 High Street, Kyneton
Marinated tofu banh mi with pickles, chilli, hoi sin, mayo & coriander (request Vegannaise)
600 Above ‘Make me smile’ Veg platter
600 Above
107-109 High Street, Woodend
Served slightly warm, the generous board consists of a variety of plant-based produce including pumpkin, egg plant, capsicum, sun dried tomatoes and olives. Complemented with our locally sourced condiments of roasted beetroot relish, piccalilli, sour dough and pumpkin bread. Paired with a glass of your favourite wine, it will bring a smile to your face.
Green Goddess Jaffle
Macedon Ranges Wholefoods
2/ 37 Hamilton Street, Gisborne
Green Goddess: broccoli, zucchini, spinach, spring onion, basil, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, white vinegar, yay vegan feta, olive oil, salt, pepper & vegan cheese.
Peach and Quinoa Salad
Hanging Rock Cafe
2/139 South Rock Rd, Woodend
Peach and quinoa salad-with chickpeas, corn, avocado, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, spicy tofu bites and mustard dressing.
Spicy Tofu Burger
Hanging Rock Cafe
2/139 South Rock Rd, Woodend
Spicy tofu burger with crunchy slaw, siratcha mayo cheese and pickle served with chips.
Pumpkin, mushroom and tomato ‘sausage’ roll
Harvest & Soul Providore
29 Victoria Street, Macedon
Delicious vegan roll made from pumpkin, mushroom and tomato.
Chickpea curry with papadums
3 Little Pigs Restaurant Cafe & Wine Bar
1/30a Aitken Street, Gisborne
Tumeric chickpea and mixed vegetable curry topped with coconut yoghurt.
Autumn Black Bean Soup
Victoria Hotel
High Street, Woodend
Black bean soup with avocado and pickled red cabbage.
Vegan Parma
Victoria Hotel
High Street, Woodend
Plant based schnitzel, tomato napoli, falafel, and vegan cheese.
Vegan Banana Bread
The Milko
118 High Street, Woodend
Our in-house made vegan banana bread.
Roast Pumpkin & Veg Toastie
The Milko
118 High Street, Woodend
Seasoned roast pumpkin slices with pan fried mushrooms and onion nestled in a bed of wild spinach on sourdough bread.
The 2024 Macedon Ranges Edgy Veg Awards are shining a light on local chefs who are embracing plant-based goodness and creating new flavour sensations for us to taste. Savvy foodies across the region are discovering just how good plant-based food can be, and with 21 amazing dishes from 17 eateries right across the Macedon Ranges we are spoiled for choice 😋
By rating the dishes that you taste, you go into the draw for a $100 voucher from Mort & Pestle in Woodend or a free “Eat More Veg”workshop from Big Bowl of Happy.
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The EDGY VEG AWARDS are a celebration of local food innovation, scrumptious regional flavours, and sharing meals that give back to the planet.
Organised by Veg Action of the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group, the Awards are designed to support local eateries to create new and exciting plant-based dishes to showcase just how fabulous plant-based eating can be! The added bonus is that most dishes are made with locally sourced and grown vegetables - so supporting the event supports local businesses and strengthens our local food system.
Eating more plant-based dishes is linked to better human health and a reduction in the negative effects of industrial livestock farming, such as deforestation, greenhouse gases, pollution, antibiotic resistance, erosion and biodiversity loss. We recommend plant-based feature in your meal plan at least 3 days per week.
Join up to the Edgy Veg Trail to discover the delicious local fare on offer and support eateries and growers in the Macedon Ranges.
NOTE: Not all cafes will have more than one plant-based dish on offer - please check with them for menu details.
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The Edgy Veg Awards will run from 5th-28th April 2024. During this time, you can visit as many participating cafes/pubs as you like and score their dish.
The more venues you visit and score, the more chance you have of winning a prize.
Grab an Autumn Festival TRAIL MAP from tourism outlets - or create your own trail route from the list of venues on this page. It is that simple. If you use the Autumn Festival map, you can get a stamp at participating venues to qualify for more prizes!
NOTE: You can only score each dish once.
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The scores of each dish will be calculated with reference to the number of votes received by the dish.
The highest scoring dish across three categories (taste, presentation and likelihood of reordering) will win the award!
There are two prize categories - 1. cafes and pubs, 2. restaurants
The decision of the judges is final and no discussion will be entered into. Winners will be announced on 15th May via Veg Action social media accounts.
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By rating the dishes that you taste, you go into the draw for either a $100 voucher from Mort & Pestle in Woodend or a free ‘Eat More Veg’ cooking workshop from Big Bowl of Happy.
The two prize winners will be randomly drawn on Wednesday 7th May and notified via a social media announcement and email on Monday 10th May.
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If you have any questions or need any tech help, get in touch with the VEG ACTION team on veg@mrsg.org.au or on facebook - www.facebook.com/vegaction