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Media Reviews
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The Sunday Telegraph October 2009
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Tiny cafe takes on big boys by Rosie Squires
WINGHAM mght be a sleepy country town, but you can't complain about the coffee. Cafe owner Donna Carrier has proven distance from the city is no barrier to quality by winning a NSW Tourism award nomination for her business Bent on Food. Ms Carrier said the key to her success was creating a city culture in the mid-north coast town on the upper reaches of the Manning River. "I lived in Sydney for 18 years and when I travelled back home to see my family on weekends I was frustrated there were no good coffee shops or gourmet food stores, " she said. "So I filled the niche, I opened a cafe just like the ones in Balmain on the main strip of Wingham and people love it. " I think the support we have recieved from the local community has helped spread the word. "People come in for breakfast and stay for lunch." Bent on Food has been nominated in the Specialised Tourism Services category for the prestigious awards alongside the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.
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The Wanderer September 2009 - A message from Caravan and Motorhome
Heading out of Sydney on the Pacific Highway is actually pretty good, so we didn't lurch to the left until we found The Bucketts Way, just north of Raymond Terrace. Along the way we visited Wingham, a little town I used to visit a lot in my youth when my grandmother lived there.
I don't remember too much of the town of the town except feeding fruit bats in my grandmother's backyard. Now however Wingham has its fair share of unforgettable highlights. Foremost for me, is the Bent on Food cafe. This cafe-cum-provedore has beent the recipient of many gastronomic awards, and our meals stridently asserted their worth by providing a plethora of taste sensations.
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Sydney Morning Herald July 17 2009
What is it about carbohydrates and carburettors? Seems the minute your feet hit the accelerator, your stomach and palate hit the food button in your brain. If you're like me, you simultaneously trace your route and your eating destinations as you touch the screen on your GPS or unfold an old-fashioned map.
We all have our favourite pit stops. For Sydneysiders, a trip north was never complete without pulling in to The Oak Factory at Hexham and sampling the milk bar. Stories of school trips always mention this monument to dairy goodness.
Heading up the Pacific Highway also swings you into pie territory. This one-handed meal keeps the sprint in the driver with its combined rush of carbs and protein. Fredo Pies and Heatherbrae Pies always crop up as places to get the lidded pastry beauties that will fill you up (see breakout).
South of Sydney, the tummy starts to get rumbly around Berry and, like a Homer Simpson flash from doughnut heaven, thar she blows, the magnificent Berry Donut Van, with its famous cinnamon doughnut and infamous coffee. Mmmmm.
While you're dunking your doughnut, you won't be able to miss the Berry Woodfired Sourdough Bakery, with its veranda stuffed full of motorists munching on pastries, breads and quiche or tucking a loaf under their arms and heading back to their cars.
For those who regard a road trip as a gastronomic pilgrimage rather than a fast-food race, a well-set table is worth the detour, as the Michelin Guide used to say.
Gourmet touring needn't be a marathon event, however. You can eat well on the road, whether it's a quick stop or a long lunch, a relaxing glass of pre-prandial wine or a family-friendly dinner at the end of the day.
Here are some hidden gems, old favourites and must-stops when you're on the road.
Bent on Food, Wingham
A mid-19th-century town with National Trust-listed buildings and a reputation as a foodie destination. At its heart is Bent on Food, a cafe and larder where specialty food, local goodies and kitchenware grace the shelves. The menu mixes up Rudi's German bacon, Hastings Valley honey, smoked meats from Mentges Master Meats, Manning Valley cheeses and Ricardoe's area tomatoes.
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Sydney Morning Herald March 2008
Attracted by Wingham's growing reputation as a destination for foodies, Daniel Scott finds the Mid-North Coast town offers much more than a fine meal.
As we set off for our weekend in Wingham, in the Mid-North Coast hinterland near Taree, I'm sceptical that the small rural town (population 4600) will keep us occupied for two days. But as we explore the Manning Valley's oldest settlement we find it so full of excellent food, gripping history and beguiling nature that two days are nearly not enough.
Food
We later discover plenty else to enjoy in the town but the main impulse for our visit is the growing reputation of Wingham's eateries. So it is appropriate that our first stop is for lunch at Bent On Food. This award-winning provedore and cafe is owned and run by Donna Carrier. She is the first of several formidable Wingham women we meet who are shaping the town as a destination for foodies.
Carrier particularly enjoys sourcing local products and is not afraid to mix them up in a plate of antipasto: marinated baby figs, smoked meats from Mentges Master Meats, Manning Valley cheeses and a dukkah dip. The combinations are inspiring and so are the surrounding shelves of produce. We walk away sated and with an arm full of gourmet condiments including my new favourite ingredient: a Mediterranean mix of rock salt, coarsely ground pepper and herbs
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The Food Zeitgeist Tony Hollingsworth Blog December 2007
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Hey there, Tony here. It's the Summer holidays here in Sydney and like many of us, the annual trek north from Sydney to visit family is under way. What a surprise to find Bent on Food then, a country cafe/provedore situated in the town of Wingham, NSW. Wingham is located west of Taree on the mid North Coast of NSW. Donna, the friendly proprietor of this cafe, has years of experience (she worked in the wine industry in Sydney) which culminated in her opening this store three years ago. They have won numerous awards for excellence Not surpisingly this is one of many such places springing up in country areas north of Sydney serving great food and coffee, as this recent article from The Age newspaper explains.
The Bent on Food cafe is special - it teaches us that there are quality food choices beyond the aisles of the local supermarket. Plus it supports local and regional Australian produce. For example we enjoyed a lovely goats cheese from artisan cheese maker Capparis (Gloucester, NSW), Far Meadow marinated figs (Berry, NSW) and cracked pepper Bacco's leaves (Hunter Valley, NSW), a lovely biscuit bread to complement the figs and cheese. Coffee from Segafredo was smooth, and the children enjoyed almond shortbread biscuits (Kourambiedes) http://thefoodzeitgeist.com/category/google-maps/
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Delicious Magazine April 07
Where to eat
You can stop dreaming of a café that proudly sources from its regional backyard, for here it is in a modern interior in rural Wingham. The antipasto’s great, but if you don’t feel like sharing, the locally smoked ham and Swiss cheese baguette is another good choice. Finish with banana bread, yoghurt and red Belly Gourmet rhubarb compote. Many ingredients can be purchased (see Where to Shop)
Where to shop
The area’s most comprehensive range of gourmet products can be found here. Products are mainly sourced from the region, including Red Belly Gourmet compotes, Murrumbooee preserved lemons, Lorne Valley chutneys and The Other Chef condiments. Among fresh items are rounds of Comboyne Culture Cheese, Capparis goat’s cheese from Gloucester, and Quigley’s Smokehouse fish and patés. There is also kitchenware, from Swiss saucepans to knick-knacks.
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Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007
This deli/provedore has become a local hub for regional cooking and produce, with great eats, a cooking school and a really wide, well-selected range of regional produce
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Manning River Times Wed Nov 22 2006
The Manning Valley tourism industry is celebrating the success of its tourism partner, Bent on Food from Wingham, which has taken out a State Tourism Award in the tourism retailing category at the prestigious awards ceremony in the grand Ballroom of Star City.
Manning Valley Tourism chairperson, Cr Wendy McKeough at the Tourism Board’s meeting congratulated Bent on Food’s owner-operator Donna Carrier and her staff for the prestigious awards success.
“This is a fantastic effort and recognition of the work Donna does in the tourism industry and the success of her business venture since it opened in late 2004. Not only is this an accolade for Donna and her business but for Wingham, the Manning Valley and the entire tourism industry.”
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Wingham Chronicle Wed Nov 8 2006
Bent on Food has done Wingham proud once again, winning at the Champion of Champions small business awards. Held at the grand ballroom of the Star City Casino in Sydney on Saturday night, the cafes owner Donna Carrier was in attendance at the presentation evening to accept the prestigious regional business award in front of around 800 of the best business people in the state. The regional award, which the business won, is not industry specific and it saw Bent on Food judged against any kind of business outside of city centres, and other short listed businesses were as diverse as an automotive enterprise, gift shops and marketing firms.
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Focus Magazine November 2006
Bent on Food is clean and fresh in its design and brings an urban feel to the region which impresses locals and tourists alike. The first impression when entering the store is one of surprise as many visitors are awed with what they call a little bit of the city in the country.
Bent on Food is a destination, a place that people first visit because they are inquisitive, and come back to because they are impressed.
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Country Style September 2006
Opening supply lines to the best producers of regional food is something from which many city-based delicatessens could learn.
North Coast delicacies, from ricotta and relishes to prosciutto and organic produce, have now become staple fare at Wingham.
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Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006
A cheap and cheerful café with excellent coffee, plus a deli specialising in local and organic produce. Next door Duck under the Table is a new cooking school with classes in cheese-making and Middle Eastern cuisine with guest chefs.
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Country Style December 2005
Donna Carrier’s café and fine food shop, Bent on Food, at Wingham, near Taree, NSW, is especially popular with the locals when they have friends or family from the Big Smoke. “They’re proud to show off what we have here,” says Donna, who grew up in the region and returned after years away. Having developed a taste for good food and wine, she wanted to make them available in Wingham, and so Bent on Food was born, with a product list that includes this versatile Moroccan Spice from David Bitton as well as plenty of excellent regional foods.
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Also featured in 52 Weekends Away, Sydney Morning Herald October 22, 2005
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Café Culture Spring 05 Edition
Bent on Food should be called “foodies heaven” This café and fine food shop was a very pleasant find. What made it even more exciting was the fact that it ‘s only a short drive from my property in Comboyne.
This café and store boasts local and organic produce, with a great range of hard-to-get items that you can never source when you are making that special dish. Donna Carrier came from the wine industry and is an advocate of local produce. She has spent many hours sourcing and marketing the region’s best products. The café has a great selection of lush cakes, complimented by delicious coffee.
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Short Black Sydney Morning Herald April 5, 2005
Bent on Food, meanwhile stocks regional food products and homewares, serves Segafredo coffee and got a thumbs up for its locally smoked ham and Swiss cheese baguette with Beechworth apple mustard and ginger chutney.
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