Shore Leave 2023: Mid West Paddock to Plate event with Matt Moran shifts focus from the sea to the farm

While Geraldton and the Mid West’s coastal environment and seafood has been the focus of Shore Leave festivals in the past, this time the spotlight was shared with the region’s agricultural bounty. One of the marquee events on Shore Leave’s 2023 calendar was the Mid West Paddock to Plate dinner, with celebrity chef Matt Moran and his team behind the menu. Instead of the Geraldton foreshore, the venue this year for the Saturday night event was Yanget Farm, a cattle farm about 30km east of Geraldton, and the location proved a winner with the 300-strong crowd. While the temperatures dropped, the evening warmed up, with camp fires springing up and new friends easily made at what was effectively a cosy dinner party on a grand scale. People from Perth, interstate and overseas, including California and Japan, joined locals for a rare opportunity to enjoy meals from one of Australia’s best chefs at a uniquely Mid West location. The shared menu was more rustic and family-style than fine dining, but the star of the menu was undoubtedly a melt-in-your mouth slow-roasted lamb shoulder from Mick Davey Butchers which was served with a mint sauce. One of the entrees, a Yanget Farm steak tartare, was a delicious surprise to many guests. Georgia Moore, from the Good Food Guide, guided the guests through the evening, with Q&As with Yanget Station’s Rod O’Bree and Matt Moran. Wine critic Erin Larkin spoke passionately about the Xanadu wine range on the menu. Mr O’Bree spoke about the importance of regenerative farming and delivering the best product possible. Mr Moran, who spent the night overseeing the menu in the makeshift kitchen or the food being prepared on the coals, told those gathered how he left school at 15 and opened his first restaurant at 22. He said despite travelling to most parts of Australia, this was his first time in Geraldton and the Mid West and he was excited to experience what it had to offer. Mr Moran said he was impressed by the Abrolhos Islands, the lobster and scallops at at the Abrolhos long table lunch and dining at local restaurant Salt Dish. All in all, he said, he wished he could have stayed longer. With buses arriving at 9pm to take people back to Geraldton, many guests would have wished the same thing about this dinner. Elsewhere during Shore Leave, big crowds turned out to other events, including the beach price markets and The Helm pop-up HQ. Earlier on Saturday, Mr Moran showed off three of his favourite ways to cook rock lobster. “Did a cooking demo of lobster roll, barbecued lobster and a little salad . . . it’s so good doing these little cooking classes, the crowd really get enthusiastic about it,” he said. “The great thing today is we had so much lobster and we got to give them a taste.” Although the crowd was quick to correct the famous chef by letting him know that it is called crayfish in these parts, he said it is still lobster. Justin Pirrottina from Western Rock Lobster said the yearly event was great, with people coming to try the crayfish off the back of their boat. “Not so much about showcasing the seafood but it’s everything local, it has been a really great initiative,” he said. “They come and they hear our story . . . the kids come on and they have a look at our crays, even if they don’t buy one it’s great they come and talk.”