If you thought Australia was far away, Tasmania, that little dot on the menu below Victoria that is often forgotten on maps, is even further. But my gosh, it’s a magical place. Known for its ridiculously delicious produce, many a talented chef or undercover foodie has escaped the big cities in the Eastern states to settle here with a goat or two. You are rural, but the business, restaurants, cafes don’t feel so rural (and many of them have won accolades their counterparts in Melbourne and Sydney are still reaching for).
And then there is the MONA, the most incredible art gallery, creative space in the morning…don’t get me started.
What Tasmania lacks though are good hot chocolates. It is a chocolate desert. So after the first few hot chocolates on our 2-week trip exploring the island, I just couldn’t take it anymore. The chocolate hell I was putting my body through was at odds with the healing powers of the Tasmanian air and water (and the roadside stalls selling freshly made sourdough bread via an honour system). I gave up and decided instead to switch to beers, wines and spirits, three drinks Tasmania makes very, very well.
I had only one hot chocolate, a mysterious hazelnut number at Hazelbrae Hazelnuts. This hazelnut farm sells everything you can imagine with hazelnuts. Roasted, in cakes, as a butter, flavored, even distilled. Or, if you aren’t happy with the options, you can pick your own to bring home.
In their tiny, hazelnut dessert filled café, they sell a hot chocolate made with their hazelnut oil added. This isn’t just a winning combination in Turin, Italy, it works well here in Tasmania too.
The trip returned to being hot chocolate free after the last sip. I did buy some of their beautiful hazelnut oil and added it to many a hot chocolate when I got home.
Hazelbrae Hazelnuts: 127 Hagley Station Ln, Hagley TAS 7292. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm.
