Accommodation

Goulburn River Valley: The Euroa Butter Factory

4/13/2012 01:41:00 PM

Cereals and Guest Book at the Euroa Butter Factory

Euroa Butter Factory
79 Boundary Road North
Euroa, VIC 3666
Ph: (03) 5795-1408

On our trip to the Goulburn River Valley, we were lucky to be put up at the Euroa Butter Factory, a lovely place that has been converted from an old butter factory (BUTTER!) into modern warehouse accommodation.  Not to be confused with the Quest apartments in Shepparton which happen to be located behind another old butter factory!  There seem to be quite a few butter factories in this part of Victoria - it's my kind of place!

The grounds and gardens of the Euroa Butter Factory are quite beautiful, and there are lots of little spots that would be great for functions. As you can see, it was quite wet and rainy whilst we were in the region - I'm sure that in better weather it would be even prettier!

Whilst the building itself is over a century old, the rooms were modern and comfortable, with an iPod docking station, queen beds, fluffy towels, T2 teas and Molton Brown toiletries.

I had planned to relax with a cup of tea and a magazine in their lounge area in the afternoon, but after the big drive and loads of sightseeing and shopping, I was absolutely exhausted and fell fast asleep as soon as I sat down on that couch!  Oops.  Lucky I got up in time for dinner.

Meals are served in the old milk delivery room, where you can still see some of the old fittings and machinery.
The old milk delivery room
Dinners aren't included in the room rates, but can be organised quite easily.  Owner Rebecca tells me they can do a simple supper for solo travellers, right up to a three course meal with wine for large groups.  (On the same weekend we were there, there was also a group of five couples having a big meal at that large table, above).

We started with a plate of antipasti - marinated mushrooms, a gorgeous tomato relish (tasted like curry ketchup!), pistachio and chicken terrine, grilled zucchini and capsicum, olives ascolone and potato pancakes topped with Buxton smoked trout and horseradish.
Antipasto plate
It was all very tasty, but I especially liked the crispy, juicy olives and the meaty chicken terrine.  A lovely start to the meal!  Rebecca suggested a Dal Zotto Arneis as an accompaniment - I'd never tried this variety before, but really enjoyed the crisp fruitiness of the wine.

The mains had a distinct North African vibe - Heather the chef had just returned from a holiday to Morocco, and was inspired by the tastes she'd experienced on the trip.

Quail tagine with chickpeas, currants, carrots and couscous

The tagine was absolutely delicious!  The base of couscous was soaked in a fabulous, intensely chickeny broth, topped with meltingly tender, slow-cooked quails.  There were also little bursts of sweetness from carrots, chickpeas and currants.  This is exactly the type of dish I'd love to serve at a dinner party.

Longwood Lamb with honey, cinnamon and pistachios
The roast lamb dish looks very Ottolenghi, don't you think?  The lamb was very tender, its inherent meaty sweetness enhanced by honey, cinnamon and pistachios, and tempered by mounds of fresh parsley.

With our mains, we drank a Dal Zotto Sangiovese, which went perfectly with the lamb.

The sides to this hearty meal were some roasted root vegetables with a yoghurt sauce...
Roast pumpkin, baby beetroot, yoghurt sauce and pine nuts
... and a refreshing salad of cos lettuce, with pear, fennel, Parmesan cheese and currants.
Cos lettuce, fennel, pear, currants, Parmesan
After such a generous meal, we were very full, but still managed to eat a little dessert!  It was a luscious fig and frangipane tart, topped with raspberry sauce and served with double cream.  The tart was wonderful - short crisp pastry and a buttery almond filling.  I do love a good frangipane tart!
Fig frangipane tart with raspberry sauce and double cream

Full, tired, comfortable, and with the soothing sound of rain against the roof, I slept like a log that night!

Breakfast the next morning was equally generous.  When we arrived at the table, poached rhubarb, yoghurt, and warm breakfast cakes (banana & pistachio, and raisin) with butter were waiting, as well as the cereals and muesli that you see in the first picture of this post.


And if that weren't enough, they can do hot breakfasts too.  I had a nice little poached egg on buttered toast, with more of that fab "curry-ketchup" chutney and a piece of Avenel bacon, which came highly recommended from Rebecca.  Made by a butcher in the nearby town of Avenel, the bacon was crisp, salty, smoky and intense.  In short: it was incredibly bacon-y.  I loved it!  I would have liked to visit the butcher to pick some up, but they close quite early on Saturdays and we couldn't get there in time. Boo!  Something for a future trip!

I'd like to say a big thanks to owner Rebecca for a lovely stay, and chef Heather for delicious and generous meals!

Sarah and Sandra stayed at The Euroa Butter Factory as guests of Goulburn River Valley Tourism.

This is the second post from my Goulburn River Valley Trip series.

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6 comments

  1. Anonymous3:18 PM

    What a lovely place and fantastic-looking food (I'm sure it tasted great too). Suddenly the noodles I'm about to have for lunch don't seem quite so appetising!

    Rob Pendlenton

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  2. What an interesting place to visit! And that's great that the chef was inspired by her trip to North Africa :)

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  3. What a very pretty place!

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  4. I thought I'd never say this but gosh those carrots look real good. Honest!

    The place must've smelt absolutely "____" fill in the blanks.

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  5. Rob - Thank-you! It was indeed delicious. Although I'm sure your noodles were tasty too! :)

    Lorraine - Thank-you for your comment! I was surprised that the food was North African, but it was so lovely!

    I-Hua - Thanks for your comment! I bet it would be even prettier on a sunny day. :)

    Adrian - CARROTS! And it smelt absolutely "BUTTERY". Heheheh

    xox Sarah

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  6. Butter is, like, the best thing ever invented. I might have to drive up to this place one day - it looks so homely!

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