WORLD-famous chef Jamie Oliver was wowed by the Highlands on the weekend, visiting the region to meet the artisans behind some of the state's finest produce.
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In Australia to raise awareness for Jamie's Ministry of Food Australia project, Jamie made a day-trip to the region on Saturday.
Jamie began his visit foraging for fungi in Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms' disused railway tunnel in Mittagong, guided by microbiologist Dr Noel Arrold who has been harvesting mushrooms since 1987.
Afterwards, Jamie visited two-hatted restaurant Biota Dining in Bowral, with chef and owner James Viles showing him around the grounds, including the extensive vegetable and herb garden, and his duck and yabby-filled pond.
The well-known chef then enjoyed a stunning lunch at Biota Dining, featuring fresh local produce and ingredients picked that morning by James and his team.
Jamie also visited Pecora Dairy in Robertson. He raved about the Highlands and said it inspired him.
"I've been to Sydney and NSW many times now, but I've never visited the Southern Highlands - what an amazing place," he said.
"Local makers and beautiful fresh produce everywhere you look. The people are so passionate about their food and wine - I found it really inspiring."
Jamie posted several tweets (on Twitter) about his visit, with hundreds of his three million followers favouriting, retweeting and responding to his tweets about the Highlands.
Destination NSW supported Jamie's visit to the region, with CEO Sandra Chipchase delighted the celebrity chef could include a day trip to regional NSW during his visit.
"NSW is home to some of the best fresh produce and world-class wines Australia has to offer. We were thrilled to introduce Jamie Oliver, one of the world's biggest advocates of fresh, local food, to the Southern Highlands - a great example of a regional NSW food and wine hub," Ms Chipchase said.
"Jamie instantly fell in love with the Southern Highlands, applauding the diversity of fresh produce and excellent wines, which is testament to the passionate people who make up the local food and wine scene in the region."
On the back of the visit, Jamie is running a competition on his Jamie's Ministry of Food Australia website, promoting the Southern Highlands and featuring highlights from his visit to the region.
