Willie Smith's Apple Shed — Restaurant in Tasmania

(3.5 stars) A good cider experience at The Taste of Tasmania put us onto Willie Smith’s Apple Shed. The half hour drive from Hobart takes you down into the picturesque Huon Valley. The shed itself is hard to miss as you travel along the Huon Highway. With ample parking it’s got tourist destination written all over it; though, once again, I’m forced to revise what that usually means when this large-scale operation turns out to produce decent grub.

Built in 1942, the former apple packing shed sits on a family farm that has been growing apples since 1888. Even if you pull up a wooden pew in one picturesque wooden outhouses, it’s worth a walk inside to peek at the apple wall where over 390 heritage apple varietals are on display.

Cider was introduced to the apple farm’s repertoire by Andrew Smith, who represents the fourth generation of the one family to farm apples on this land. He’s also the man behind the farm’s switch to organic, which occurred back in 1997. The apples used in the cider are produced on the farm, meaning the fruit travels a very small distance from tree to bottle. See if you can taste the difference across a Cider Tasting Paddle ($12), which presents four of their ciders – the original Organic, Farmhouse Perry, Bone Dry and Traditional. While I found the Organic Cider flavoursome and easy to drink, the Bone Dry was a bit big and persistently oaky for me.

The Traditional Cider drank a bit too sweet, making the well-balanced Farmhouse Perry my easy favourite – well until I cracked a bottle of the Kingston Black ($32/750ml). With wine-like characteristics, this cider drinks like green apples with notes that remind me of spiced apple sauce along with plenty of racy acidity. It’s just the ticket to enjoy with a Tassie Seafood ($34) tasting paddle that shows off the best of the region with a combination of 41 Degrees South hot smoked rillettes, Huon Aqua cold smoked and pickled Spring Bay mussels, smoked freshwater eel and pickled octopus. Build your own combinations on Cygnet Wood Fired Bakehouse’s bread with slices of crisp, fresh red apples and Willie Smith’s range of cider vinegar pickles.

Best thing I ate was actually the simplest – a set of Crunchy Whole Tassie Potatoes ($12/3) dressed with citrus pepperberry salt, almond romesco and Kewpie mayo. It’s wonderful to see a place celebrate terroir in more than just wine. Tassie potatoes are top-notch and this simple treatment allows you to really appreciate their flavour. They’ll also stop you from getting cider-drunk.

If you’re particularly taken by any of the products you’ve eaten, duck inside to their little shop and see if you can take home your own piece of this pristine environment in a jar or bottle. I saw everything from Tasmanian saffron to the...

When you arrive at the Apple Isle, it's only appropriate to head over to Willie Smith's Apple Shed and see what apples are all about. Situated in the brilliant Huon Valley, the farm grows up to 300 different varieties of apples throughout the seasons while brewing cider with apples fresh from the orchard. While you could dine to the taps on the hardwood floors, the outdoor vibes are beaming with just as much life and jubilee. There's plenty of space to take in the natural air of the Huon Valley with both pets and kids free to frolic around. Why not go for a couple rounds of cornhole while waiting for your food?

Our entrees started off with the charcuterie board laid out with typical cold cuts and cheeses. Crispbread can be stacked with a diversity of toppings whether it be the vinegary pickled celery and carrots or the richness of the liver pate. My favourite was the scrumptious apple sauce which highlights the fruit's sweetness with a slight tartness. Side by side with their apple slices, nothing beats a juicy snap squirt full of organic sweetness. But the best kept secret at Willie Smith's that's not the apples or the cider is the mushroom arancini. The light, crispy breading ruptures apart into a mushroom risotto, spilling over with a soothing earthiness and fulfilling creaminess. Dab on some truffle mayo for an extra kick of sapidity and it's even more tasty alongside the shaved pecorino on top.

They really do love their pecorino at Willie Smith's because it's garnished all over the dishes. The mixed leaves in the Apple Shed salad are lightly dressed with vinaigrette as you already get the buttery texture from the pecorino and astringent zing from the apples, illustrating an acuity for the ingredients and their portions. On the other hand, the pecorino's role was excessive on the roasted potatoes with the skin already being too salty, but comfortably soft inside nonetheless. It comes with a lumpy side of romesco that didn't gel well with the potatoes and felt isolated on the table.

All that was left was the Scottsdale pork belly as the big hitter and it certainly held its weight. Although the skin was no longer at its optimum crispiness, the pork was still very tender and flavourful with distinct layers of fatty and savoury. Our lunch soon transformed into a well-balanced meal in the most homely setting to socialise and share a drink. Glass full of alcohol or a stomach full of good food, Willie Smith's has the best of both worlds for...

Good morning,

I'm just touching base about our experience yesterday at your venue.

We had a booking for lunch yesterday and had booked for 5 people plus a pram (newborn baby). We were sat at our table and on 3 separate occasions staff requested that I moved my pram even though I had tried very hard to move it each time out of the way and to different spots. I couldn't move him too far away as he was asleep in there. There were other tables that would have been much better suited for people with prams.

We then ordered some drinks and our food. 4 meals came out but one hadn't been ordered properly by staff and therefore didn't come out, so she had to wait again for her meal to come out. More drinks were ordered and by this time we had a significant number of glasses, and our meals had been finished. Waitresses came over and tidied up tables around us but for at least an hour our glasses (approx. 12 used glasses) and our plates remained sitting on our table, so my aunty moved them to another table. Your staff then were seen standing near the kitchen area whispering and looking over and then a girl with brown hair, fringe and plait came over and started tidying them and was mouthing off under her breath and death staring us.

I had ordered the dairy free options but believe that there must have been dairy in my food as today my baby is extremely unwell and hasn't been like this since not consuming dairy. (I did not drink alcohol)

We were not rude to any of your staff, but they were rude to us especially the girl mentioned above. We spent a significant amount of money at your venue which is beautiful, but we won't be back (despite being locals) due to the customer service.

There was one staff member who was lovely, she had dark reddish hair, but the rest did not seem to want to be there. I understand that when it's busy it's harder but there is never any excuse to be rude.

Have a good day.

Kind regards,

Kelsi

(I emailed this almost 2 weeks ago and have...