Growing up and living in a city makes it very difficult to experience one of every food enthusiast's great pleasures — picking fresh produce, preparing it and eating it the same day. There's nothing like it.

Our definition of 'fresh produce' in Sydney has become much further from the real thing than I had realised. A two-week stint in Tasmania would have anyone believing the same. You realise something is up when your bed-and-breakfast hostess apologises for the shop-bought jam. Munching on the crunchy plum-sized cherries and still warm wood-smoked trout were testament to a different, genuine way of life that I had never experienced. Enviably, for most Tasmanians this kind of experience is not a luxury, it's a lifestyle.

Blessed with abundant fertile land, it's no wonder Tassie has an exceptional line-up of gourmet exports including truffles, wine, fruit and cheese. I was pleased to say 'thank you' to a few sheep at the Grandvewe cheese factory for their fantastic effort in the making of aged Manchego and Pinot Noire-soaked Pecorino. The best cheese and wine in Tasmania and beyond are showcased at top-notch producers like the Wursthaus with delicacies that appeal to every inclination. Honey drenched mascarpone-stuffed figs and the duck neck sausage with pistachio certainly raised my eyebrow.

Salamanca market also does this job well. But if it's not fancy food you're into, stop at one of the many un-manned roadside stalls and exchange shrapnel for your fill of daily-picked produce. Whatever you have, it's all fresh, and it's all Australian.