PEOPLE will travel far and wide in pursuit of the perfect steak.
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But, as it turns out, some of the best cuts in the state are right on our doorstep.
The Cottage Scone has been named the Best Steak Restaurant in regional NSW at Monday night’s prestigious Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence at Luna Park, Sydney.
Winning the title for the second year in a row – this year they return with two more gongs to add to their collection.
The Cottage also took home the Northern New South Wales Consumer Vote Award and the Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence.
Business owner and chef Colin Selwood said it gave the team a great sense of pride and achievement to be recognised for the industry award for the second year running.
“It makes all our hard work worthwhile in the end,” he said.
“Owning a restaurant is tough – then you add the additional degree of difficulty with a regional location and you have the recipe for a challenging work day.”
“I have a great team and town behind me and these awards acknowledge that,” Mr Selwood said.
After returning back to Scone on Tuesday he shared a few of the secrets behind a mouth-watering steak.
“To start off with, it’s making sure you get the right produce,” Mr Selwood said.
“We use a grass fed product that is British-breeds and are not breed specific or property specific.
“So I get a lot of natural grass fed marbling come through in the beef.
“Then it is dry aged on site, ensuring we have complete control over the end product that is served in the restaurant six weeks later,” he said.
Despite the pressure to back it up with a third win in 2018, Mr Selwood said the Cottage will keep things running the way they always have.
“We will keep doing what we’re doing - you’ve got to work hard to shine,” he said.
“We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the community supporting us and I wouldn’t have a restaurant without my staff – so a big thanks to everyone for the ongoing support.”
The Cottage will now compete with other regional finalists at the National Savour Australia Awards in October.