Boutique Citrus is proud to be the suppliers of Australian Finger Limes to Martin Benn, Chef & Patron of Sepia Restaurant. Martin is an incredibly talented chef whose creativity, hard work and vision resulted in 2015 being a year of awards and recognition – both in Australia and internationally.
Martin has been using Finger Limes for many years now, which feature on his menu when in season. His food is completely unique – beautiful to look at, delicate and totally delicious! Added to his amazing professionalism, we have found him to be a lovely person to work with. Boutique Citrus is so very thrilled for the opportunity to work with Martin and to see him being recognised for his amazing work. Here’s what Martin had to say about us:
‘I was first introduced to Greg and Amanda Childe-Freeman of Boutique Citrus a few years back when I was researching for a particular style and colour of native Finger Lime for one of my best known dishes ‘The Pearl’.
As chefs we strive to find the very best, unique produce available to us, from like minded, passionate growers and farmers. Boutique Citrus grows a wide range of Finger Lime varieties which include, Rainforest Pearl (my absolute favourite), Chartreuse, Pink Ice and Emerald – all with that distinct crisp pop and sweet, zingy citrus bite that is truly a taste of Australia.
Boutique Citrus is a customer drive, family business that you can rely on for guaranteed freshness and quality produce every time.’
Take a look at some of Martin’s awards:
- Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Three Chefs Hats 2016
- Gault & Millau Australia Sydney Restaurant of the Year 2015
- Time Out Food Awards 2015 – Best Fine Dining Restaurant
- The Australian Hot 50 Restaurants Hall of Fame
- World of Fine Wine World’s Best Wine List – 3 Stars 2015
- The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015 – One to Watch
- The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015 – #84
- Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants Australian Restaurant of the Year 2015
- Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants NSW Restaurant of the Year 2015
- Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants Chef of the Year 2015, Martin Benn
- Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year 2015, Sepia
- Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Citi Service Award of Excellence, Vicki Wild
- Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Three Chef Hats 2015
- The Australian Hot 50 Restaurants Hottest Chef 2015 Martin Benn
- Australian Gourmet Traveller Chef of the Year 2015, Martin Benn
- Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine 3 Stars 2015
Where to Buy Australian Finger Limes?
As the largest growers of premium quality Finger Limes in Queensland, Australia and throughout the world, Boutique Citrus always has stock ready for our customers. The fresh Finger Lime season is quite short, running from January to May. To ensure that we can supply quality native Australian Finger Limes all year round, we freeze a portion of our fresh harvest immediately after sorting. Boutique Citrus Finger Limes are used throughout the world. From Japan, Holland, France, Italy, Spain and here in Australia, we have built and established...
read moreGardening Australia features Finger Limes
We were thrilled to be contacted by Gardening Australia last year to provide them with information for their piece on Australian Native Citrus – focusing on Finger Limes. Presenter, Angus Stewart showcased several Finger Lime varieties which we have on our beautiful Boutique Citrus orchard. He discussed various issues that can arise when growing Finger Limes and offered some handy tips – it was great hearing him use content we have written and developed for our website. We were delighted that the team at Gardening Australia...
read morePruning Your Finger Lime Tree
We recently had an enquiry from someone wanting to know the best methods for pruning their Finger Lime tree. Just like other citrus varieties, Finger Limes respond well to pruning. It’s important to keep in mind however, that they are slower growing than other citrus so don’t prune heavily unless there is disease. When doing your pruning, ensure that you are allowing light to get into the trees – this assists in better flowering and fruit set. It also minimises fruit damage from thorn and leaf rub and allows for easier...
read moreFinger Limes – Getting the best out of your fresh or frozen fruit
Finger Limes have a relatively short season – only a few months, which is one of the reasons why they are a niche product. Short season fruit usually has a short shelf life too, however at Boutique Citrus we have refined our picking and packing processes to ensure your fruit stays fresher for longer. To ensure supply to our clients, we freeze a portion of our harvest as soon as it has been sorted and we recommend our clients freeze their Finger Limes if they might not be able to use them within a week. Using the fruit once it’s...
read moreSmart Farmer Magazine – Finger Limes
We are firm believers that more people need to learn more about the amazing Finger Lime. After making a few calls a little earlier in the year, we were lucky to receive a visit from Kate Stark, Editor of the fabulous publication Smart Farmer. A Finger Lime novice, Kate had yet to experience the thrill of tasting this wonderful native Australian fruit. We never tire of seeing people try our Finger Limes but Kate took it to a whole new level! Her excitement and joy was as natural as the Finger Lime and we were thrilled to be the ones providing...
read moreMartin Benn Finger Lime Connoisseur
Boutique Citrus is proud to be the suppliers of Australian Finger Limes to Martin Benn, Chef & Patron of Sepia Restaurant. Martin is an incredibly talented chef whose creativity, hard work and vision resulted in 2015 being a year of awards and recognition – both in Australia and internationally. Martin has been using Finger Limes for many years now, which feature on his menu when in season. His food is completely unique – beautiful to look at, delicate and totally delicious! Added to his amazing professionalism, we have found...
read moreBuying Finger Limes!
Buying Finger Limes Have you seen Finger Limes while you’re buying your weekly groceries? While you don’t often see Finger Limes in the mainstream supermarkets, the best chefs in Australia and all over the world are in love with this beautiful native Australian Fruit. These culinary artists lead the way in setting food trends that us regular consumers follow and help spread the word about the latest and greatest in food and cooking techniques. The bubbles of citrus caviar are so delicious in flavour and always exciting to eat. At...
read moreGrowing Healthy Finger Lime Trees
Ask any chef or great cook for five of their kitchen pantry staples and more often than not, you’ll see lemons or citrus on their list. Delicious in sweet and savoury dishes, drinks, sauces and dressings, citrus is a ‘must have’ ingredient across most cuisines. Citrus’s popularity is also enhanced by the fact that the trees are easy to grow and most varieties give fruit more than once a year. Forgiving most of the time (unless setting fruit) they are hardy, evergreen and make a fantastic patio or garden plant. Growing Tips for...
read moreHow to Look After Your Finger Lime Tree
Polka Dot Variety An Australian rain forest plant only found in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, Finger Lime trees do well in full sun and prefer well drained soils with a pH of 5 – 6.5. A light NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous & Potassium) fertiliser is recommended prior to flower development and again once the fruit has set and greater than 2cm long. Because of their rain forest history, Finger Lime trees require regular watering, especially throughout...
read moreFinger Lime Vodka and Liqueur
We are thrilled to share these two gorgeous products from Stone Pine Distillery featuring Boutique Citrus Finger Limes. Incredibly popular at the Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show in October, we were very excited about trying these two Native Australian spirits but the ever crowded ‘Nip of Courage’ stand had run out of Finger Lime stock! Clearly the word had spread fast about these tasty drinks! The Vodka is a clean, neutral spirit that allows the Finger Lime to display its wonderfully complex citrus character with no holds...
read more