What a beautiful time to indulge in the colours of the new season, the amazing fragrance of Spring blooms and the new found warmth as it all gently unfolds at this time of year. Of course what grabs my attention first and foremost is the produce! Asparagus, fresh peas and soon the first glimpse of strawberry red…
I am so thrilled to say it is only a matter of weeks now until my new book ‘Maggie’s Harvest’ is released on October 29th. Of course every book that I’ve done has been a body of work that has left me proud but I can’t help making special mention of ‘Maggie’s Harvest’ in relation to its superb presentation - Chinese hand embroidered silk wraps the cover! All hand finished, the books are padded, then the fabric is applied and they are even treated with scotchguard ( to protect against similarly messy cooks like myself! ). I received a wonderful rendition of events from Carmen at Penguin books when she returned from China after checking the progress of the extraordinary process on site. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing when she explained the incredible care that has been taken with each and every book right down to one by one hand checking, with gloves on! I can’t wait for you to see it.
Perth Thursday 1st November
Dymocks Literary Event
Adelaide Monday 5th November
Imprints
Brisbane Thursday 8th November
State Library
Sydney Monday 12th November
Shearer’s Bookshop
Melbourne Wednesday 21st November
Brunswick St Bookstore
Hobart Thursday 29th November
Fuller’s Bookstore
Can I admit that I never imagined being on ‘Kath and Kim’ as featuring in my career?! Or that it would be as much fun as it was when it did happen?
What a talented pair of women Jane Turner and Gina Riley are! It was quite a surreal experience taking an ‘acting’ role next to Kylie Kwong, Bill Granger, Shannon Bennett and Donna Hay to visit Kel’s butcher shop in Fountain Gate. You can imagine how much laughter happened off camera if you saw the episode go to air…
I know that as food club members you were among the first to know about our short run of Tomato and Sultana Chutney, well I have to say you weren’t just those ‘in the know’ but also the reason we’ve decided to launch this to the wider market – I didn’t know so many people loved chutney! Chutney is one of the best ways of preserving fruit at the peak of its ripeness so you can enjoy season-specific flavours all year round and while I love that tradition I couldn’t help but add my own little touches to create a chutney suited to so much more than just dressing up a sandwich. So I’ve added a Tomato, Verjuice and Saffron version to the original Tomato and Sultana option. Try them out for yourself and let me know what you think.
When I last wrote I mentioned that Colin and I had managed to steal some time for a brief break in WA. As I promised to give you more details in the next newsletter, here are some notes from our travels…
On our list was Albany, Beau Bridge, Pemberton, Manjemup, Margaret River, Durien Bay and Broome.
This whole trip West we saw as a bit of a reconnoitre. It was about seeing some of what was on offer; to glimpse something of the Australia we’d only ever read of.
I’d long wanted to visit Broome and we were lucky enough that our trip coincided with the experience of the Stairway to the Moon. Quite a phenomena that made us want to know exactly what was happening. We crowded with, what must have been, thousands at Town Beach to watch the spectacle, keeping our hunger at bay with a tit bit from one of the stalls at the market. The locals, or those in the know, were sitting in deck chairs to make the waiting more comfortable before much jostling took place for a position, when the moon peeped through, with people swarming for the best vantage point. I think we must have been the only ones in the whole mob without our camera. We couldn’t believe our lack of preparation but it didn’t stop us drinking in the experience.
Writing this on the plane trip back home and reflecting, we didn’t do enough research about Broome before we went and though we stayed in the very comfortable surroundings of Cable Beach, next time we’ll try for McAlpine House or an apartment where I could cook.
Having said that breakfasts at The Old Zoo Café were an amazing start to any day and Café Carlotta in Broome was a real standout full of good food, good staff and good humour where we enjoyed a truly delicious Italian meal, sitting in the garden at night in a beguiling temperature.
We actually stayed there 6 nights but other than hiring a luridly striped Mini for 24 hours to buzz about in, we took just one serious tour to Horizontal Falls in a seaplane that took 12 passengers and flew through the falls and landed on the water near a pontoon. We then transferred to a very high powered boat that took us into the whirlpool of the water that created these amazing falls. An incredible sight!
The final mention I am grinning while writing about is the new addition to our family – little Benjamin Christopher has made us ‘Nonna and Nonno’ yet again and we are busting with pride over the fact!
Until next time,
A definite staple in Maggie’s pantry,
is not something you want to reach for only to find an empty bottle in your hands, so grab 2 bottles (to be sure) and we’ll add a
Barossa Dukkah on us. Spring just got yummier!
With fruit from Colin and Bruce Beer’s Siegersdorf Road vineyard, this 60% Semillon 40% Chardonnay is perfect drinking for right now. These grape varieties marry very well together to produce a delightful fresh food wine. Beer Bros Semillon Chardonnay – buy a dozen get 2 bottles free – Spring into Semillion!
If you’d like a friendly reminder that now is the best time to start your pudding for Christmas, to allow it time to mature as it hangs then just follow Maggie’s delicious recipe for her famous fruit filled ode to the season. On the other hand we have our New Season’s Puddings ready to go at the Farm Shop so you could always make it easy on yourself with just a click (of your mouse!) and we’ll send a Barossa Pudding your way, ready to go. Like we always say, we won’t tell if you don’t…