March 21 2016
News
I had the most amazing weekend in Hobart last week! This photo was taken during my visit to The Agrarian Kitchen; an incredible farm-based cooking school in Derwent Valley. The school is located on a working farm where they have goats for milking, pigs, chicken, geese and even honeybees. They grow their own fruit and vegetables and truly embrace the paddock-to-plate philosophy. We were in the most idyllic old school room with windows all the way to the high ceilings and looking out on the farm. Read the rest...
I’ve often wondered why the plum is not one of those fruits that usually falls into the ‘fashionable’ basket. Not that I’ve ever been one to be influenced by food trends as such, but it does surprise me that the poor old plum gets regularly overlooked, especially when there are so many stunning varieties each offering a different flavour, fresh or dried, across the spectrum of this old fashioned ‘drupe’. Perhaps all it would take is the taste of a home grown specimen and the plum would find itself at the top of everyone’s favourites list once more. Then again, the flavour of home grown stone fruit of any kind is as convincing an argument as ever for home gardening. Read the rest...
Autumn is a wonderful time of year to plan a long lunch that can easily run into the afternoon with everyone staying for just one last coffee or glass of wine. I’ve put together a lovely mix of dishes to not only keep everyone sharing your table happy, but also highlight the abundance of produce available to us throughout this season. Beginning with a glass of Cider, perhaps dressed up with a stick of cinnamon and a wedge of lemon, then onto a starter of Fig, Basil & Labne Salad, followed by the main course of Hare with Pine Nuts, Lemon & Sultanas and finally finishing with the spectacular centre piece of A Trifle of Pears, Prunes & Sauternes Custard. What a beautiful Autumn afternoon you’ll have in store. Read the rest...
Ah, quinces – they so inspire me! Their gnarly, rustic appearance, the beauty of their blossom, and their diversity of uses endeared me to them from the first time I saw them. This wonderfully evocative fruit was my first link to the land in a sense, as when we were looking for a place in the Barossa all those years ago, even at the most derelict of places, where the gardens and orchards had been left unattended for years, there would be a surviving quince tree. I remember reading that of the many references to this ancient fruit, some believe it was actually a quince, and not an apple, that tempted Eve in the garden of Eden, and my next thought was, well then, we can hardly blame her - I’ve been drawn into many a garden on account of the quince! Read the rest...
When I cook chicken, I never use anything other than a well-brought-up chook, the texture and flavour are so different from that of a mass produced bird, you wonder whether they are even of the same species. There is little point buying a free-range chook under 2 kilograms; the smaller birds haven’t had the time to develop in flavour or texture. Read the rest...
