Naked Food

Making Christmas Cake with my mum!

2011-12-23T15:58:00.011+11:00

Every year since I can remember my mum has made a Christmas cake or two! It is always a big event, beginning with the soaking of the fruit for days, then the hours it must spend in the oven, the rum poured over it as soon as it comes out of the oven, then the hours it must spend cooling down, so it can be wrapped up and stored! The best bit of all of course, is in the cutting and the eating, and many would agree. This is so much the case, that some years mum makes two cakes, just so she can give many pieces away, to the expectant fans of her annual Christmas cake!
This year my mum had a bit of a health scare mid year, when one of your parents has a health scare, you immediately think of all the things you'd miss about them if their health didn't improve. Over twenty years ago now, my father died, way too young, from ill health. He was a wonderful man and it really wasn't until he was gone, that I realised just how much I really did miss him and the many things he knew about and did so well.
So although my mum's health has since improved and she is no doubt going to be around for many years to come, I thought this year I would be present, both to help and learn, at the annual making of her Christmas cake.
Being that I am a qualified chef and a food blogger, who runs a cooking school and is writing a cookbook, I must confess that I had never, until this year, made my own Christmas Cake!
However, now I can say I have learnt from the master, having all the secrets revealed and seen all the alcohol that goes into my mum's famous cake, I am proud to say, that not only have I made my own cake for the first time...but am fully equipped for the years ahead!
The following photos show you our cake making day together...although you won't see me much at all, as I was simply the apprentice baker, following instructions and taking the photographs in between!

It all begins with soaking the dried fruit and almonds in a large quantity of brandy, as many days before as you can manage!

Line your cake tin with two layers of aluminium foil

Cream the butter and sugars

Add the eggs and the syrup

Then the flour

Add the soaked fruit and almonds

Give it a really good mix

Into the tin as evenly as possible

Add the blanched almonds to the top to finish

Into the oven

After approx four hours cooking, open oven and check cake with a skewer

Once out of the oven immediately pour over the rum (Mum's favourite part it seems!)

Finally the best part the eating!

Thanks mum for letting me cook with you and share your recipe, regardless of my efforts to make my own, for some reason your cake still tastes better!
Happy Christmas time to all my readers, enjoy your holiday break, eat well and take some time to rest and reflect on the year past, as well as begin to dream big for the new year to come.
PS. If your keen to try cooking my mum's delicious cake yourself next Christmas.... the recipe will be in my cookbook to be released in September 2012! So stay tuned!

U Pick your own Berries on the NSW South Coast!

2011-12-14T13:26:00.009+11:00

Have you ever tasted produce that you have picked yourself straight off a tree? There is just nothing like it!

So if you are travelling on the NSW South Coast this summer, call into Clyde River Pick Your Own Berry Farm and you can do just that!

The Clyde River Berry Farm is open to the public seven days, 10am -6pm in December & January.
Look out for the signs to the Berry Farm on the Old Princes Highway, about 30 minutes South of Ulladulla or 30 minutes North of Batemans Bay.

Take a forest drive into the hinterland and experience the novelty of picking your own berries.
It is a rough old dirt road out to the farm, and yes it does seem to go on forever, just follow the hand painted signs that lead the way. It is certainly worth pursuing for the taste sensation at the other end.
Free to enter, you collect yourself a plastic bucket and then go for a wander....when your done you just weigh and pay for what you pick.

We had a ball together, walking the rows of blueberry trees, as well as peaches, plums and a variety of other vine and bush berries, such as raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.

The price per kilo is about half what you would normally pay and the freshness about double what you'd normally experience from your local shop or supermarket.
We got ourselves a kilo of blueberries, with a few blackberries thrown in, as well as a delicious fresh berry ice cream available in the farm store and a couple of jars of Clyde River Farm berry jam.

We ate most of the berries in the car on the way home and then the remainder ended up in some delicious blueberry pancakes, with yoghurt and strawberry coulis, for breakfast the next day.

So if you are driving the coast this summer, take a detour and U pick some berries too, we may see you there!
Clyde River Berry Farm
ph: (02) 44781057
How to get there

“Fencing the Vegetable Garden to keep the escaping Hens Out!”

2011-12-04T14:55:00.009+11:00

It has been a busy few weeks for janeCOOKS, with not much spare time to blog. Today's weather meant the picnic we had planned to go to was cancelled and an opportunity opened up for me, to catch up on things and let you all see the progress we have made on our little suburban farm!

The hens are all laying an egg a day, most days and have grown into lovely, healthy, looking productive, oh and destructive birds. Basically, if it is alive and green they will eat it and so most of our gardens are now covered in chicken wire to keep em out!

We have had so many comic moments with our hens over the past months.
Dealing with broody black hens that just don't want to venture from the laying box.

Then there is our dog Logan, trying to dig her way into the Hen House to steal scraps, whilst the hens use such opportunities for themselves to escape the Hen House to greener pasture. If I was quick enough to catch it all on video for you, you'd be most amused too.
Of course once escaped, the first place the hens will head on mass (the whole seven of them!) is to the vege patch! Thus the next job began to fence the vege patch.

We cleared the grass from around the garden beds, in hope of it no longer spreading into the beds, then compacted some crushed granite to form paths, sunk some serious hardwood fence posts, slotted in the hard wood rails and covered the lot with chicken wire.

I picked up a second hand gate from the local tip, recycling sale yard and with help from the man at HG Fencing and my super handy husband, we covered it with fresh wire, attached new hinges, a latch and a home made by me sign!

Now the chickens and dog can run round the front yard, the possums and bandicoots can come and go at night and my vege patch is safe from them all!

Spring/Summer planting is now in full swing and this weird weather, with lots of sun & heat and then bucket loads of rain, has made it look like my crops are on steroids! Earlier than expected, we have been enjoying some lovely fresh produce on our plates.
Continuing on with all I learnt from The Vege Lady, I have rotated my garden beds for the new season planting and planted new crops for the next harvest.
Bed 1 currently has some corn, with more to be planted soon, so it's not all ready at once.

Bed 2 in went tomatoes, capsicum, basil and eggplants, with some companion plants, marigolds.

Bed 3 contains Bryon Bay Garlic, parsley and beans.

Bed 4 is still producing spinach and much lettuce and rocket.

A few people have asked me recently what do you do with all the excess harvest of spinach.

Here is just a couple of ideas, as well as a lovely recipe I discovered this week. All spinach needs to be thoroughly washed when picked. You can then finely shred it raw and add it to a salad or to scrambled eggs or an omelette.
When cooking spinach I usually steam it and eat it with a little butter and cracked pepper. Once cooked you could refresh the spinach in cold water, drain and squeeze the water out, then freeze to be used at a later date in a quiche, lasagna or spinach & ricotta pastries or used in a lovely recipe like this one.
I discovered this recipe in an old copy of Australian Good Food Magazine November 2009 on page 57 in a feature called Weekend with Antonio Carluccio. I tried these last night, with some fresh spinach from the garden, as a side dish to be included with our BBQ dinner. They were well received by four out of five family members! (child three has an aversion to spinach right now!)
Spinach Balls.
Makes 24
500g spinach
100g fresh white breadcrumbs (I made some wholemeal sourdough breadcrumbs instead)
2/3 cup (50g) grated parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp finely crushed garlic
pinch of grated nutmeg
olive oil to shallow fry
1. Cook spinach in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 1-2 minutes until wilted. (I steamed mine)Drain well. (I then refreshed my in cold water to cool it down.)When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as you can, then finely chop.

2 Place spinach, breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg, garlic and nutmeg in a bowl. Using hands, mix well to achieve a binding consistency. Season well. ( I didn't season as decided the parmesan would be my seasoning)

Roll mixture into walnut sized balls.
3 Pour enough oil into a large, deep frying pan to generously cover base and heat on medium. Cook spinach balls for 4-5 minutes each side, until golden all over. Drain on paper towel and serve warm or cold or added to pasta.

Give them a go, they are so very yum, and let me know what other simple and healthy recipes you enjoy, cooking with your excess spinach.

Lunch at MUMU Grill

2011-10-28T17:40:00.008+11:00

We had the opportunity last weekend to do two things on my to do list, catch up with lovely friends Jeff and Wendy for lunch and visit Sydney's Sustainable Steakhouse at Crows Nest, MUMU Grill!
MUMU Grill as the name indicates is all about meat and although we are not massive meat eaters, I have heard good reports and wanted to try this place, that is very serious about their meat!
"If you want a bloody good steak this is where it is. We are the only steakhouse that uses only 100% grass fed beef with all our other ingredients organic or sustainable."
If you are a vegetarian, there are limited menu options for you! If you do find the thought or sight of meat eating offensive, it is probably a good time to stop reading now, as the majority of food description and photos to follow are very meaty! It is a steakhouse after all!
MUMU Grill is somewhat hidden away on the corner of Alexander Street and Ernest Place in busy Crows Nest, where you can either sit inside or outside, both areas are quite large and very pleasant.

It was a lovely afternoon and we were very happy with our decision to sit outside, on cushioned seats amongst the potted plants.
First up it has to be said that the service was wonderful, from booking over the phone, to arrival, ordering and enjoying our meal, the service was friendly and incredibly efficient.
We began with some
Fresh baked wood fired bread & dips $6.90

and a couple of dishes to share from the Small Plates Menu.
Zucchini flowers stuffed with herbed ricotta and cabra $9.90

and a special of
Wagyu Sausage with a corn relish $11.90

MUMU Grill specialises in grass-fed beef sourced from around the
country. Grass-fed beef is healthier for you,better for our environment and equally important, it tastes fantastic! Grass-fed beef has less fat so is better enjoyed when cooked below medium. Unless stated – All beef comes with green Beans and new potatoes, mash or chips

For main course the two men both ordered...
TASMANIAN ANGUS RUMP 300g Topped with roast garlic mustard $28.90

As the blogger at the table, I have free license to taste my husband's food!
The rump was full of flavour, cooked beautifully medium rare, with a delicious creamy mustard and some generous grilled mushrooms as an extra side.
...and for the ladies!
VICTORIAN BEEF FILLET 160g Wrapped in sage & proscuitto, café de Paris butter and served on mashed Pontiac potato $32.90
...which Wendy thoroughly enjoyed!

SLOW ROAST BANGALOW PORK SHOULDER 15 Hour roast pork shoulder served with
Celeriac and Apple remoulade $34.90

This was my choice and the pork was melt in your mouth, with a crunchy crackling, and the remoulade was an excellent accompaniment and balance of flavours.
As I chose to sit and enjoy the remainder of the Organic Shiraz, (we BYO'd with a $10 corkage charge per bottle....we only had one!!) and Wendy enjoyed a cup of tea with a delightful Moo Cow Milk Jug, we were thankful the men had ordered dessert so we could "share"!

CHOCOLATE TARTE with macadamia shortbread base and mandarin curd $16.90

This was soooo yum and the mandarin with the chocolate was a taste sensation, the ice cream was also really good!

ORGANIC SUGER CANE BRULEE $16.90

Jeff gave this brulee the thumbs up!
We had a very enjoyable time at the MUMU Grill, if you like meat I'd highly recommend it! As it says on the MUMU Grill menu....
"Add all this to the great big dollops of love from Chef, Craig Macindoe and his team,and you’re in for a fun feed that will keep you going MUMU MOO all the way home."

MUMU Grill
In the heart of Crows Nest on the corner of Alexander St and Ernest Place,
70 Alexander St, Crows Nest
Reservations T 9460 6877
See their Website for other fun events such as RIBFEST, NOSE TO TAIL DINNERS & BEEF & BEER MASTERCLASS
MUMU Grill has parking out the back (off Willoughby Lane) after 5.30pm. There is ample parking in 2 parking stations, one in Holterman St and one on the corner of Alexander and Burlington St. Both parking stations are 100m away from the restaurant.

Organic Food & Laughter as JaneCOOKS LIVE for Everywoman

2011-10-15T16:53:00.011+11:00

Another fun night out cooking organic food and laughing with the C3 Everywoman crowd!

Ably assisted once again, by my friend and incredible assistant Wendy Kendrew and supported by the wonderful C3 Events and Everywoman team the stage was ready to go.

A happy crowd of women arrived, eager to learn, taste and see, how to cook simple and nutritious organic food.

The stage was adorned with my favourite things, fresh poppies, fresh produce and all things red & white!

During the show we had some lovely giveaways from Lettuce Deliver Organics, The Veggie Lady, Ready to Plant Organics & JaneCOOKS Cooking Classes & Market Tours.
Our first recipe was an Organic Beef & Bean Nachos with Homemade Guacamole.
First up frying and grinding spices...
A beautiful friend Sheralyn from the audience, came to the stage to help out grind spices, with the mortar and pestle!

Onion and garlic...

Then there was finely chopped chilli...

Everyone seemed to enjoy my very visual demonstration of where the rump is?

and then we had a beef and bean mix cooking at a simmer!

Meanwhile we threw together a very simple Guacamole

and then it was time to plate up!
Beginning with a layer of Organic Corn Chips, we added our Beef & Bean Mix

Followed by the Guacamole

Some delicious tomato salsa and finish with natural yoghurt and shallots.

and after I had a quick taste, we invited some lovely ladies up onto the stage to taste too!

Our second recipe of the night was a Carrot, Walnut & Date Spice Cake with a Mascapone Cheese Icing.
It is hard to know whether we would have made it through this second recipe so smoothly, if it wasn't for the exceptional grating of carrots and smelling of nutmeg... skills, from our glamorous stage MC Tracey Berry!

After demonstrating how to make the cake, I then produced one I had prepared a little earlier!

Then the icing was prepared...

and finished with coconut.

Onto cutting the cake...

and a slice to taste, that went out to my daughter Molly and her two nieces Olivia and Emily in the audience to share!

All that in fifty minutes LIVE on stage...yes it is all in the preparation!
Love to hear how you go, when you try cooking these simple to do organic recipes at home!
All the beautiful photographs in this post were taken by the lovely and talented photographer, Stacie La Greca of Stacie_petraphotography.

The delightful Beachwood Cafe' in Yamba.

2011-09-26T19:45:00.015+10:00

I have been so looking forward to writing about this delightful café in Yamba, on the NSW North Coast. I first read about it in the North Coast regional section, of the Good Food Guide 2011, they had given it just a brief mention.
Whilst in Yamba in July this year, we visited for breakfast and I discovered that this place deserves a lot more than just a brief mention!
Yamba is a growing coastal town on the NSW North Coast. Travel past the fields of sugar cane out to the coast, and you'll discover a gorgeous place to escape the hustle and bustle. Yamba is about nine hours north of Sydney and two hours south of Bryon Bay.

The Beachwood Café can be a little hard to find, the first time you visit, as it is a little hidden away, up a side street, off the main street in Yamba. If you need to, ask the locals for directions and you will soon discover it, in High Street, a cosy little spot, this café is quite a find.

The morning we were there, we met the very lovely owner, Sevtap Yuce. She has owned a couple of cafes before and is clearly passionate about her Turkish food and friendly service, as well as making her famous Beachwood Jam.

As we sat in the sunshine deciding what to order, Sevtap was proudly showing her regular customers, what David Costello had written in his article, in the Gofossicking section of the Courier Mail, about Beachwood Jam.

It was clear to me, in the time we were there, that people are coming back not just for the amazing food and great coffee, but also to chat and catch up with Sevtap and her staff.
You can choose to sit inside on these gorgeous little stools...

or outside in the fresh Yamba air and sunshine!

The blackboard menu displays the choices for breakfast, as well as a couple of seasonal daily specials, that Sevtap told us about at the table. Everything is baked on the premises, in a very small kitchen! Freshly made cakes, quiches and trays of baklavas, sit waiting to be consumed later in the day.

We all started with a freshly squeezed mandarin juice, which was very refreshing!

With an emphasis on seasonal and organic, utilising locally grown produce, the food was brilliant, so fresh and creative, with a delicious, Mediterranean twist to many of the dishes. It was also very reasonably priced, which is always refreshing, especially when you are on holidays!
Poached Seasonal Fruits with Yoghurt & Ground Pistachios $10.50
Absolutely delicious flavours.

Banana Bread & Honeycomb Butter $7
Crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Scrambled Eggs with Herbs & Feta $11.00
These eggs were melt in your mouth, great combination with fresh herbs and a salty feta.

Turkish Baked Beans $11.00 with a side of Turkish Sucyk (Sausage) $3.50
The beans were a taste sensation and the sausage was full of spice and flavour, hand made locally.

We couldn't resist trying some of Sevtap's delicious Beachwood Jam with Turkish toast...

We left more than satisfied with jars of jam and irresistable bakalavas in hand.
So, if you are heading north this Spring/Summer season and find yourself in sunny Yamba, take the time to visit Sevtap for breakfast or lunch, at the Beachwood Café and discover this hidden treasure for yourself.

Beachwood Café
22 High Street,
Yamba NSW
ph: (02)66469781

jane COOKS LIVE at EVERYWOMAN again!

2011-09-12T11:50:00.001+10:00

There is nothing like the precious atmosphere that pervades the room, when women gather together with a united purpose. There is a strength within women, an ability to persist and prevail, until the solution comes. When you get a whole bunch of women together, look out...anything is possible!

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.
Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass" ~ Maya Angelou ~

It is my great privilege and joy to come back and cook again at the C3 EVERYWOMAN Night on Wednesday 21st September at 7.30pm.
This is a FREE Event for EVERYWOMAN being held in the C3 Church Auditorium, Cnr Wakehurst Parkway & Dreadnought Rd, Oxford Falls.

I'll be cooking two dishes and talking on "Making Healthy, Organic Food, Simple & Affordable For All" there will be lots of giveaways & loads of fun on the night.
Whether you love to cook or hate to cook, come along and watch jane cook, I know you'll be inspired, entertained and learn something new.
Grab your daughter, your sister, your mother, your girlfriend, your neighbour, grab every woman you know. All Welcome!
Love you to join us!
x
Jane
Here's a preview from last year's event!
All Photographs taken by stacie_petra photography

The Healthy Chef Cafe Avalon Beach

2011-08-26T14:57:00.015+10:00

It is certainly is a big call to say you have a favourite place to eat! I have a few favourites and of course do find new favourites every now and then! For the past couple of years, my favourite place to eat breakfast or lunch on Sydney's Northern Beaches, is without a doubt The Healthy Chef Cafe at Avalon Beach.
Creator and Executive Chef of the Cafe is Teresa Cutter.
"Teresa Cutter “The healthy chef” is one of Australia’s leading authorities on healthy cooking. A qualified chef with over 20 years experience, fitness trainer and studies in nutrition, Teresa has combined her knowledge on food, diet and exercise to specialize in developing healthy recipes for people who love food, who love to eat and who have made a conscious decision to maximize their health and well-being. The healthy chef is not about deprivation, it’s a realistic approach to healthy eating that will last a lifetime."
I recently saw Teresa do a cooking demonstration at the Sydney Organic Expo & Green Show at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, in August. It was fun and informative to watch her, passionately cook two of the dishes, I had previously eaten at her cafe in Avalon.

About three years ago now, a lovely friend of mine, who knew both my passion for healthy food that's done well and that breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, said to me, that she had found a cafe in Avalon, she wanted to take me to for breakfast!
I do love to try something new and I was not disappointed in any way. I have since eaten there for both breakfast or lunch, countless times with family and friends and have found it to be consistently great!
So I thought it really was time I told you about it too!
The cafe doesn't take bookings, you order and pay at the counter and then take one of their funky wooden spoon table numbers and find yourself a table, inside or out.

The service is very good and the food comes out promptly. A little tip from me if you are wanting a table for breakfast on the weekends get their early, like 8am!
Here is a few snap shots of some of the dishes we have tried over our many visits.
The photographs are mine, much of the description of the dishes is taken from the menu on Teresa Cutter's website.
At anytime of the day their fresh juices , power smoothies, coffee, teas and hot chocolate are available.
Immune booster carrot + orange with a hint of ginger. regular $6 & large $7.50

Detox apple, organic spirilina + lemon, parsley + ginger. regular $6 & large $7.50

Wake Up Smoothie $7.50 a combo of fresh fruit salad, honey, yoghurt & apple juice

Coffee, using a special ORGANIC / FAIR TRADE BLEND MADE FOR US BY CAMPOS

Hot Chocolate

Then there is Breakfast!
Oatmeal Power Porridge with chunks of banana and a little honey $12.50
Rolled oats are combined with linseeds, hazelnut, apple, cinnamon + sultana – reminiscent of apple strudel. It will give you slow release energy, protein + omega 3 to power you through the day.

Pear and Blueberry Crumble $13.50
Poached Autumn pear with fresh blueberry puree layered with our granola and lush natural yoghurt. High antioxidants, probiotics + protein to repair the body + sustain your immune system.

Ricotta + Oatmeal hotcakes served with banana, strawberry puree + lush natural yoghurt. $17.50 Also contains Chia seed a great source of omega 3. Wheat free, sugar free, high fibre + low GI these pancakes are extremely yummy!

What they call "The Hubby Special" Soft poached organic eggs on tomato, avocado, toasted sourdough + Persian feta, finished with a drizzle of lemon infused parsley + mint salsa verde. $17.50

The Big Power Breakie $19.50 , which was the first dish I tried some years back, you get your own pan delivered to the table and really it is enough for two! Organic Scrambled Eggs, Home made Beans, Roasted Tomato & Mushroom with Sourdough + salsa verde, served with lean Bacon. Vegan Option includes avocado & pumpkin in place of eggs and bacon, Vegetarian Option includes avocado in place of bacon

Or maybe you'd prefer lunch?
Detox Energy Salad
Salad leaves, baby spinach, broccolini, avocado, roasted walnuts, pumpkin seed, ground flax seed, wakaeme + goji berry. Served with side of apple balsamic + olive oil. $16.50
The fiber in the salad will fill you up and the acid in vinegar (acetic acid) helps suppress the appetite.
Packed with Omega 3 + iodine + protein + antioxidants to help protect our immune system and facilitate weight loss.

"Soup of the Moment" the day we were there was
Pumpkin with yoghurt and salsa verde served with sourdough. $10.50

Then there is a high fibre favourite of mine...
Bean + sweet-corn nachos with organic veggie corn chips. Beans are slowly simmered with tomato, carrot, celery, smoked paprika + sweet corn + a hint of chilli + coriander. Served on organic veggie corn tortillas, avocado + natural yoghurt. $16.50
Packed with soluble fibre, protein + iron which helps cut cholesterol, keep you regular + provide your body with sustained energy.

Or another favourite of mine...
Zucchini + green pea fritters + spinach, Persian feta, avocado + roast tomato
Delicious fritters of zucchini, lemon, parsley + mint cooked until crisp and golden. $17.50 Chock full of B vitamins, calcium, protein, antioxidants + fibre.

Wanting a high protein hit try the
Pan roasted Chicken with baby spinach, broccolini, flaked almonds and Parmesan $19.50
Lean pan-roasted free range chicken breast scented with lemon and thyme, served with steamed broccolini roasted, almond flakes and baby leaf spinach. Served salsa verde + fine grated Parmesan. Chock full of lean protein, antioxidants for repair + optimum health.

There is also a Yummie Tummies kids menu with prices ranging from $3.50 to $10, plus a lovely selection of sweet stuff, freshly baked muffins, gluten free banana bread, gluten free chocolate & walnut brownie, traditional home made apple pie and a really good carrot cake, and a selection of home made cookies.
So it is a great family outing anytime of the day and you'll be eating food together, that is good for you!
Teresa Cutter has also written several books on healthy eating, including great recipes and tips on living a healthy lifestyle.
Her book the 80/20 Diet is a balanced approach, to combining cooking and eating well with exercise, rest and relaxation, to help you adopt a healthier lifestyle long term.
The 80/20 diet is all about eating the right kinds and amounts of foods necessary for losing body fat sensibly, and establishing an exercise and lifestyle program that can be maintained for life.
The book is also for sale at the cafe.
So get yourself down to Avalon Beach and enjoy healthy food that tastes great!
You can eat in or take it away!
The Healthy Chef is located at
17 Avalon Parade, Avalon Beach, Sydney NSW
Open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch
6am – 5pm

Three Local Markets in the Northern Rivers Region in a week!

2011-08-20T13:40:00.015+10:00

On our recent road trip up the NSW North Coast, I had the great pleasure of visiting three local markets in one week. After three days travel from Sydney, with some delightful stops along the way (which I'll tell you all about another time!) we arrived at our final destination Lennox Head, where we stayed for a week. Lennox Head is a sleepy little coastal town, located at the Southern end stretch of Seven Mile beach. It is about nine to ten hours drive north of Sydney and about fifteen minutes south of Bryon Bay. Lennox Head is a popular spot for surfers, fisherman, whale watchers and photographers, as well as those that want something scenic and a little quieter, than the busy Bryon.

At the Northern end of the town, set back behind the sand dunes, is the very picturesque Lake Ainsworth. The lake is a fresh water lagoon that is permanently discoloured by ti-trea (tea-tree) tanins, leaching from the trees that surround the shores of the lake. The ti-trea water is said to have health giving and rejuvenating properties.

Here between the lake and the sea, every second & fifth Sunday, the Lennox Community Market is on.

This colourful community market, is not just a fresh produce market, but also a mixture of local arts & crafts, second hand & vintage clothing, locally made hats, chopping boards, organic seedlings and an eclectic selection of foods to eat and people to see.

We enjoyed some delicious date & coconut creations from the raw food stall, whilst our son selected an "Organic Donut" from another stall nearby, and others chose something sushi, from the very quirky Green Sushi Van!

I came away with a lovely new chopping board, some organically made goats milk soap and a gorgeous hat just like I'd always wanted!

The following Thursday morning, we drove the fifteen minute journey to Bryon Bay and made our way to the Bryon Farmers Market. This market is held weekly, every Thursday from 8am - 11am at Butler Street Reserve and offers an abundance of local and organic fresh produce. A colourful community of locals gather here each week, to shop for their fresh produce and enjoy the market entertainment.

There was a variety of stalls, offering fruit and veges, seedlings to grow your own, local cheeses, meat, garlic, ginger, honey and freshly baked breads.

Fragrant fresh herbs

Deliciously fresh roots

and Garlic.

Vanessa from The Gourmet Garlic Company was very helpful to talk to, on how to grow your own garlic. I bought four cloves home, for planting in my vegetable garden, they are now planted and sprouted and in nine months time, we'll be enjoying our own home grown garlic.

Amongst all the fresh produce their was also a raw food stall, with a vast selection of healthy choices to eat or take away. It was here I discovered an amazing beetroot cake! All I am going to say is, it is a must have when you visit! Yum!

Finally the absolute highlight for me of this market visit, was the incredible organic ginger and meeting lovely Bob and Elizabeth, who grow the certified organic ginger on their property at Goonengerry, fifteen minutes from Byron Bay.

Elizabeth also produces jars of Sweetened Ginger & Pear & Sweet Ginger, which is done in rainwater and Organic raw sugar.

Our last market visit, just three days later, was to Bellingen Community Market. We took a small detour on our way back home to Sydney, stopping in the delightful town of Bellingen.

This market was the largest of the three we had been too in the week. It was huge and is apparently one of Australia's largest and most diverse regional markets. The market is held every third Saturday of the month, just minutes from the town centre.
Stalls were incredibly diverse, from hand made candles, timber furniture, home made cakes, vintage clothing, hand made soaps, local honey, wooden boards and utensils, gorgeous arts and crafts and a whole lot more.
As well as the stalls, there was a large stage area with a live band playing and many locals enjoying the atmosphere and the local food.
We had a lovely fresh juice and bought some lovely home made brownies.

We also grabbed some lovely organic sour dough from the stall, supplied by the local bakery, Hearth Fire Organic Wood-Fired Bakery.

These markets had so much to offer, you really could stay for hours, with plenty of seated areas and food to enjoy in between. We left with locally made honey, some gorgeous Handmade In Bellingen Candles, some rustic hand made timber chopping boards and some very interesting wooden cooking utensils to test run!

So next time you do a bit of a road trip, do your research first and find out if there is a Community, Regional or Farmers market you can drop into on the way, you won't be disappointed.

Regional Markets NSW
Australian Farmers' Market Association
Jane Cooks Market Tours Eveleigh Farmers' Market

Our Chickens Laid their First Eggs!

2011-07-31T22:42:00.007+10:00

Born on the 10th March 2011, our seven chickens arrived to our home in the suburbs at approx eight weeks of age. Daniel from New Leaf Nursery & Landscapes told me, when we bought our chickens, that they usually lay between twenty and twenty four weeks of age. We have been supplying fresh water, and feed, first starter, then grower and now layer, feed mixes. They are on an Organic diet, including kitchen scraps and some fresh greens & weeds from the garden. I planted a crop of Green Manure in one of my four vegetable plots to enrich the soil. Under my supervision (so they don't eat the crops in the rest of the garden) the chickens have had great delight free ranging in the Green Manure this past week!
Our "Isa Browns" enjoying the fresh greens.

"Mabel, the Black Australorp" gets her share too!

Nothing is wasted at our place, a family of five, with a dog, seven chickens and two compost bins, a lot of feeding and recycling goes on and on!
Its been three months that we have cared for our chickens and waited, the chickens have grown to double their size and I suppose now we call them hens! We had sort of lost count of the weeks going by and family, friends and neighbours were all beginning to ask are those chickens laying any eggs for you yet?
In the midst of a hectic week last week, the last thing on my mind really was are the chickens laying eggs? But obviously the chickens were oblivious to my cares and had not lost track of time. Last Thursday morning the chickens were in fact twenty weeks old and the very next morning they began to lay!
Molly went out for her early morning chore of letting the chickens out of their coop and giving them their morning scratch mix! I was busily preparing for a janeCOOKS Cooking Class I had on that day. When rather suddenly with great noise and excitement Molly ran in the back door to share the news "the chickens have laid some eggs!" Out we all ran and not only had they laid, but they had even laid in the layer boxes we had put in the coop...such Clever chickens!

Plus to our further excitement one of the eggs was still warm, which was a bizarre thought really!!! Our seven chickens had produced six eggs that day, the following morning another one egg followed and later that afternoon we found two more!
The eggs varied in size, but we thought it was a pretty fine effort for beginners!

The kids enjoyed boiled eggs with toast dippers for breakfast in the Saturday morning sunshine.

I related the news of the arrival of our first eggs and the delicious breakfast that followed, to my darling mother that afternoon. She herself grew up on a farm and enjoyed fresh eggs daily. She assures me that now my kids have tasted fresh eggs, they will never eat store bought eggs again!

If our clever chickens keep laying eggs with such enthusiasm and quantity, we may well have fresh eggs for sale at the front gate!

New Leaf Nursery and Landscapes
224 Powderworks Road, Ingleside NSW 2101
Daniel Yakich
Ph: (02) 9913 3709
M: 0414 696 930
info@newleafnursery.com.au

First Harvest from the Vegetable Garden

2011-06-27T14:27:00.015+10:00

It was the end of January by the time we had completed building the four beds for our own vegetable garden. Four blank canvases were ready with a lonely, but thriving Chilli bush in the centre. This Chilli bush had sprung up all on its own, from a seed out of my compost, whilst we were away on holidays!

This Chilli bush has just continued to produce and produce for us for six months now, needless to say pretty much everyone who calls in to our place leaves with a handful of fresh Chillis!

Chillis

We had missed out on planting for Spring/Summer and it was time to prepare for planting Autumn/Winter produce. I really wanted to try and grow something from seed; in doing this, you really begin to understand the seasons. If you plant seed at the wrong time of the year, it simply does not grow! I know this because I planted some Tomato, Basil, Coriander and Capsicum seeds, (seeds that you are meant to plant at the beginning of Spring for a Summer harvest) at the beginning of February (the end of our Summer season) and not much happened at all!!
After seeking some advice from my friend Toni, The Veggie Lady, she confirmed I was indeed too late for Spring/Summer seeds to germinate. She did suggest, that I could still catch the end of the Summer season, by planting some Summer crops from established seedlings. This proved to be a great success; I was able to plant some good sized seedlings of Tomato, Basil, Lettuce and Silver beet, all together in one of the garden beds and we have enjoyed a continual harvest from these for the past four months.

Summer Crops

Silver beet

Pick again Organic Salad leaves and more Silver beet

Basil

Silver beet, Basil & Tarragon

My daughter Molly bought the most thoughtful of birthday gifts for me in March. Gorgeous hand made, hammered Silver spoons, to be used as herb labels for my garden. You can check them out and choose your own from Etsy.

They have given even more character to my herbs, that I have planted in an old wine barrel with my own hand painted sign.

Thyme

My basil finally surrendered to the cooler temperatures a few weeks back and is no more, until next season. Amazingly my Tomato bushes are still producing, although slower to ripen at this time of the year, the sun has continued to shine, and so we have continued to enjoy some lovely fruit.

Jake picks a feed of tomatoes

Planting from seed for the Autumn/Winter crop was mildly successful. I planted the seeds in recycled egg cartons, in a seed raising mix. My best success was with Snow Peas, Beetroot, some varieties of Lettuce and Green manure to grow in my fallow bed.

Sowing Seed

Seeds sown, labelled, ready to grow! (hopefully)

Seedlings Sprouting (50% success)

Successful Seedlings transplanted to the garden beds

More success has come for me, from planting small organic seedlings, rather than from seed. Silver beet, Kale (dark green wild cabbage) and Baby Beets, which I bought at my local farmers' market for $3 a punnet have all done well.
Whether from seed or seedlings, all four beds were neatly planted by the end of February for the Autumn/Winter season.

Bed 1: Fallow Crop / Green manure from seed
Bed 2: Summer Crops: Tomatoes, Basil, Silver beet and Salad Greens from seedlings
Bed 3: Autumn/Winter Crops: Snow Peas and Beetroot from seed, Silver beet from seedlings, a Pumpkin from wild seed, Celery and Brussel Sprouts from seedlings
Bed 4: Autumn/Winter Crops: Lettuce from seed, Kale and Baby Beets from seedlings

Now it was just a matter of occassionally watering, feeding, weeding and waiting....honestly the soil, the sunshine and the rain have done most of the work.
About six to eight weeks later, we began to see some results and this is what the garden looks like today.

We have enjoyed an abundance of Silver beet and Kale and the Baby Beets are just about ready for eating, the Snow Pea plants are also starting to produce.
The only pest problem we have experienced so far, is some white cabbage butterflies on the Kale, which have left us with some hungry little green grubs, who seem to enjoy the Kale! So I will need to explore some organic options to wipe them out!

Silverbeet

Baby Beets and Kale

Baby Beets

Snow Pea Plants producing

It has been both a delightful and rewarding learning experience, growing our own herbs, fruit and vegetables. Whilst we are still needing to purchase the majority of our weekly fruit and vege, we look forward to the seasons to come, when we can grow more and more produce ourselves.

Check out Jane collecting the harvest:

A day in the Margaret River Region of Western Australia

2011-06-16T11:54:00.013+10:00

To celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary, in February this year, Paul and I did a children free, whirlwind five day trip to Western Australia's Margaret River region together. A Friday midday flight from Sydney to Perth, saw us arriving in Perth four hours later, just after midday Perth time. We jumped in a car and drove 3hrs south, down the South Western Hwy, to the Western Australian South West Coast. A quick stop in the coastal town of Bunbury for a late lunch, we then took the Bussell Hwy down to the Margaret River town, arriving there by 4pm on Day One.
There are two roads you can use to access this area of the South West Coast, either the Bussell Hwy or Caves Rd, both are sprinkled with vineyards, olive groves, breweries and places to dine & stay. We chose to enter the area on the Bussell Hwy and leave three days later via the more coastal and scenic Caves Rd.
We arrived at our accommodation at Margarets Beach Resort at Gnarabup, right on the coast, located about ten minutes drive further south of the Margaret River town. Lovely self contained apartments, reasonably priced, well located to access both the coast and all this area has on offer, with a lovely restaurant on site Gnarabar Restaurant.
Rising earlier than anticipated on Day Two (due to a phone call from our children, who neglected to realise that WA is three hours behind Sydney/NSW time, so when they call us at 8.30am, it is still 5.30am in WA ...I'll say no more on that!) we discovered a hidden treasure! After a ten minute walk from our apartment to breathtaking Gnarabup Bay and an early morning swim, we found a lovely spot to breakfast at White Elephant Beach Cafe.

Unbelievable location right on the pristine beach, it was hard to believe that just 24hours before, we were sitting at Sydney airport waiting to board our plane and now we were here, enjoying a delicious breakfast as we gazed at the aqua blue sea, on the other side of Australia!
Fresh juices

Vegetarian Feast of Poached Eggs served with a Polenta cake, avocado & mushrooms $16

Scrambled Eggs on toasted Ciabiatta with Roasted tomatoes $12

Next, as we headed in to explore the Margaret River town, we saw a sign pointing us to the Margaret River Farmers' Market, Saturday 8am -12pm with over forty stalls displaying their passion for local produce!

Needless to say we detoured and enjoyed tasting and buying some lovely local produce; woodfired breads & local blueberries.

Next stop was in to the Margaret River town, browsing the shops and a visit to the Margaret River Bakery, a great place to stop for breakfast, lunch or for some freshly baked produce.

Although we had come to the Margaret River region to celebrate and enjoy the fresh local produce, both food and wine, that we had heard so much about. We were equally impressed and somewhat astounded, at the beauty of this stretch of coastline, its incredible beaches and National parks. We opted to delay the wineries for now and instead enjoy the sunshine and saltwater, by spending the rest of the day discovering and swimming on the amazing coast. These three coastal spots below were five minutes drive apart from one another!
Prevelly Beach

Surfers Point (which was also a beautiful spot later at sunset)

Margaret River Mouth.

Must Margaret River was our early dinner destination, a lovely vibrant restaurant and wine bar in the main street of the Margaret River town.

We enjoyed a glass of local wine with
Angel Hair Pasta tossed with Blue Manna Crab
with Tomato, Chilli, Basil, Cream & 34deg South Olive Oil $23/$39

Pan Fried Potato Gnocchi tossed with Truss Tomatoes, Ringwood Goat Blanc, Fried Sage and 10yr old Balsamic $18/$32

A drive by Surfers Point to see the sunset concluded Day Two, we had already exceeded all our expectations of this region and we had only just begun!

There'll be lots more to read & see, in next month's post, including all we got up to on Day Three & Four of our delightful time in WA South West.

First the Chickens have arrived, then the Eggs!

2011-05-30T12:48:00.012+10:00

The backyard vegetable garden is well and truly underway and now our chickens have arrived.
Yes, seven lovely chickens, who are already producing an abundance of chook poo to fertilise the garden and will in time hopefully be abundant egg producers as well!

After a little research, mainly from chatting with friends, who already have chickens, I decided it was time. A couple of weekend's of preparation from Paul and I, such as purchasing a coop and constructing a dog (Logan) proof fence, hand painting some signs and purchasing feeder & water containers, we were ready to pick up our new chickens.

We bought our chickens from Daniel & staff at New Leaf Nursery and Landscapes at Ingleside. They were so helpful in advising me about types, age, feed & care of the chickens.
We have chosen two breeds "Isa Brown" and "Black Australorp", as they are supposedly the best layers. The chickens were born on the 10th March and remained in Daniel's care at the nursery, under lights until 7 weeks of age. When they were ready to be outside permanently, we bought them home to their new home, the "Hen House" in our backyard.

We were all very excited when they arrived and the kids got into naming them and holding them, once we could catch them!

They really are fascinating animals and big time wasters, just watching how they behave and interact.

It has been a lot of fun for us all and we have realised just how many sayings have clearly originated from the days where everyone had a Hen House...."flown the coop", "the grass is always greener on the other side", "Pecking order", "Sticking your neck out" and "Hen pecked" to name a few.
We waited a day or two, before introducing the chickens to our Golden Retriever X Standard Poodle (Groodle) Dog, "Logan" who incidentally eats raw chicken for breakfast most mornings, thus the need for dog proof fence construction!!!

They are still working one another out, some days I think the chickens are frightened of her (the dog), then the next day it becomes clear she is frightened of them! A couple of the Isa Brown's "Speckle" and "Salt", seem undeterred by the size of Logan and continue to stick their necks through the fence and check her out! They occassionally peck at her and even chase her away! Clearly these brave ones are yet to realise, that she may just bite their heads off, maybe they are just "playing chicken"!

We all contributed names and our seven chickens are now known as "Pepper", "Salt", "Gertrude", "Mabel", "Ginger", "Jemima" and "Speckle".
At time of writing, our chickens are now over 11 weeks old, apparently they lay eggs around 20 -22 weeks of age. So for now we are loving them, feeding them and letting them settle in to their new home, in anticipation of many eggs to come!

We even got them a laying box made out of recycled fence pailings to give them some comfort and get them in the mood!

Although, it now seems, whether the eggs arrive or not, the chickens are right at home with us and us with them.

New Leaf Nursery and Landscapes
224 Powderworks Road, Ingleside NSW 2101
Daniel Yakich
Ph: (02) 9913 3709
M: 0414 696 930
info@newleafnursery.com.au

Mexican Tapas Style at Mexicano, North Narrabeen Beach

2011-05-17T22:09:00.010+10:00

On the recommendation of a few, we headed just up the road from our place, beachside to a newish local restaurant Mexicano to sample Mexican food tapas style.

Ex-Rockpool chef Sean Prenter has bought Mexican to the beach and this North Narrabeen restaurant serves succulent spicy corn on the cob, fresh and fragrant tapas, hand-rolled tortilla's and delicious cocktails.

We enjoyed the shared plates of fresh and tasty food, with a lovely balance of herb and spice. Dining on a Tuesday night, the place was still close to full and buzzing. We found the staff and service friendly, efficient and also very helpful when working out what and how much to order.
We started with
"Street Style Grilled Corn with Chipotle Mayonnaise - Lime and Cheese" $5 per piece
It was expensive corn on the cob....ahhh but it was worth it, juicy, spicy and spectacular.

Then we chose three items from the
Tapas Style / $12 a plate
"Guacamole/Tomato Salsa and Fresh Corn Chips"
Really lovely fresh corn chips, creamy Guacamole and spicy salsa!
"Spicy Beef Chimichangas with Cucumber Salsa"
Beware of the chilli factor in the cucumber salsa!

"Mexicano Style Chilli Salt Squid - Crisp with Lime"
Tender Squid with a creamy dipping sauce.

Chefs Special $16
"Grilled King Prawns - Pine nuts - Raisins - Ancho Chilli
Really fresh prawns with crunchy tail shells and great fragrant flavours.

Quesadillas $14 (12 inch Flour Tortilla grilled with filling)
"Black Bean - Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder - Farm Cheese"
These were amazing, tender pork, black beans and cheese in a soft tortilla grilled.

Soft Shell Tacos (3) per plate $16 Tortillas are Hand rolled Daily using Corn (Masa Flour and Wheat Flour)
"Grilled Chicken Achiote Farm Cheese - Salsa Mexicana"
These lovely little hand rolled and char grilled tortillas were filled with succulent chicken and spicy salsa with fresh herbs.

Mexicano was a wonderful experience, I loved the food, it was certainly a fresh and enjoyable way to go Mexican. The tapas style shared plates means you can try lots of different things and not over eat!
The menu provides lots of choices, plus a great range of sides, as well as a kids menu. Delicious hand made desserts are also on offer if you can fit it in!
I am excited at the thought of visiting again soon and even more so in the summer months, walking up to the beach, to enjoy some fresh Mexican food in the outdoor dining section as well.
It would definitely be a good idea to book ahead as I think this place is only going to grow in popularity. Trading hours are Tues-Sun 6PM-10PM
Mexicano
2/205-209 Ocean Street, Narrabeen
Narrabeen, 2101
ph: (02) 9970 8975

Breakfast at Wild Food Cafe, Bowral NSW

2011-05-05T11:20:00.010+10:00

The Southern Highlands of NSW is such a beautiful place to visit. A one and a half hour easy drive south of Sydney, transports you into another world.

Lush countryside, beautiful gardens, gorgeous old weatherboard cottages, historical sites & heritage villages, known for their old worlde charm.

Amongst it all is some integral food producers, farmers markets and great places to eat out.
On an unexpected visit to the town of Bowral about 18 months ago now, I discovered in the main street of town Wild Food Natural Health Market, an amazing store selling organic fruit and vegetables, groceries, including meat, dairy and deli products. There is also a Naturopath dispensary and the Wild Food Cafe.

We passed through Bowral after picking up our youngest son from a holiday camp, a long way from home, just a little earlier than planned or anticipated. The upside of this was, Jake and I had a special breakfast at Wild Food Cafe together and it was a wonderful experience.
I have visited Bowral twice since then, once for a "Girl's Weekend Away" with my sister and our daughter's in October last year and then again in January this year on our way to the NSW South Coast. I do love the town of Bowral and each time I have stopped there, we've had a lovely breakfast at Wild Food Cafe.
The Market and Cafe are open seven days, the Market opens from 8am to 6pm, whilst the Cafe is open 8am to 5pm Mon - Fri, until 4pm on Saturday & Sunday, and also re opens Friday and Saturday nights for Wild Nights Dinner from 6pm.

The Market stocks a large selection of Organic Fruit and Vegetables.

There is also an abundant range of organic groceries, including many products from local producers.

The Cafe has both an indoor and outdoor seating area.
The decor is really clean and modern with a wild jungle theme.

There are large leaves painted on walls and shelving units, colourful cushions and little monkey's on each table for the table numbers.

The staff are extremely friendly, the food is fresh and delicious, you can enjoy fresh juices & fruit smoothies, sumptuous cakes and I have been assured the coffee is great too!

Here is a selection of the breakfast fare we've sampled on our three visits!
Organic Scrambled Eggs with Roasted Tomato on Wholemeal Grain Toast $15

Ricotta Cheese Blintz
Pillows of Ricotta with a hint of citrus wrapped in Organic crepes served with fresh fruit $15

Eggs Benedict
Poached Eggs with your choice of Bacon, Tazzie Smoked Salmon or Florentine(baby spinach leaves), with our luscious Wild Hollandaise Sauce. $17
with Bacon

with Spinach

Cinnamon French Toast with Fresh Organic Fruit and Canadian Maple syrup $12

There were many other great choices we are yet to try, such as Organic Wild Muesli, Grilled Polenta and Organic Mushrooms with Roast Capsicum and Feta, Wild Omelet of your choice or Buckwheat Crepes with Bacon and/or Fresh Organic Fruit served with Canadian Maple Syrup.
This cafe is serving great food, which is good for you and it's great value! You definitely would find it worth stopping at, next time you visit or pass through the lovely town of Bowral.
We also visited Bowral Public School Farmers Market,
Bendooley Street Bowral NSW, which are held the second Saturday of every month.
For more information on Farmers Markets or Foodie things to do in Bowral check out these sites below.

Wild Food Natural Health Market and Wild Food Cafe
250 Bong Bong Street
Bowral NSW 2576, Australia
phone:(02) 4861 2838

Southern Highlands Farmers Markets
Food Path
Southern Highlands Food & Wine Trails

Building Your Own Vegetable Garden from Scratch

2011-04-26T13:03:00.017+10:00

In November last year I attended a full day class with The Veggie Lady , Toni Salter in her own backyard. I learnt so much in the "Backyard Veggies 1 Class" and left equipped, keen to have a go myself, at planning and building my own vegetable garden, in my own backyard.
You can take a look at what the class actually covered in my previous post
"A Day Out with The Veggie Lady" maybe it is something, you would also enjoy doing for a day out.
After a couple of weeks of family Summer holiday break on the NSW South Coast, we returned home and spent a few days at the end of January, building our own vegetable garden!
First we picked a very sunny spot, we have a section of our yard that gets the north sun for most of the day. My lovely neighbour Kerry, who is a veteran at growing her own vegetables, had previously told me that if she had our property "she'd grow veges right there in the front yard", so that is where we chose to locate our beds.
First up we took a trip to the recycling yard at the end of Oxford Falls Rd, and picked up some second hand hardwood.

Then we borrowed our neighbour Fred's electric saw, Fred is the neighbour who has every tool you need for every job! I then called in my husband Paul and younger son Jake's muscle power, for the task of using the saw and cutting the timber. We measured twice and then cut once and things began to take shape.

We built our four garden beds on the no dig principle, which I learnt about at Toni's class. Using neighbour Fred's wheelbarrow (as well), I wheel barrowed in some soil to level the ground before beginning.

After enquiring as to the best way to hold the timber beds together, I purchased some star pickets and coach bolts from my local hardware shop and we fixed the timber beds together.
I hammered in the star pickets.

My husband then drilled some holes at each end, of each piece of timber.

Then we secured each corner with a galvanised coach bolt.

The no dig garden consists of layers and the beauty of it is, you save a lot of effort and energy as you don't need to dig up the ground before starting.
The first layer was 10 layers of sheets of wet newspaper. (I had been saving the local newspaper for about a month for this purpose, even more recycling, Yay!)

The next layer was 10cm of Organic Lucerne, which I purchased from my local nursery.
(That is our dog Logan there too, as usual supervising my work in the garden!)

Then a layer of compost, which I had available from my own composting.

Alternately you can purchase a product called "Green Life" from your local landscape supplier or from your local tip if they sell landscaping supplies. Kimbriki tip on Mona Vale Rd, does and it is good value by the trailer load.

Then a layer of 10cm of Organic Sugar Cane Mulch, which I also purchased from my local nursery.

Then a layer of "Green Life" or any rich organic matter/soil.

Then finally a surface mulch layer of Organic Sugar Cane Mulch to finish.

There it is, our vegetable garden ready for planting, and just like it is with cooking, it is also with gardening..."its all in the preparation folks!"
Next time I'll share my experiences with, growing from seed, planting seedlings and the joyful part, the first harvest we enjoyed at our table.
Have you ever grown your own veges?

Rick Stein's Food Odyssey live on Stage at the Sydney Opera House.

2011-04-19T14:09:00.012+10:00

So lets get it out of the way straight up....despite your wonderful support readers, Rick didn't pick my Blog post of Barramundi with a Macadamia Crust & chips for the "Ultimate Australian Dish"
The Sydney winner of the Australia's Food Blogger's "Ultimate Australian Dish" was Shez Lee http://www.onebitemore.com. with her memories & recipe for Peach Melba Parfait! Congratulations Shez!
However, last night Jane Cooks did attend the Rick Stein Food Odyssey live on stage at the Sydney Opera House, with my gorgeous daughter Molly. We frocked up us gals, with touches of red and our black boots on, and we went harbour side to enjoy the show!

As promised here's a bit of a snap shot of the show for my readers!
The Sydney Opera House is such a magnificent venue and with last night's mild Autumn evening and full moon over the water, it was simply a stunning place to be.

The stage did look magnificent, lots of "by the sea" touches and a well equipped kitchen for the full program ahead.

It was just about a packed house for the show, which was hosted by the lovely Deborah Hutton.
The evening began with Deborah and Rick having a casual chat, about how he got started in restaurants, writing cook books and appearing on his countless TV series'.

It was another example of humble beginnings, starting small and then a continuing life journey, which has lead to his current success, yes Rick has been working in and running restaurants for 35 years now!
Rick was then joined on stage by friend and colleague, Paul Sellars (aka Salty Sellars) a chef who has worked alongside Rick since the beginning.

The evening was a journey of food dishes and video footage of Rick's journey from his home town Padstow, Cornwall in the UK, though many countries and TV series, to arrive in Australia.

It was a seafood extravaganza from one dish to the next!
We began with France and two dishes one with scallops, the other mussels, with lots of tips on seafood and how best to cook it from Rick.

We then got a sneak preview of a series he has recently filmed and soon to be aired on TV, of his journey through Spain. Stories of his time in a camper van, as well as a lovely dish of clams.
Whilst doing a quick demo for the audience on how to fillet a fish,
Rick also talked of how he has recently begun a cooking school in the UK, which "Salty" is now over seeing.
There was a mention and some tribute footage to his dear dog "Chalkie" who has appeared in many of his TV series with him over the years.

We also got to see some great "blooper" footage of Rick trying to get the right words out in a filming session, lots of fun and liberating to see that even for those who make it look so easy, filming these journeys has its moments!
Rick then demonstrated cleaning a squid and cooked a lovely dish of Semolina crumbed seafood, shallow fryed in Olive Oil and served with lemon. It was so simple and yet so fresh!

On two occasions guests in the audience were invited to the table on stage to try some of the food.

Next stop was the Mediterranean, Greece, in particular Corfu. A visit to some olive groves and watching a local woman make a delicious dish of mashed potato, garlic, lemon and olive oil in a mortar and pestle.

On to Sri Lanka and lots of spices, a lovely seafood curry. ( which at times appears on the menu at his NSW South Coast Mollymook Restaurant "Bannisters")

Then to Vietnam, Cambodia for a pungent dish of Blackened Pepper Blue Swimmer Crab.

Finally to Sydney, and a visit to the Sydney Fish Markets. Rick claims that Sydney Fish Market is one of the best in the world, and that there is nothing like it in the UK or in many parts of the world.
This led to the final cooking challenge of the evening where Deborah Hutton, presented Rick and "Salty" with a basket of fresh whole fish from the markets and gave them eight minutes to cook a dish of their choice each!

This part of the show was a lot of fun, as the two cooked, bantered and at times attempted to sabotage one anothers efforts, as they cooked their chosen dish, while the clock ticked.
It was a fun night out and inspiring to see the many and varied places Rick has visited, the local people and how they cook their local produce.
Rick is about to begin filming a series in Australia, so look out for him, he is sure to be travelling the coast and cooking up some local Australian Seafood!

Pick me Rick!

2011-03-29T14:45:00.017+11:00

Did you know that Rick Stein is here in Australia right now?
Rick Stein, celebrity chef, is the co-owner of four restaurants in Padstow, an olde worlde fishing port in North Cornwall, England, and has also written eleven cookery books, recorded several cookery TV series' and a couple of one off documentaries.
Rick Stein has more recently put his name to the lovely boutique hotel and restaurant, Bannisters in Mollymook, on the picturesque NSW South Coast. We recently visited Bannisters on our NSW South Coast road trip and mentioned our visit in a recent post Foodie Highlights on the NSW South Coast.
Rick Stein's Food Odyssey live on stage, will allow you to see Rick cooking live on stage, across Australia for the first time. He is in Perth this week, then travels to Melbourne, Brisbane and finally arrives at the Sydney Opera House, for one show on April 18th.

As part of the tour promotion, Rick is giving Australia's top food bloggers a chance to present to him their "Ultimate Australian dish"! The only requirement being, "If you're based in Australia and love to cook, and write about it, you will want to be a part of this."
The winner receives;
•Your blog post and recipe inserted in the program of your nearest city for Rick Stein's Food Odyssey Australian tour - a chance to have your words printed alongside one of the world's top chefs, and read by some of the country's biggest foodies! We'll also include the address of your blog – a great way to promote it and increase your readers.
•Two tickets to see Rick Stein's Food Odyssey on stage in the Australian city closest to you (airfare and accommodation not included)
•1x Signed program
•Rick Stein cookery book
•Special sponsor gifts

So I thought I would have a go!
I mean win it or not, I'll be grabbing tickets to be at the Opera House on April 18th to enjoy the show. I'll definitely follow up with a post to share with you the highlights!
Now, the big question for me.... what to cook?
On Rick's website it says, "His passion is still for seafood; as he says, “nothing is more exhilarating than fresh fish simply cooked.”"
I wondered, would I dare cook seafood, fresh fish simply cooked, for the master of seafood Rick Stein? For those readers who do know me, you know I do love a challenge and so YES, if that's Rick's passion, Australian produce can certainly present him with some amazing seafood.
The competition does not require you to cook your own recipe, but rather any recipe that you consider ultimately Australian and then blog about it! Although I do write the recipes for eighty percent of what I cook these days, I never stop learning and do love to try new recipes that catch my attention.
I currently subscribe to ABC delicious, they have some great fresh simple recipes, utilising seasonal produce.
I came across this simple fish recipe in their February 2011 edition of the mag, in the "tuesday night cooking" section; a recipe from Valli Little, Jessica Brook & Phoebe Wood on page 114.
I have cooked this dish a couple of times now and to me, it is a great combination of Australian produce and flavours. So I contacted Valli Little, Food Director at Delicious and asked if I could use this recipe for my entry in the "Ultimate Australian dish".

(Photography Ben Dearley, Styling David Morgan, taken from Delicious magazine February 2011 page 115)

Macadamia-crusted fish with herb salad (gluten free)
Serves 4
2 cups (300g) unsalted macadamia nuts
1 garlic clove, chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch each flat leaf parsley and chives
4 x 160g skinless barramundi fillets
50g mixed salad leaves

Preheat oven to 200 deg C and line a tray with baking paper. Place nuts, garlic, zest, half the juice and 1 tbs oil into a small food processor and whiz into a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl and season. Finely chop 2 tbs each parsley & chives and stir in.
Place fish on tray and press nut mixture onto top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden and the fish is opaque.
Pick the remaining parsley leaves and halve chives.
Toss with salad leaves, remaining oil and lemon juice.
Season, then serve with fish and lemon wedges.

This is such a simple recipe that boasts Australia!
Barramundi, Macadamia Nuts, Lemons and fresh salad greens and herbs.
I asked a few family and friends the question this week, "If you were thinking Australia and I said fish, what's the first thought that comes to your head?"
Barramundi was the unanimous answer!
"What about nuts?"
Macadamia won the vote!
"If I was to ask you what citrus tree would most Aussies have growing in their backyard, what would you say?"
Of course, a Lemon tree next to the Hills Hoist was most popular!
This dish is definitely the "Ultimate Australian Dish"
When cooking this dish I used salad greens and herbs from my little vege patch at home!

My addition to this already amazing dish, was some chunky hand cut potato chips! For me, fish and chips go together; always have, always will!
I used 6 large potatoes, peeled them, cut them into chunky chips, and then steamed them.

Then I tossed them in a little extra virgin olive oil and baked them in a 200 deg C oven, in a heavy baking tray for 30 minutes.
Seasoned with some Murray River Salt flakes.

So I made this "Ultimate Australian Dish" for lunch today, photographed it for the blog post and then ate a serve as a taste test!

The combination of the crunch of the macadamias, the zest and tang of the lemon & herbs, with the succulent barramundi was luscious . The salad and herb leaves with lemon juice and a little Rylstone Olive Press Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus the piping hot, crunchy, chunky chips made the perfect accompaniment to the fish.
I served up the "Ultimate Australian dish" on some old style brown paper, grabbed a fork and headed out to the back deck to photograph and then taste.
For me Australian produce, locally grown, freshly harvested and simply cooked is unbeatable. When I cook I want to do as little to the food as possible, as I firmly believe, when you are utilising wholefoods in season "you should let the food do the talking".

I took some shots and then tucked in, it was so delicious, that I ended up devouring the lot!

I cooked and served the remaining three portions for the family dinner tonight and asked for their descriptive words as feedback.
"Fresh, "juicy", "vibrant", "flavoursome", "crunchy", "sweet",
"melt in your mouth" and "so nice" were amongst the comments.
The best comment of all came from my husband, who is a big fan of both barramundi and macadamias, it's "Bloody Beautiful" he said, which only confirms it is the "Ultimate Australian dish".
Pick me Rick!

Our Wedding Anniversary Lunch at Cullen Winery, Wilyabrup, Margaret River WA.

2011-03-14T12:35:00.017+11:00

Well it has been a full past month, we celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary in early February, then my 43rd birthday in early March. This past week we attended a funeral of a friend, who sadly & suddenly died too young, leaving a beautiful wife and three teenage children behind. It was a wonderful celebration of Gary's life, all he had lived and loved and the amazing legacy he has left on the earth. Then on the weekend I enjoyed attending the wedding ceremony of another dear friend's, 22yr old son Jesse, who married a beautiful young lady Kirrily, under the shade of a grand old tree in Whitely Gardens, Lavender Bay, with views across Sydney Harbour. I do love a wedding and all the excitment and promise it brings, as two people dedicate themselves to one another for life.
We celebrated our 20yr anniversary of our marriage, by leaving our three children behind (in the care of others!) and flying to Perth. We then drove three hours south to the South West of WA, to the magnificent Margaret River region. We really made sure we got away didn't we!!
When reading Kylie Kwong's book "It Tastes Better" earlier this year, I read about the Cullen family and their Biodynamic Winery in the Margaret River region of Western Australia. When Paul said he would take me to the Margaret River region for our 20yr celebration, immediately I rang Cullen Winery and booked Sunday lunch in the Restaurant, as well as a tour of their biodynamic vegetable garden & winery.
The winery is located on Caves Rd, in the town of Wilyabrup, near Cowaramump, don't you just love the indigenous names of these towns. After a mid morning swim at a gorgeous beach called Gracetown, we travelled about ten minutes further up Caves Rd, to arrive at the winery.

The restaurant is set in a large stone building that adjoins the winery, there is a cellar door as you enter, for wine tastings, ably run by Cellar Door Manager - Collette Goddard. You then have the choice to dine indoors,

out on the veranda,

or under the trees in the garden.
Wherever you dine you can enjoy a picturesque view of the vineyards.
We were seated in the garden much to my delight, under the shade of a big old tree. We began with some sparkling mineral water and a glass of Mangan Vineyard Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009.

The Summer menu offered a delightful variety of produce, both from the biodynamic veggie garden on site, as well as from the local producers of the region. I could see we were definitely going to be up for enjoying three courses!
Paul chose to begin with a combination of local seafood & fresh vegetables,
"Local Augusta Abalone with Daikon Radish, Cuttlefish with Chilli, Garlic & Cuttlefish Ink Dressing, Seared Scallop with Cucumber, Seaweed & Miso Dressing" $21.00

Delicious flavours with tender seafood, I scored a little taste!
I had a special of the day for my starter!
"Grilled Seasonal Vegetables from the garden with Olive Oil dressing & 'Over The Moon' Feta" $18.00

Talk about fresh vegetables, crunchy zucchini, green beans, zucchini flowers and succulent tomatoes, picked fresh from the garden that morning.
For our main course
Paul enjoyed more seafood....
"Local Whiting with Quinoa, Preserved Lemon, Almond & Snow Pea Salad" $38

This was an amazing dish, the combination of flavours was a hit and the fish was fresh as, plus had been cooked beautifully, so still moist. I had two tastes of this!
Paul also ordered a garden salad, not being able to resist the idea of eating a salad, sourced from the garden that morning!

I ordered the lamb, which had been sourced from a local farm just up the road!
"Lamb Rump with Potato & Mint Ravioli, Pea Puree, baby Carrot & Red Wine Jus" $36

It was absolutely delicious, the lamb tender and flavoursome and the little ravioli parcels & pea puree were a perfect accompaniment.
We enjoyed some Wilyabrup rainwater from the tank on site in between, and decided to share just one dessert.
We couldn't go past the local produce again...
"Honey Ice cream with praline & sun dried apricots" $14

It really was a magnificent meal, coupled with the sunny day, gorgeous back drop, delightful company and no need to hurry, it turned into a magnificent celebration.
The staff were extremely relaxed and friendly, whilst maintaining excellent service.
From those waiting on the tables, the kitchen team headed up by Chef Matt Egan, the cellar door staff managed by Collette & the vegetable garden looked after by Gemma, Vanya Cullen & family have developed a passionate and dedicated team at Cullen.
I would highly recommend a visit to Cullen Winery Restaurant, if you are in the Margaret river region.
We had also pre booked a tour of the Vegetable garden & Winery when we made our lunch reservation. Collette kindly showed us around and shared some of the history of the Cullen family and the biodynamic practices they have adopted at the vineyard.
History of the Cullen Family
Summer Harvest in the Vegetable garden...

zucchinis

tomatoes

herbs

Spinach

Then we ventured to see where the grapes are processed and the wines are produced. Trolleys of freshly picked grapes, waiting to be sorted, squeezed & strained

Grapes are sorted by hand and then crushed by machine & strained.

What a treat, Collette let us sample the resulting grape juice, that would become the wine...so sweet and refreshing!

We completed our visit with a wine tasting of the latest release Cullen wines at the Cellar Door and then purchased a couple of bottles of wine to bring home. One special bottle of red to cellar and then share for our 25th Wedding Anniversary!
Cullen Wines
We were totally impressed with the WA South West coastline, beautiful beaches, Grand National parks & lighthouses, along with an abundance of fresh local produce, restaurants, winerys & brewerys & no crowds! Our three days there only gave us the taste for more and I'll tell you more of the region next time I write on the South West of WA!

Cullen Winery
Caves Road, Cowaramup PO Box 17,
Cowaramup Western Australia 6284
Ph (08) 9755 5277 Fax (08) 9755 5550
E-mail: enquiries@cullenwines.com.au
Restaurant bookings: (08) 9755 5656
www.cullenwines.com.au

We climbed Pigeon House Mountain on the NSW South Coast!

2011-02-10T15:19:00.015+11:00

An overcast day on our recent road trip to the NSW South Coast, meant we could take the day to climb Pigeon House Mountain, a bush walk/climb that had been recommended by a Sydney friend.

Pigeon House Mountain is located in the Buderwang Wildness Area, in the Morton National Park. Coming from Sydney, exit the Princes Hwy at Milton NSW and take Croobyar Road. Follow it to the junction of Woodstock Road. Continue along Woodstock/Woodburn Road to the junction of Clyde Ridge Road and make a right hand turn to the west (15.5km from the highway turnoff).
The Clyde Ridge Road is followed for 8.5 km until another right hand turn is made into Yadboro Road. Then 4.4km further along the Yadboro Road is the turnoff to the Pigeon House car park.
It is a partly unsealed road and although it is not limited strictly to 4WD, in wet weather in a 2WD, you may struggle.
The climb itself is not recommended in wet weather as the final summit can get very slippery, especially on the staircases! (but more about the staircases soon!)
We utilised a great website with very accurate info TrekandClimbs.com
for both driving directions and information on the climb itself.
The walk is considered a medium day walk and takes approx. 3-4hrs.

We did the walk with two of our children aged 12yrs and 15yrs, so we were fully prepared with plenty of water, a picnic lunch, fruit & healthy snacks. Sensible closed in walking shoes, hats and long trousers. I also lugged my SLR camera up and down, for the benefit of my readers!!

The climb begins with a fairly arduous up hill climb for about the first half hour, depending on how fit you are and whether you need to stop for a drink & breather, it may take a little longer. We were passed by a couple of fit, young guys, strong as an ox, who were actually running the climb!
We paced ourselves, mainly because we were not 100% sure what was ahead of us! Oh and because I am fit, but not that fit!

During this initial climb there is some wooden staircases and a few boulders to climb up!

Eventually, you get some reprieve and you travel through a flat/ridge section, that is more bush walking than climbing.

This lovely interlude, with an abundance of pretty wildflowers and even a wild orchid, was lots of fun and we skipped along enjoying the ease of it all!

But like all interludes it came to an end and we moved back into the main performance!
A light mist began to fall, which we later confirmed was not rain, but rather the moisture coming from the clouds hanging not far above us!!

A series of metal staircases were now before us to enable as to summit Pigeon House Mountain, at this point I realised afresh "Oh yes Jane, we are climbing a mountain, and it is going to be an ascent, which means up and often steep!!"

The first staircases seemed OK, hold on don't look down I thought, then progressively they became more challenging and don't look down was definitely the family motto!

then came the metal ladders on the side of the rock face...What the ???

Followed by a couple of metal bridges

and suddenly....."in that it has been a long climb but now we've made it", sort of way, we reached the summit!

It was a little disappointing that due to the weather that day, we were literally amongst the clouds at the summit. So the sweeping views that we were promised, were clouded and it was just all white!
We had a laugh with the other five climbers, who were also at the summit, that we had climbed all this way to see nothing much! One lovely lady shared her home made Tamari almonds with us! I then told her I was a real foodie and it was worth the two hour climb, just to taste her almonds!
We then began our descent, which was more challenging than the climb in some ways, as you knew what was ahead now!

We stopped for our picnic once we had descended the many staircases and then continued downwards to the car park.

It was a great day of adventure and a family achievement to reach the top, whilst at the same time our older son, had summitted Mt Kinabalu in Borneo just days before.
Warning: It is advised that this is not a good climb for children under 6-8yrs of age, as some of the higher staircases, could result in a serious fall and emergency rescue access would be limited.
Ps. *If you suffer from fear of heights...the staircases may present a challenge!

What can you pack into three Days in Mollymook, Narrawallee & Milton?

2011-02-03T15:05:00.014+11:00

First stop on our recent NSW South Coast Road Trip was a pretty little place called Mollymook. About 2 1/2hrs drive from Sydney, it sits on the coast nestled between the historic town of Milton and the bustling harbour of Ulladulla.
We stayed at a comfortable motel for two nights, just up the road from the beach. There is plenty of motels, apartments & holiday rentals to choose from, all a stone's throw from the beach and in peak holiday times it is a popular place to stay.
After a swim and a surf on the long board at the South end of Mollymook beach, we made the trip back inland five minutes to check out the historic town of Milton and it did not disappoint!
A main street dotted with antique stores, vintage clothing stores, a great surf wear shop, cafes and ice creamery's, plus your essentials like an IGA, ATMs, butcher and baker.
I was wrapped to find first up Merry Maidens' Veggies

a lovely little shop in town, selling local fresh produce, both organic & biodynamic and a selection of wholefoods.

Owner Louise Tucker has her own farm five minutes out of town and grows the lions share of the fresh produce herself to sell in the shop, with contributions also coming from other local farms.

It was a pleasure to meet Louise and hear some of her story. So impressed by the quality and flavour of her produce, we made three visits to her store as we travelled up and down the coast, during our two weeks away. I would have to say that her fresh produce was some of the most amazing I have ever tasted.
On our first visit we bought some incredible salad leaves, on our second visit I asked Louise "where do you get these salad leaves from?" her reply "I grow them myself, I was up early this morning picking them for the shop sales today!!!!" I was speechless and this only further inspired me to begin growing more of my own produce at home.

Her produce is grown Bio Dynamically with the Australian Demeter Method, quality produce from ecological and sustainable production methods. Some refer to it as the "Rolls Royce of Organics". For those of you who are interested in knowing more take a look at www.demeter.org
If your travelling South and you want some real "straight from the farm fresh produce" visit Merry Maidens' Veggies, thank you Louise you truly are an inspiration.
(Travel Tip: Although the address for Merry Maidens' Veggies is on the Princes Highway, Louise's shop is set back from the main road in an arcade, it was a little difficult to find the first time, but persist and if necessary ask a local!)

A lovely place to visit and take it all in, was the Milton Village Green,

a green space with chairs, tables, cafes with a view inland and an amazing Coastal Indulgence Ice Creamery & Juice Bar,

located in the Village Green Space, keeping me & the kids happy at the same time!

Another place that caught our eye as we strolled through town, was the Milton Woodfire Pizza Cafe.

It was such a popular spot to eat dinner, we had to book in for the following night to get a table. Delicious Pizzas and Salads,

friendly staff, you order and pay at the counter and its CASH ONLY, which we came to realise was quite a common thing, in the casual eateries we visited on the South Coast.
Our final eating out experience in Milton was Pilgrims Vegetarian Cafe,

which is open until 3pm for lunch, eat in or take away and then reopens at 6pm for dinner as a Mexican Restaurant.

Now before you skim this bit, because you are not interested in Vegetarian Fare...let me just say, if you were going to dip your toe into the waters of some Vegetarian nosh, this would so be the place to start.

We had lunch at Pilgrims, which for us was some amazing burgers & juices, there are also wraps and pies, salads, smoothies, shakes, coffee, brownies and slices.

They also sell the famous Berry Woodfired Sour Dough to take home. Although we did not eat at the Mexican Restaurant in the evening (this trip!!!), it was buzzing and the menu and food we saw when we wandered past looked yum! Everyone we spoke to over those two weeks away, both local and tourist said "When you went to Milton... Did you go to Pilgrims?" which possibly explains why the place was continually packed out day & night!

On our way back from Milton to Mollymook, we took a short detour to Narrawallee beach, a local friend put us onto it and it was a hidden treasure.

Molly and I enjoyed an early morning surf there on day two, whilst Paul and Jake did some fishing at the Narrawallee Creek inlet, at the end of Matron Porter Drive.

Our final foodie experience, before heading further south, was breakfast at Rick Stein's Bannisters Restaurant.

Being that the restaurant is reasonably formal

and quite expensive and we had two kids with us, we opted to have breakfast there.

It was a beautiful place to visit, with views from both indoor and outdoor seating.
Apparently it also has a Pizza Bar open from 5pm!
It would be an amazing place to stay as a couple for a special occasion and relax, with lovely coastal views and secluded accommodation and pool. Next visit to Mollymook I'll go for dinner, without the kids and let you know how it is... maybe we could even stay a night? maybe we might even spot Rick Stein!

So there's our highlights of the first three days of our road trip South, of course there is no doubt, so much more to do, see and eat in Mollymook, Narrawallee and Milton, but it was time for us to head off just a little further south and you'll be reading about our next adventures soon!!

Merry Maidens' Veggies
Shop 9, Coast Gateway Complex
65 Princes Highway, Milton NSW 2538
T (02)4455 5363
Closed Sundays

Milton Woodfire Pizza Cafe
Shop 78, 80 Princes Highway, Milton NSW 2538
T (02)44555678
BYO
Dine in or Take away
Open 7 nights School Holidays
Tues - Sunday otherwise

Pilgrims Cafe Vegetarian
Shop 8 & 9, The Settlement, Princes Highway, Milton NSW 2538
T (02)44553421
Open Lunch 10am -3pm 7 Days
Open Dinner from 6pm 7 days Mexican
BYO

Rick Stein at Bannisters
191 Mitchell Parade, Mollymook
T (02)44553044
Breakfast daily 7.30 - 10.30am
Lunch Wed, Sat & Sun 12.30-2pm
Dinner daily 6-9.30pm
www.bannisters.com.au

Locavore Long Lunch at Hungry Duck in Berry

2011-01-24T15:57:00.021+11:00

After a wonderful four week break from the routines of life (and janeCOOKS), which included a two week road trip with my family to the South Coast of NSW, I am back blogging again today!

There is so much to do, see & eat on the beautiful South Coast and that will unfold in my many posts over the next couple of months.
I came across a lovely book when travelling called "Locavore... A Foodies' Journey through the Shoalhaven" ,which coincidentally was part of the area we were road tripping!

We also came across an impressive little restaurant in Berry called "Hungry Duck", with some amazing Modern Asian food.

I will give you more detail on that in my post on Berry to come!
On one of the final days of our holiday, I noticed in the window of the restaurant an advertisement for a Locavore Long Lunch...and although it was planned for two weeks later, when we would be back home in Sydney, we decided we'd like to go anyway! You only live once right?

Early Sunday morning we left our teenage kids at home together for the day, met our good friends Jeff & Wendy and drove South to Berry for a Long Lunch! After a pleasant 2 1/2 hour drive, (the boys a little shocked, that Wendy and I could talk all that way!) we arrived again in the gorgeous town of Berry.
The restaurant boasts an impressive vegetable garden and lovely outdoor dining option.

We were seated in the shade for most of the afternoon, amongst the vege patch, for four hours of fine food fare, on shared plates at communal tables! All of the produce, both food and wines had been sourced locally and many of these local producers featured in the Locavore Book.

What a lovely way to spend my last day of holiday, before returning to the janeCOOKS life this week!
We began with drinks in the garden...
Antipodeans Organic Sparkling Spring Water, or the choice of Broughton Pale Ale or Cambewarra Estate 2009 Blanc de Blanc. We met some lovely people as we mingled under the shade of a broad old tree.
The food began with:
Oysters (Jim Wild) - natural -sweet myoga ginger dressing (from our garden) -or Cupitts red wine vinegar and eschallots.

I decided this was the perfect day to try my first oyster! in keeping with my new year motto...you only live once! I went for the one with the red wine vinegar...it was lovely!
Quail eggs (Vanessa Joyce-Briggs) with XO sauce and crispy garlic (Gavin Chittick)

These were so delicate, a little mouthful of poached egg with a nice kick in the sauce to spice it up!
We were then seated at our table, and met our new friends for the next few hours, Brad & Jamie from Shell Harbour (who were having a day out together, without their four young children! and then Richard & Chrissy who were regular diners at Hungry Duck and big foodie fanatics from Sydney!)
We had some very interesting conversations amongst the eight of us, as the food rolled on!

Coolangatta Estate 2005 Semillon accompanied the next course:
Barbecued Peach (Clyde River Berry Farm) baby cos, fennel and chives with lemon and Olive Oil (Kangaroo valley Olives)

Russian red tomatoes (Bruno Morabito) with home made ricotta and Cupitt's vino cotto

Both of these dishes were so fresh and flavoursome, and were two of my favourites of the day! The peaches were perfect and the home made ricotta on these vibrant red tomatoes...I could have gone home happy right then! But there was more and more!
Silos Estate 2009 Wild Ferment Chardonnay or Cuppitts 2010 Woodlands Sauvignon actually it was not or..because our lovely waitress Anna made sure we got a little taste of both, in fresh glasses! We got such attentive and friendly service all afternoon.
The boys' at our table, eyes nearly popped out of their heads and it was confirmed later that it was the boys hands down favourite of the day, when out came the platter of:
Crayfish (John Shillito) on the Roberta Grill served with two sauces,
-roast capsicum, onion & smoked paprika
-miso & wakame butter made from local organic cream.

Incredible is all I am going to say!
Next we were supposed to be served goat, but lucky for the boer goats (Taste of Paradise) they were flooded in! so we had some succulent lamb instead.
Lamb Roasted in whole joints with garlic (Gavin Chitticks) olives, olive oil ( Kangaroo Valley Olives) and lemon.

This was accompanied by:
Warm salad of green beans, zucchini flowers (Robert Boyd) and bamboo shoots (Taste of Paradise)

Again we were offered a taste of both
Coolangatta Estate 2009 Tannat or Cupitts Slaughterhouse Cabernet/Syrah
to be enjoyed with
Standing rib roast of beef (Mark Whittaker) with salsa verde and shaved pickled beetroot (Berry Mountain Farm)

The beef with the pickled beetroot was a taste sensation and the peas and potatoes that followed only added to the experience.
Dutch creams, pink eye, king edward potatoes (John Fisher) roasted in our duck fat with rosemary, thyme and Murray River pink salt.
Smashed peas (Robert Boyd) with slow cooked hens eggs these were both so popular we were all eating them before I could snap a photo!
Then came dessert and although none of us needed to eat another thing, all of us did and there was a strong suggestion of licking our plates as well!!
Mountain Ridge Winery Macadamia Liquor accompanied
Lemon Myrtle Panna Cotta (Jenny Crosby) with fresh cracked honey comb (Lindsey Parnell) and fresh berries (Clyde River Berry Farm )

One of the highlights of the day, had to be when the chef came to the table with the tray of fresh honey comb from the hive and served our fresh honey comb to accompany the Panna Cotta...just brilliant!

As well we finished with:
Small Cow farm cheese with Berry Wood fired Sour Dough baguette
a blue cheese and a marinated feta, with fresh peaches

It was lovely to meet both Amy Willisee the author and Katie Rivers the photographer of the Lovacore Book, and hear a little of their journey and challenge, in bringing the book together to be published.

Chef David Campbell also mingled with the guests throughout the afternoon and we enjoyed the fine music of Roddy Reason, that just added to the ambience of the Long Lunch in the garden.

It was a great day out and I loved the fact that we were supporting the local farmers and businesses, as we feasted and discovered and delighted in their incredible fresh produce.
The 21/2 hr drive home, allowed us time to digest the food and the highlights of the day, plus we even stopped at a road side stall to buy fresh herbs and eggs!

As we walked in the back door of our home, right on dinner time last night, our three teenage kids were waiting with the big question, "What's for dinner mum?" our response...we couldn't eat another thing...for days!

Hungry Duck
85 Queen Street, Berry ph (02)44642323
www.hungryduck.com.au

Lovacore Amy Willisee & Katie Rivers
lovacoreaustralia.blogspot.com

Roddy Reason Music

Make your own Christmas Fruit Mince Tarts.

2010-12-16T07:19:00.007+11:00

Well it has happened again, another year has sailed by and its Christmas time again. It just creeps up on you doesn't it?
Now with only eight days until Christmas Day, the next week will be a time of buying gifts and Christmas cooking for me.
Fruit Mince Tarts are a favourite of mine, I find people either love them or hate them! If you love them I wonder have you ever attempted making your own?
Mince Pies are a British tradition usually eaten between Christmas and New Year. They did originally contain meat, but are now made with a fruit mince, traditionally containing dried fruit (raisins, currants, cherries, apricots, candied peels), spices (cinnamon or nutmeg), nuts (walnuts or almonds), suet and alcohol (brandy or rum). The pie is cooked and dusted with caster sugar or icing sugar.
Here's my organic recipe and a step by step of how to make them.
Shortcrust Pastry
what you need:
300g Unbleached Organic Plain Flour
150g Organic Butter, softened
1 Tbs Rapadura Sugar (can substitute with Castor sugar)
Pinch of sea salt
100ml cold water
what you do:
Combine flour, butter, sugar & salt in a food processor or mix by hand until a crumble mixture forms. Add water and mix to a form a pastry dough.

Divide the pastry dough into two, wrap each in some baking paper and refrigerate whilst preparing the fruit mince.

Fruit Mince
what you need:
200g Organic Sultanas
100g Organic Raisins
50g Organic Currants
100g fresh apricots (stones removed)
1 Tbs ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tsp All Spice ground
1 Tbs Orange Zest
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed Orange Juice
1/4 cup pure Maple Syrup

what you do:
Combine all ingredients into the food processor with chopping blade and chop to form a moist fruit mince.

To assemble tarts:
Grease a tray or tart cases with olive oil

Roll pastry out on the baking paper with a rolling pin, each pastry batch should make twelve tarts. (making 24 tarts in total from the above recipe)

Take a round pastry cutter or any circular object and a sharp knife, and cut twelve circles for tart bases.

Fill each with a heaped teaspoon of fruit mince.

With remaining pastry scraps, form back into a dough ball and roll out again, using a star cutter, cut twelve stars for top of tarts.

Glaze the top of the pastry stars with a little water, with some sugar dissolved in it.

Bake in a moderate oven 180 deg C for approx 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Once cooled if desired dust with a little icing sugar.
These really are not difficult to make and make a lovely gift to others or sweet finish to your Christmas celebrations.
Enjoy your Christmas time and remember amongst all the busyness of the season, it is a time to give to others and reflect on the greatest gift of all, to us all, Jesus Christ.

For more healthy, wholesome recipes you can Cook form Scratch over the holiday season
www.janecooks.com.au

A day out with "The Veggie Lady"

2010-12-07T14:36:00.014+11:00

Wendy and I celebrated the end of our very productive year doing jane COOKS Cooking Classes with a day out together, a visit to “The Veggie Lady”.
Toni Salter is “The Veggie Lady” , we met Toni when she was exhibiting at The Organic Expo back in August 2010. She runs a business teaching others how to establish a vegetable garden, chooks, fruit trees, compost etc. etc.

"Toni Salter is The Veggie Lady. She has a passion to see organic principles adopted by everyone, encouraging people everywhere to grow organic produce in their own backyard.
As a qualified horticulturist, Toni has been teaching community education classes both privately, at her home, as well as through various community colleges and local councils around Sydney since 2003. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Horticulture (MAIH).
She has also featured as a talk-back guest on ABC Radio helping gardeners solve their gardening problems organically. To help as many people as she can, The Veggie Lady has developed on-line information, resources and iphone apps to help the general public to grow their own at www.theveggieclub.com
She is a regular contributor to Miranda Kerr’s blog – http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/author/theveggielady/
Toni also spends her time running horticultural therapy programs, developing sensory gardens through a number of organisations including AFFORD (Australian Foundation For Disability)."

It was so nice to meet Toni at the expo, it seemed we had a lot in common!
She runs a business using her profession, talents and passion for gardening.
She is passionate about organics and growing your own food. She has a good friend Suzanne, who assists her in her classes. She has a supportive husband who takes care of the techno side of things with her. She is a mum and she loves to help people and teach others!
I was keen to take a drive out to Currans Hill, just near Camden, an hour and a half's drive from the Northern Beaches, to attend one of Toni's “Backyard Veggies” Classes.
Wendy and I really enjoyed the class and came away very inspired, as Toni had shown us hands on in her own garden, how it CAN be done.

Now it is important for you to realise, Toni does not live on five acres in a fertile farming area, but rather on an average suburban block, in a local suburb, with clay soil and limited space!

The photos tell the story and hopefully will inspire you, to attend one of “The Veggie Lady” Classes and have a go at growing something organic of your own.
The class ran from 10am until 3pm, we enjoyed a lovely morning tea on arrival.
"Scones with Banana & Rhubarb Jam"

Classes are for approx twelve guests, everyone receives an info pack of notes on the days teaching.

The classes are very interactive and Toni is very accommodating of questions and allowing the guests / fellow gardeners to share their stories.

After some great information on why you should grow your own, common mistakes we make, the where, how and what to plant, crop rotation, garden & soil maintenance, watering & feeding, we then went for a wander around Toni’s amazing garden with her, to see for ourselves.

We then sat down to enjoy a lovely lunch, much of the food sourced from Toni’s garden.

Some lovely organic Bread from Common Ground Bakery and we were spoilt with some of Toni’s homemade herb feta spread!
"Lakelands flavoured crush olive oils (Biodynamic)
Woodfired sourdough bread and herbed feta spread"

Followed by
"Cheese & Spinach triangles
Pan fried Chorizo sausage
Moroccan Burghul Salad
Beetroot & Yoghurt dip
And my favourite the Garden Salad"

and then to finish
"Individual Blueberry & Lemon Myrtle Cheesecakes"

Now as I tried to continue to focus, with a full belly and the warmth of the afternoon sun on my back, Toni continued with more information about sowing seed,

before we made our second visit into the garden, to meet the chooks and chat about chickens and eggs and growing fruit trees.

Toni currently has five chickens, all different breeds, lovingly named:
Milly - the black one, (who is an “Australorp”)

Molly - the dark brown one, (who is a “Rhode Island Red”)

Mandy (aka Flighty Whitey) – the white one (who is a “White Leghorn”)

Charlie – the mottled brown & white one, (who is an “Isa Brown”)
"Ranga" – the strawberry blonde one - (who is a “White Leghorn x New Hampshire”)

They range freely in a fenced off area of the yard, amongst the pear & apple trees.

Two more treats remained for us at Toni's class, a taste of Toni's home grown white strawberries, which were unlike the red strawberries in flavour and texture, actually tasted very creamy!

and we all got to take home our own new seedling plant from Peppercorn Creek Farm, producers of a wide variety of fine herbs and a broad range of gourmet heirloom vegetables.

Inspired, motivated and a little overwhelmed at all that is possible in my own garden, I'll enjoy my Christmas break and then get stuck into it....and I'll keep you updated on my progress!

The Veggie Lady
ph: (02)4648 2174 m: 0411 579 778

Started the ball rolling for you in Oz, Jamie Oliver with "Food for Thought"

2010-11-15T11:43:00.010+11:00

As you all know I am a big Jamie Oliver fan, I love his passion for food and cooking. I also love the work he is doing in schools all over the UK, USA and soon Australia, with his Food Revolution. He is trying to educate, well in most cases, re educate children, cooks and food producers, on a what is a simple, healthy diet.
I am also a fan of Michael Pollan's work. He is a best selling author, who has written a number of books on food, eating well and the problems in the western diet.
Michael also was one of the main contributors to the brilliant movie
"FOOD INC", which has now been released on video, if you haven't seen it yet.
Michael's catch cry is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants"
In the introduction to Michael Pollan's latest book "Food Rules" published by Penguin Books, he says
"Populations that eat the so-called Western diet-generally defined as a diet consisting of lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, lots of everything except vegetables, fruits, and whole grains - invariably suffer from high rates of so-called Western diseases: obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Virtually all of the obesity and type 2diabetes, 80% of the cardiovascular disease, and more than a third of all cancers can be linked to this diet. This diet, for whatever reason, is the problem."
Last Wednesday, I had a great privilege and opportunity to go into my son's primary school on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and speak to the Year 6 classes, of 100 plus students. The fourth term science topic for Year 6 is "Food for Thought", where they learn about food, nutrition, processed food, food labelling & packaging, healthy diet etc.
In the 45 minute interactive session with Year 6, I talked with the children about What Is Food? Why do we eat food? Did you know you are what you eat? How valuable is your body to you? What is a wholefood?
This photo below is the unexpected reaction I received, when I asked the students to put their hand up, if they would like to try some wholefood, as in a raw carrot stick!!!

What is nutrition? What is processing, refinement & preserving of food? Why do we try to preserve food? What is a highly processed food? What are some examples of highly processed foods? Food labelling. What is the difference between conventionally grown & organically grown produce?

As well as Five Top Tips they could do, to help your body every day:
Drink more Water, Eat more Fibre, Read the Labels on what you eat, Eat less highly processed foods, Cook from Scratch.
It was a fun morning with lots of interaction, questions and amazing answers from the students.

We also did some practical stuff, comparing highly processed food products to food products cooked from scratch (by me!) using wholefoods. We did some tasting of raw carrots, home made pizza & Oat, Raisin & Chocolate Cookies. Believe it or not, there was equal enthusiasm, from carrots to cookies, coming from most of the students for all these foods!

Finally, after the students got to guess the ingredients, in the cookie they were eating, I gave them all some recipes and encouraged them to start doing some cooking at home themselves.
Since then I have received two photos via email from students of their cooking results, as well as countless thank yous from parents, whose children were really impacted and excited by the session.
What a thrill for me to hear and see, such positive feedback.
Thanks Year 6 for having me, for listening well and for being willing to eat my carrots and cookies!

If you'd like janeCOOKS to come and do a "FOOD FOR THOUGHT" session in your school in 2011, contact me at jane@janecooks.com.au
www.janecooks.com.au

Grow Your Own Tomatoes...it is NOT Rocket Science!

2010-11-08T08:33:00.007+11:00

I do love to garden, always have, ever since I was just a little girl. My mum always had a lovely garden, filled with pretty flowers. I insisted on a patch of ground myself, to grow herbs in my teenage years (herbs to cook with that is!). I was given a little space behind the garage, that had very poor soil and not much sun, just next to the incinerator! I had mild success!
When I was a young mother myself, (actually I still am!!) I did a gardening course at Bond's Nursery at Terrey Hills and that taught me a little bit more. I do love to potter in the garden when I have the time, for me it is therapy to get outside and get my hands dirty!
I lived next door to a very dear man Kevin, when we bought our first home on the Northern Beaches. He was a LEGEND gardener and story teller and became a bit of a father figure to me, as well as gardening mentor! From Kevin I learnt to compost, rotate crops, grow plants from seed and the importance of good quality soil. I always said the soil in Kev's vege garden and the compost in his bins, was worth more than gold!
When we moved to our second home on the Northern Beaches, I gradually transformed the gardens over time. I have had mild success in my kitchen garden, growing some herbs and veges.
At the end of this month I am booked into a Saturday gardening course with "The Veggie Lady", to learn more about Vegetable Gardening, chooks, composting and companion planting!
I can't wait to learn more and expand my garden, I will no doubt post a story on this day out soon.
Recently, I planted a Magnolia "Little Gem" in my front yard, in some lovely rich organic soil, combined with some of my own compost. After a few weeks of interesting weather, there began to appear a whole lot of seedlings around the base of my new Magnolia.

On closer inspection it appeared to be tomato plant seedlings! They had sprung up from the seeds in my compost. I just left them there to see how they would fare and asked my teenage son who mows our lawn, to try not to mow them down!
Over the next few weeks the tomato plants were thriving, thanks to a mix of sunshine and rain. A further couple of weeks passed and then flowers and green fruit began to appear!

At this time I decided that I would contribute a little effort, to see if I could reap a harvest from these random seedlings. I spent half an hour, weeding out the competing grass and covered the crop with a bird net, not just to keep birds away, but mainly because our lovely big dog Logan, (who also loves to garden!) has been known to eat my tomatoes before!

Just last week about 2 to 3 months since I planted the Magnolia, I noticed that the fruit was now in abundance, not just in quantity, but also a variety of different tomatoes were appearing.

The Cherry Tomatoes were starting to ripen and were ready for eating.

On the weekend I picked the ripe fruit, then weeded out the competing grass and staked the plants, mainly to lift the fruit off the ground to keep it from rotting while it ripens.

We enjoyed a simple Tomato and Feta Salad for dinner Sunday night, and look forward to many more home grown tomatoes over the coming weeks.

So if you have a sunny spot, get a bag of rich organic soil, grab a pot or a patch of ground and plant some tomato plants from seed or a seedling.
For me, Cherry Tomatoes (in particular Tom Thumb variety) have always been the easiest to grow. They yield plenty of fruit and they don't seem to attract fruit fly.
Now is the time to plant your tomatoes, trust me it's not rocket science!
It is both rewarding and fulfilling to grow your own and they do taste amazing!
If like me, you want to learn more, check out my new friend Toni's website, she is an expert!
The Veggie Lady

Morning Tea at Government House

2010-11-01T10:25:00.014+11:00

Some of you may have read my previous post "Lest We Forget", in which I shared about how, my now twelve year old son Jake, entered a poem in the "Australia My Country Competition" It is a writing competition organised by the NSW branch of the RSL (Returned & Services League of Australia) for children to write about their impressions of why they are proud to be Australian. Jake was awarded 4th place in the regional section of the Poetry Years 5-6 section.
The top four place getter's in each region within NSW, in each section, were then entered for judging, for the best in the State of NSW.
At the beginning of September we received a phone call, from a gentleman from the RSL, informing us that Jake's poem, had won 1st place in the State Judging, for Section 6, Poetry for Years 5&6. A letter followed, inviting us to Government House, for Jake to receive his award, from Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC, CVO, Governor of New South Wales.
It was a little like winning a ticket into Mr Wonka's Chocolate Factory!! For those of you, who are familiar with that story of "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" you may relate to the following!
The letter read and I quote " You and your parents should be at the front gate of Government House, no later than 9.30am on the day. Government House sets a limit of three family members. PS. This letter should be taken with you for entry to Government House."
Just like Charlie Bucket, Jake had secured a golden ticket into Government House to meet the Governor.
So we arrived at the gate , Jake, Dad & Mum & one of the Grandparents! (that can be a bit tricky taking just one!) Ma Ma joined us for the morning.

After having our names marked off, the security gates opened and promptly shut again behind us, as we travelled the long driveway, to this magnificent house. Passing through a grand hallway, with large portraits of all the previous Governors, and then through the lounge room,

we were ushered into a large room, to await the arrival of Her Excellency.
Just like in Charlie's visit to the Chocolate Factory, the other guests joining us were from all over the state of NSW. Students & their family member's from Sydney regions, as well as from Dubbo, Tamworth, Yamba and Young. We were all as excited and honoured as one another to be there, such a lovely group of proud parents and down to earth Australians.
We all stood to honour the Governor as she entered the room and the ceremony began.
There were fourteen children awarded, for receiving 1st place in the fourteen different sections of the competition.
Although it may sound like a pretentious affair, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC, CVO, Governor of New South Wales, presented the framed certificate, to each child and chatted with them so lovingly and then had an official photograph with each one.

She then, very informally shared stories of her time as Governor and of some of the history of the previous Governors of NSW. Although, as I have also previously shared, I was not big on listening at school, both Paul and I found this brief history lesson riveting. She honoured the children and encouraged them to keep writing and keep loving Australia.
This was followed by morning tea on the back veranda, overlooking the garden of Government House and the Harbour.

The regally dressed, friendly waiters and waitresses, passed seamless amongst the honoured guests, offering drinks and delightful finger food.

"Cucumber & Smoked Salmon Sandwiches & Chicken Sandwiches", came out first (which I missed photographing as I was snapping shots of Jake instead!!)

"Spinach & Cheese Tartlettes with sea salt"

"Corn cakes with tomato salsa"

"Pecan & Lemon Cakes"

"Lamingtons"

Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC, CVO, Governor of New South Wales joined us for the morning tea and spent time chatting to the children and having more official photographs taken.

She then encouraged the children to look around the garden and the house.

I am not sure what made Jake smile more, meeting the Governor, later receiving the generous $100 prize cheque from the RSL, or the apple juice and lamingtons , served on silver trays, that seemed to just keep on coming his way.
We would like to thank Jake's amazing creative writing teacher Mrs Robyn Stannard, Oxford Falls Grammar School and the Forestville Sub Branch of the RSL, for all providing Jake with the opportunity to participate in the Australia My Country Competition.
Unlike with Charlie and his visit to the Chocolate Factory, visiting Government House is available to everybody, so take your children and yourselves along and discover some of our Australian history.
Historic Houses Trust - Government House
Government House runs FREE tours:
Friday to Sunday from 10.30am — 3pm by guided tour ONLY.
Grounds open daily from 10am — 4pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day.
Government House is closed occasionally as it is used for Vice-Regal functions. Check the closures online or if you are making a special trip to the city to go on a tour we advise that you contact Government House T 02 9931 5222 to ensure that the house is open.
To see a copy of Jake's award winning poem go to previous blog post link below:
"Lest we Forget"

Fancy a trip to the Eveleigh Farmers' Market in Sydney?

2010-10-25T12:17:00.011+11:00

I have said it before and I'll say it again and again, one of my favourite things to do on a weekend, is to visit a Farmers' Market!
The Eveleigh Farmers' Market is one of my absolute favourites.

So much so, that I have decided to do small tours to the Eveleigh Farmers' Market, once a month on a Saturday,for the warmer months of the year.
jane COOKS Market Tour Eveleigh Farmers Market.
The Eveleigh Farmers Market is a farmers market in the city of Sydney and has become enormously popular since it began in February 2009.

"Eveleigh Market is an undercover, traditional, authentic weekly Saturday Farmers' Market held in the city of Sydney.
The market is held on Saturdays, 8am to 1 pm, in the heritage-listed Eveleigh Market, Sydney's only custom-renovated 'rain, hail, shine' market venue.
The Market is home to over 80 regular stall holders featuring a vast array of seasonal fresh and value-added produce including organic, bio dynamic foods from farmers and artisan food producers across New South Wales.
Farm fresh produce includes seasonal fruit and vegetables, nuts, organic pasta, free-range pork, artisan cheese, other dairy foods, and baked goods and local wine growers.
The Market management exercises considerable care to ensure the principles of farmers’ markets are respected and upheld to provide consumers with authentic farm produce sold directly by food producers, or their family or farm staff. Collaborative ‘farm-share’ participation is also permitted whereby a group of neighbouring or district farmers choose to operate a joint stall."
One thing you do need to remember when you go is that it is a CASH ONLY market and there are NO ATMs on site!
Most Saturdays you'll see Kylie Kwong there

and you'd be mad not to try one of her Savoury Pancakes for breakfast.

There are a vast array of stall holders, Pasture Perfect Pork

where you can get your organic sausages, sulphite free bacon and ham, and many cuts of organic pork.

La Tartine is there, selling their delicious organic breads & sourdoughs,

as well as some lovely sweet baked items as well, such as their apple & rhubarb crumble pie.

Marion Plains Pastoral have a impressive selection of organic beef & lamb products, straight from the farm.

The 1910 Bottling Co are there too, with their beautiful preserved fruits and vegetables.

There is many other stalls to see and produce to try and buy, as well as a great selection of fresh flowers

and even a bloke who will sharpen your knives for you while you shop!

It is well worth a visit, the market is on every Saturday 8am -1pm.
Don't forget your cash!
If you'd like to join me for a visit, with a small group, from 8am -11am on a Saturday, take a look at my

Fresh Produce Market Tours.
www.janecooks.com.au
Eveleigh Farmers' Market.
243 Wilson St, Darlington, NSW (Adjacent to Carriageworks)
PH: 02 9209 4220
Saturday 8am - 1pm
www.eveleighmarket.com.au

Danks Street Depot 10 Mile Meal

2010-10-18T09:47:00.016+11:00

As part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival (siff for short!)we booked into the Danks Street Depot 10 Mile Meal!
Organisers of the Food Festival were encouraging Restaurants, to put on a 100 mile meal, the idea being to support local farmers and producers, by sourcing your produce from within 100 miles of your restaurant kitchen.

Jarred Ingersol of Danks Street Depot Cafe & Bar in Waterloo, decided to take the challenge, one giant step further, putting on a 10 Mile Meal and yes that does mean, he was sourcing all of his produce for the meal, from within 10 miles of his kitchen in Waterloo.
With my passion to support local, seasonal & organic produce, whenever I can, this 10 Mile Meal appealed to my curiosity as something I'd like to see.
If Jarred's restaurant was in a regional area, possibly in the NSW Hunter Valley or Mudgee, or on the NSW South Coast or in SA Barossa Valley or Victoria's Yarra Valley, you would imagine that 10 miles (16.9km distance) from his kitchen door, he'd have some superb produce to choose from. But what fresh produce can you source 16.9km from the inner Sydney suburb of Waterloo? You are about to find out!
The 10 Mile Meal was on Thursday evening 7th October and began at 7pm. There was just two in our party, Paul and I, and we joined one of the many community style tables of ten. The food was served in the middle of the table and we all helped ourselves, as we chatted with our "new dining out for the night friends". Kindly the happy group on our table, who all knew each other, but not us, agreed to me photographing the dishes as they arrived for my blog, before we all tasted!
The floor staff were extremely efficient and friendly, we were seated at the end of a table literally right on top of the open kitchen. We were asked if the seats we had were OK as they were so close to the kitchen, the place was fully booked. I reassured them, I was delighted with such a spot, confessing I was a food blogger and happy to watch the kitchen action, as much as taste the food.
Jarred Ingersol opened the evening talking of his passion and commitment to support local producers and how such food, grown with passion, truly tastes better. He talked about all the local people, he regularly sources produce from and some new ones he had discovered, in fulfilling the 10 Mile Meal challenge.

Obviously there was certain limitations, such as, there was no beef and lamb appearing on the menu tonight, as realistically where would they be grazing 10 miles from Waterloo! Instead we would have squid & Rock Cod from Botany Bay.
Even all the wines and beers for the evening were limited to NSW.
For me cooking and eating food, is only enhanced by knowing that you are working with the seasons and with the passionate, salt of the earth people, who grow and raise produce, with integrity and more than just a quick buck ($) in mind.
Our paper menu, explained the food trail we were about to make, which was nice, as not only did you have the information about what you were eating, but you could sneak a peak down the page, to see what was still to come.
The 10 Mile Meal was eight courses long....with double dessert!
We began with Brasserie Bread Sourdough with Pepe's hand churned salted butter.
(Made in St Peter's from Picton Cream)

Yum was that butter, as I am so a butter girl!

Then A Medley of Spring Vegetables.
Julienne Daikon, grilled scallions and roasted beetroot.
(Freshly picked from Gordon Ha's Chinese market gardens in La Perouse)

Daikon is a white root vegetable, an oriental radish. Julienne just means it is finely sliced, match stick thickness.
This combination was so refreshing, the beetroot was a stand out.

Frank's Tomatoes were next

A tomato salad of Grosse Lisse, Baby Ox heart, Ox heart, Sweet Bites and assorted heirlooms with chapons and flat leaf parsley.
(Tomatoes sourced by Frank Bonfante from Haberfield gardens)

Being that tomatoes are one of my favourite foods, this dish turned out to be one of my top three for the night! Amazing variety of both shape, texture and flavour. Simple and delicious.
Chapons are large, rustic croutons that are made from the crust of bread rather than the crumb and then rubbed with garlic.

This was followed by Globe Artichokes.

Artichokes steamed and served with a garlic, chilli and cream sauce.
(Artichokes from Cornwallis and cream from Picton)

Another yum vegetable dish, the accompanying sauce was a great finish for these tender artichokes.

Next up was a Squid Salad.
Preserved squid salad with Daikon, Mint, Coriander, Choi Sum and shallots. Finished with a chilli, honey and lemon dressing.
(Squid caught off Botany Bay, herbs and vegetables from Gordon Ha's market garden in La Perouse; Honey from George and Charis Schwartz in East Sydney, Lemons picked in a backyard in Ryde.)

This was incredible, another in my top three dishes of the night. The combination of flavours, delicious fresh herbs and the preserved squid, was a tender taste sensation.
I could have eaten more, but was filling up fast!

Yes there was more to eat, Baked Fish.
Whole Rock Cod baked in Paperbark with lemon and chilli.
(Rock Cod caught off Botany Bay, Lemons from that backyard in Ryde and Paperbark from Danks Street)

This was a real feat from the kitchen and wait staff, each Rock Cod arrived at the table on a platter wrapped in the Paper bark and was unveiled at the table before our eyes.

Paul showed one of our fellow diners where the cheek meat hid, the most luscious part of the fish, which she enjoyed.

This was accompanied by, Green Veggies.
Stir fried Bok Choi and Gai Lan.
(again from Gordon Ha's market garden in La Perouse)

More veggies, beautifully cooked.

And then there was Desserts!

Pavlova with lemon Curd and cream
(Eggs from happy Chooks in Homebush, Lemons from that backyard in Ryde and again cream from Picton)

Now I am not really a dessert girl ( except for my obsession with finding the best Tiramsu) and I am certainly not a big pavlova fan....however this was a winner and the third dish to make my top three for the night!
The lemon curd was the best I have ever tasted. It was yum and my fellow diner on the left, after literally licking her plate clean, was hovering at the chance of seconds!

to finish another sweet sensation
Honey Sorbet.
(Honey from George and Charis Schwartz in East Sydney)

A sweet, smooth, refreshing finish to the 10 Mile Meal.
Great job by the kitchen and floor staff, to pull off the challenge and provide such a wonderful night of local food.

It is worth a visit to the Danks Street Depot, even the bright yellow loos and wash basins at Waterloo were a stand out!

Danks Street Depot
1/2 Danks Street, Waterloo 2017
ph: (02) 9698 2201
www.danksstreetdepot.com.au
There is plenty more to see and do in the festival which runs for the month of October. Check it out!
Sydney International Food Festival 2010