A Weekend In The Country

A weekend in the country was all I needed to get my culinary juices flowing. A walk in the garden to collect pine cones is a great way to get a good gulp of country air and stock a big basket by the fire. They make the best fire starters and look really pretty too.

I created a beautiful rustic roasted beet and Dutch carrot salad with goats cheese and a balsamic drizzle. It accompanies a roasted organic chook stuffed with lots of preserved lemon and bay.

We sat in our formal dining room for a sense of drama and pomp!

On the Sunday we drove to Orange for a day of wine tasting. I packed little chicken and walnut pesto finger sambos, gorgeous baby crème pâtissière tarts with strawberry, banana and figs, and a thermos of English breakfast tea for a picnic down by a bubbling stream. What a lovely day we had.

On the way home we stopped by the side of the road for free range eggs for our brekky the next day. I love the way the honesty box works so well in the country.

When we arrived home from Orange we fired up our bush barbie and cooked up my salmon fillets with preserved lemon and herbs from the garden.

We then moseyed down the mountain on Monday morning leaving the farm behind but still wearing our Akubras.

Happy cooking,
Simmone x

Weekend at Essington Park

I never desensitise to how beautiful our gorgeous Essington Park is. I can't remember it as green as I found it last weekend as I meandered along the country road approaching our gate. I was so excited with anticipation about the pine mushrooms we planned to pick the next day.

The wild bush quinces were on the trees on the back road to Bathurst as it's the right time of year for these autumnal goodies. With the weather on my side we had great luck in our annual forage.

While we were out, we also made a point to collect some fire starters for the fireplace.

 

Afterwards, it was time for magic hour on the back verandah with a mint-spiked cocktail and the preparation of a lovely silky seafood risotto spiked with saffron and lemon zest.

 

 

The rest of the night was spent curled up by the fire with our resident Essington Park cat.

 

 

On the way home we were lucky enough to come across a farm gate selling the last of the late summer's sunshine in a box of cherry tomatoes and the freshest, most lovely sacks of just ploughed potatoes. We rummaged around in the console of the car, under the seats and in the glove box for lost bits of coin to put in the honest box.

 

 

I am at my happiest when I'm in the country. I love the smell of the morning dew on the grass, the distant cry of the lambs, and how we always have softly turned eggs with crispy bacon in the morning.

 

 

The gorgeous quinces and berry bush from our garden now adorn my favourite piece of furniture from Elements I Love back at my Double Bay store.

 

 

Happy autumn to all!

 

Simmone x