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