The Very Fine Taste of Orange

Managed to spend the last few days of my holidays taking in the Orange wine show judging, and visiting some of the many exhibitors.

My very first stop and in fact very first tasting was of Brangayne of Orange's extraordinary 2008 Sauvignon Blanc...sensational! This wine won a gold medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show this year...very well done to Pamela, Don and David Hoskins indeed to beat the kiwis at their own game! Their 2006 Isolde Reserve Chardonnay was also awarded the best wine of show in Orange this year.

Also enjoyed Dindima Estate's gold medal wining Shiraz. Well done Lee & family.

Special trophy of regional excellence went to Murray Smith for his 2005 Canobolas Smith Chardonnay..

The best Sauvignon Blanc of Show went to the 2008 Logan Wines Sauvignon Blanc.

Special mention to the great hospitality and range of products (including Hunter Valley cheeses) of the Prince of Orange winery.

Congratulations too to Printhie for the presentation of their cellar door and their impressive line up of products...the largest producer in the district, set well off the beaten track and well worth the drive in.

Must spend more time out here in the Orange district...missed a couple of beaut events including " Stew and Shiraz in the Shed" due to time constraints.

Note for the diary...17 - 26 April 2009 Orange Food Week.

Also enjoyed the delectable goodies at Manners and Borg Fine foods, and the best local meats from M & J Butchery.

Go West more often young man, I say!

Pearly Oysters

Back home now reminiscing about my recent holidays...especially remembering those magnificent Clyde River oysters grown in Batemans Bay.

Pearly Oysters have just won yet another award for their produce...this time to do with quality environmental practices.

I have to say that their oysters are just as good as it gets!

Tried the local native oysters (mud oysters)... see pic above...big, juicy, salty, and very nice.

The water quality there makes their Sydney Rock Oysters very special also.

A freshly squeezed fruit juice, and a dozen freshly shucked oysters for breakfast, and you know you're on holidays somewhere special!

Bondi 2008 Sculpture by the Sea

Back from holidays and now with computer repaired (what is it with going away and coming home to find your PC unco-operative?)...lots of blog posts to catch up on!

Spent a very pleasant morning doing the Bondi To Tamarama walk taking in this year's sculpture by the sea pieces...very pleasant.

Even inspired me to go and catch the new Coen Brothers movie with George, Brad, Frances & John Malkovich...kind of dark but very spot on!

Blues news

Very much in countdown mode to the Narooma Bluesfest right now..I'm heading South to that beautiful little town on the NSW South Coast in just 3 days time. Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, The Backsliders, Pete Murray, Toni Childs, Fiona Boyes, Doc Span & Ross Williams, etc, etc, for 3 days of blues & bliss...

And the really good part is that I'm on leave for 3 whole weeks of cruising around wineries, cheese makers, oyster growers, fish co-ops etc on the South Coast. Five Star camping out under the stars (hopefully this little burst of early summer will hang around for a few weeks yet).

Great to read in this mornings Sydney Morning Herald about the plans in place for Good Food Month in Sydney in October..literally hundreds of magic events planned in town...check it out here http://gfm.smh.com.au/

I'm a bit disappointed though that I wasn't able to get a gig at Narooma for the man I reckon is Australia's best bluesman right now...Sugarcane Collins. Andy has an amazing catalogue from jazzy North Queensland numbers through to genuine delta blues roots. If you ever get the chance to sit on a pub verandah & listen to this man, you'll know what I mean...its a life changing experience you'll never forget. Here's his website: http://www.andycollins.com/index.htm You can order CDs online...I just bought his "Way Down The River" CD recently, But reckon his Barron Delta Blue and Lake Street Seranade are equally as excellent..."Two to the Valley" is a favourite of mine, being an old Brisbane boy.

Seriously good music this...therapy for the soul!

See you next time you're anywhere near Sydney, Sugarcane!

Butter Turkey mini-pies

Spent this morning packing the car and getting ready to head off to the Narooma Blues Festival & three weeks of R&R five star camping around the South Coast of NSW next weekend. Can't wait...have packed up my Cobb Oven & all sorts of F&B goodies (the back seat is a pretty impressive wine cellar right now).

Then thought I would have a crack at making some more mini-pies to munch on during the week. I had picked up a great little box of 12 assorted 75g jars of curry blends from the good folks at Mudgeeraba Spices and Curry Blends at The Good Food and Wine Show (an old favourite from the Gold Coast Farmers Markets and the amazing Brisbane Powerhouse Farmers Markets), and thought I would use their Butter Chicken Murgh Makhani Curry blend to make up some savoury little pies.

I like their Ingredients list: "Freshly ground pure spice" and "No colours, no preservatives, no salt, no sugar, no gluten, no free flowing agents, no MSG"...just pure ground spices! Great products.

Eventually decided to make "Butter Turkey" pies, using Turkey mince I spotted at Coles...added plenty of fresh mushrooms and a some peas, corn & diced carrots. Sweetened with some palm sugar & chopped in a couple more red chillies to keep them nice & savoury.

Smaller pies this time...muffin size (a bit odd with round bases & squarish tops...but you get that!)

Anyway, a bit of fun in the kitchen & very tasty!

A new Butter Pie for Sir Paul to sing about:

"I had another look

and I had a cup of tea

and a butter pie (butter pie)

(The butter wouldn`t melt

so I put it in the pie)"

Roll on Narooma!

PS The Broncos went down inside the last minute of the game last night after leading the entire match. Guess there's always next year. Well done brave team.

Great beers

Summer has arrived in a rush...32 degrees in Sydney today...so naturally a cold beer hits the spot, and becomes the topic of discussion around many backyard barbies. Gone are the days when you simply choose XXXX (if you're a Queenslander), or Tooheys (if you're in NSW) or VB or Carlton Draught (if you're unfortunate enough to come from Victoria).

In recent years I've switched from Hahn Ale to Carlton Cold to Pure Blonde and now enjoying dark ales and stouts more often.

I've been over to Germany a few times to attend the world's largest graphic arts expo DRUPA in Dusseldorf, and really enjoyed their "alt" beers over there...sitting in a beer garden on the banks of the Rhine in the Dusseldorf region on a summers day is magic!

Used to visit a little micro-brewery in the Alt Town there quite often "The Fuschen" for huge serves of roast pork knuckles, cabbage, potatoes and many beers...found their URL...still going strong & I highly recommend.

A couple of very good beers I've enjoyed recently:

Hunter Bock brewed by Keith at the Hunter Beer Company just outside Cessnock...also makes a fantastic Chocolate Porter and an Oyster Stout...premium priced but premium enjoyment.

Mudgee Porter brewed by the Mudgee Brewing Co...smooth and mellow.

Pepperberry Winter Ale brewed by Chuck Hahn at James Squire (very good, different website, well worth a visit)...a limited release beer with caramel, chocolate sweetness courtesy of the Australian pepperberry.

All excellent beers. Very tough research work this...but I will grin and bear it, and continue on trying to find the perfect ale!

PS: GO BRONCOS tonight! Knockout final against the Melbourne Storm. Good luck lads!

The amazing weber bbq's

Spring is suddenly upon us here in Sydney, and a bloke's fantasies turn quickly to...BBQ's!

I've noticed quite a bit of chat in online forums about BBQ's and Weber BBQ's in particular in the last few days...seems there are in fact some adventurous and very tasteful ladies out there who actually love their webers too!

Thought I would post these pics...top pic is my favourite vegie "Hangi" on the weber...all marinated in olive oil, Chermoula or similar middle eastern spices, fresh garlic and Harrissa...piled up and slow roasted on the weber with some hickory or other wood providing the smokey flavours. Just load it up, put on the lid and wait till everything chars and caramelises up to perfection!

Next pics are from the Mudgee Picnic in the Park last weekend. "Webers on Wheels" is an awesome rig available for hire for functions and do's of all kinds.

Based in Mudgee but will deliver to your door, for you or your team of caterers to produce the ultimate F&B experience for your guests, anywhere at all.

We do garden weddings from time to time in our 3.5 acres of landscaped gardens at our Tamworth property, and I'm thinking this little beast could appeal to some out there looking for the ultimate garden wedding. I'm sure there are many other applications too...would do a pretty good sausage sizzle! Check out "The Cauldron" with its big wok ring...this is huge (cannibals take note)...hotter than Lang Park at State of Origin time.

Contact Kerry Wright on 02 63732161 or 0433686250 to hire this magnificent rig at very reasonable rates. "Never fear, Webers are here!".

More Mudgee F & B

Home again after an extraordinary weekend in Mudgee. Really enjoyed the hospitality of all Mudgee folks, as well their excellent wines and produce. I have to say that this town really understands what good food and wine are all about...they've got great restaurants and cafes, cool cocktail bars and wine bars, ripper pubs and bistros, top shopping, gourmet deli's, and all surrounded by vineyards, cellar doors, and producers and growers of wonderful products. No wonder everything tastes so fresh and alive there.

Top gong at the festival presentation dinner went to Peterson's 2007 Semillon, the champion wine of show. A white getting up in Mudgee!

Best Shiraz went to Findley Estate 2007 Scaramouche Reserve Shiraz (a beauty). Best Cabernet Sauvignon Rosby 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (congratulations Gerald). Best Red Frog Rock 2006 Petit Verdot.

Also very much enjoyed the wines and hopitality of Farmers Daughter wines (the perfect merlot to go with the lamb cutlets at the Red Heifer Bistro at the Lawson Pub on Saturday night Carol!), Moothi Estate with their Moothi Mud & Moothi Rocks superb brands (that's Sue in the photos above with their classic T shirt), McAlistair wines, di Lusso Estate with their classic Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese (must get to their Cucina di Lusso in Glebe & revisit that Pinot Grigio ASAP!), Clearview Estate, Burrundulla Estate (great pacific oyster platters and mezze platters on weekends there), Pieter Van Gent and Robert Harris wines.

The Picnic in the Park on Saturday under glorious blue skies even saw the reds getting a dunk in the ice bucket to keep their cool...a great day out and congratulations to all the organisers...even the local retailers got into the spirit of things with art & wine displays in their windows.

Managed to find a room at very late notice at the Soldiers Motel next door the RSL...very clean & comfortable thank you Greg & Julie. Very impressed too with the Cobb & Co Court Boutique Hotel and it's all-in-one reception / cafe / grill / wine bar / foyer...very casual and very Mudgee style...also great coffee and great service.

Thanks Mudgee folks for a top weekend!

Mudgee Wine Festival

The Mudgee Wine Festival is in full swing this coming weekend. They've got lots of great events happening all over the district, from Sunset tastings @ Moothi Estate to goat racing at Di Lusso Estate. There's a Wine Show public tasting, Live bands, gourmet meals, bush poets, tasting platters, "Lunch with the Farmer & his daughters" at Farmers daughter wines, community markets, etc going on all weekend.
I hope to make it up there and sample their wares for a bit...should be excellent. Will report back on the happenings next week. The full program of events is available here - http://www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au/j/index.php

The best sausages in Sydney!

Tonight's blog post topic is very easy to choose...right now, the apartment here is full of the aromas of the best sausages in Sydney, which I've just fried up with a couple of smashed chat potatoes and some greens.

Chicken, goats cheese and caramelised onion. And they tasted every bit as good as they sound. Made by the kings of sausage-making at Hornsby...Adam & Cameron at Tender Value Meats!

I found these guys at the Good Food & Wine show a while ago. Tasted their Moroccan lamb and raisin sausages there, and was hooked. Travelled up to Hornsby the next weekend, and spent $80 buying some of their incredible sausages. and didn't even scratch the surface of what they produce there. Here's the official list, which doesn't include the experimental prototypes:

Sweet Chicken & Corn (3rd Best Snag in Australia.)
Butter Chicken & Yoghurt
Plain Chicken
Thai Chicken Basil & Coconut Cream
Sweet Chilli Chicken & Mango
Honey Chicken & macadamia
Apricot Chicken
Chicken Cheese & Baby spinach
Lamb Mint & Rosemary
Moroccan Lamb & Raisin (Best Sausage in NSW)
Spicy Lamb
Honey Lamb
Smokey Beef & Bacon
Beef Spinach & Pine nuts
Smokey Texan
Sun dried Tomato & Basil
French Deluxe (Beef)
Native Pepper (Beef)
Beef Capsicum & Tomato
Mexican (Beef)
Spanish Chorizos (Beef and Pork)
Spicy Italian (Beef & Pork)
Plain Beef (Thick & Thin)
Old English Pork
Pork Leek & Bacon...
Irish Breakfast (Pork)
German Weisswurst (Pork & Veal)
Czech Combo (Pork)
Pork Apple & Cinnamon
Danish Frikadellar
Crocodile.
Emu
Camel
Boerwors
Venison

Awesome snags guys! Adam was telling me they are a chance to get their products into Thomas Dux deli here at Lane Cove...who are mainly stocking the Peppercorn brand of sausages now...very good products too which they've been promoting well with a strong branding campaign.

I've tried my hand at making some Thai-flavoured sausages in the past...green chicken curry ones (pic above) and thai fish pattie ones...there's a lot of skill in getting the moisture levels right so they don't just split open all over the place. Much easier to just buy good sausages!

Right now, the flavours I can taste tell me that Tender Value Meats have the top spot in the Sydney sausage stakes! Will see you on the weekend guys for some more of those!

Food and Beverage in the Tamworth district

I've recently returned to Sydney from a couple of weeks of relief management at our McNevins Country Valley Motel in Tamworth. Was very cold most mornings (4 or 5 degrees below), but mostly beautiful clear days. Puts a bit of sprite in your step when you're running breakfast trays around to the rooms in the frost!

While I was there I met with Noel & Catie Woods from Peel Valley Party Hire, who will be supplying all marquees and equipment for garden weddings in our three and a half acres of gardens there at the motel, now that we've finished building our pretty-as-a-picture garden gazebo and landscaped marquee setting. Here's the url for their website: http://www.peelvalleypartyhire.com.au/index.html

Also met with Gemma Clarke from Tourism Tamworth and caught up with all that is coming up in the region. The massive new Equine Centre development there is all the talk of the town, and the first major event there kicks off at the end of this month....the region is booked out fully. It looks like being a fantastic investment for Tamworth...will be up there with the city's country music reputation before too long! http://www.visittamworth.com/

Also just received a hot-off-the-press copy of the all new "Food and Wine in the Tamworth Region Guide" from David Woodward at Tourism Tamworth...a great iniative from Tourism Tamworth. Showcases the region's fantastic produce, including the wines from Melville Hill Estate, Kitty Crawford Estate, Lazy Poet Wine Co., Maher's Wines (now there's a name for you!), Banalasta Vineyard, Mille Park Vineyard, Tangaratta Vineyards and Warrina Wines.

Also includes comprehensive details of producers of gourmet products including Arc-En-Ciel Trout Farm up in the pure mountain surroundings on Hanging Rock, Baiada Poultry, Barraba Beef Company, Tamworth FinFarm, and many more. Includes a huge lift-out map of the entire region also.

Very impressed with the effort that has gone into producing this publication to promote the goodies growing in the region.

I can tell you that I enjoyed the best ever scotch fillet in Restaurant 999 there at the Motel...Tamworth grass fed MSA certified beef, & cooked by our chef Dave to perfection...sweet, juicy, full of flavour and literally melted in your mouth! (He also does a great Tamworth pork medallion stack). Very nice indeed paired with a Melville Hill Cabernet Merlot.

Thanks to all...was great to meet and chat.

Kitty Crawford Estate

I was in Tamworth a couple of weeks ago, and had the opportunity to visit the cellar door at Kitty Crawford Estate in the beautiful Dungowan Valley. The track in leads you a fair way back off Nundle Road, and after you crest a hill and start to head down towards a little creek, you suddenly realise that you are looking at a very special place.

The original 1800's settlers cottage is the cellar door now, water buffalo & goats are wandering around, the creek runs alongside the cottage under the big gums, the vines are all around, and there's a real sense of peaceful calm...like stepping back in time somehow to a much more relaxed era.

Here I met Graham & Marlene Manvell and Chef Ben, who proceeded to bestow the most remarkable hospitality upon me, and totally surprised me with their wines.

These grapes are hand grown, handpicked and their wines are very well made. Very little watering required...the valley takes care of that. Their reds are simply spectacular.

The 2004 Black Shiraz pictured above is an absolute beauty, and I was very honoured to be able to taste this magnificent wine.

Graham has represented Australia as a Chef in the Culinary Olympics and he and Marlene also own and operate the Tamworth SSS Steakhouse.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet them, and visit this special place.

Aaahhh....The McNevins!

I'm very pleased that our McNevins-labelled 2006 Chardonnay and 2006 Cabernet Merlot 187 ml wines are now available in the mini bars of our rooms and suites and also in our restaurants in Warwick, Tamworth, Maryborough and Loganholme.

These vintages were grown and bottled by Melville Hill Estate, in the Tamworth region. The Chardonnay is quite elegant and attractive, with subtle oak and a crisp finish. The Cab Merlot is soft with good fruit and a long finish.

The label design is based on the new McNevins branding and the wording gives a little insight into the McNevin family history of famous hospitality, and also highlights the fine products Melville Hill has produced.

Many thanks to Stuart Davies, Warren Richards, John Almond & Melissa out there at Melville Hill for all your assistance to develop these packs.

Hope to continue introducing our motel and restaurant guests to fine wines from select wineries via the McNevins label in the future.

Taste Orange

Congrats to Jane Arnott, Kim Currie and the team at Taste Orange / Brand Orange for doing such a good job to promote the Orange region, and the new brand they've developed.

Check out their email that arrived in my inbox today:

http://www.tasteorange.com.au/eventslist.htm

Looking forward to checking out your Taste Orange @ Bondi events week 22nd - 28th September, and heading out to Orange in the near future (when it warms up just a little bit more) for a weekend of grazing & tasting.

There's now 60 vineyards & 30 wineries in the region...Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir leading the way.

The monthly farmers markets look great too.

Great branding campaign to lure we city slickers out bush for a bit!

PS Just reading more in the event program about Orange Wine Week 17th - 26th October 2008...looks like an awesome line-up of top F&B related events...my pick "Stew and Shiraz in the Shed"....will have to be there!

Chilli sand crab

Decided to pay a visit to the Sydney Fish Markets this morning, now that the rain has cleared and the sun is shining again. Really just wanted to pick up some more Smoked basmati rice from De Costi's there...really wonderful stuff this...unique, delicious and just adds a special extra zing to the plate...made by MKPP Trading in West Pennant Hills 02 9894 0656 mkpptrading@yahoo.com.au not cheap at $9.99 per kilo but bloody good.

I was thinking about picking up a mud crab while I was there, but they were like $45 kilo...no way...but I did see a good sized green blue swimmer sandcrab...nearly 500 grams. and thought he would look good swimming in a wok full of chilli sauce.

Also picked up some fresh blue eye trevella fillet, and coated that in Patak's spicy mango marinade & fried that up in the wok in small pieces.

With the smoked rice, diced fresh mango, coriander, chilli sand crab & fried trevella, and a nice Sauvignon Blanc...Sunday lunch was an absolute treat!

Kitchen gadgets

Every time I visit the Sydney Fish Markets, I get caught buying something at the little kitchen gadget shop right at the entrance to the main building there...Rosie's its called. They've always got some great little gadget that catches your eye as you walk in...good marketing I guess ( certainly great location, location).

Yesterday I noticed the first mangoes of the season on display at the fabulous Thomas Dux deli in Lane Cove. What do I see at Rosie's this morning...a mango slicer, invented by "D-Line".

I bought it for the princely sum of $8.95, and tried it out on a Kensington...and it works like a charm...in fact even easier than you expect! Well done Mr D Line....beautiful fresh mango cubes to go with my chilli crab & spicy mango blue eye trevalla!