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.