Tag Archives: food

Wauchope

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There aren’t a lot of options for somewhere to stay overnight through the middle of the Northern Territory, we fortunately found an oasis in the desert. Not far from the Devils Marbles is the tiny settlement of Wauchope, 375km north of Alice Springs. The hotel opened in 1930 to serve the needs of the local miners and cattle workers.

1.Devils Marbles Hotel

The accommodation wasn’t five star luxury

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but it was clean, comfortable and cosy

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and I liked the sentiment found on the wall above the bed.

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The garden was immaculate

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with a couple of quirky features

and a great spot to relax with a beverage

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by the pool.

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The locals were very friendly

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and eager for a game of football.

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Adjacent to the dining room,

the winery offered a wide selection to choose from

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to accompany our sumptuous meals.

Before leaving the next morning, we had a closer look at the rusted wrecks garaged at the front of the hotel under the harsh desert sun.

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We were observed from on high by this magnificent creature.

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I hope he found a tasty morsel for breakfast.

too many tomatoes?

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This is for all of you who planted tomatoes in summer, nurturing the young plants, giving plenty of water through the warmest, driest summer on record. The excitement when the first ones ripened.

The first batch of tomato sauce, tomato soup, the second batch, then the third as the little darlings turned red before your very eyes. Gathering momentum as the weeks pass, you give them to friends by the kilo until this point where you just wish they would stop! And so do your friends.

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I want to share a very special find with you. A recipe for the most sensational jam – yes, tomato jam. You can’t go wrong with a Sally Wise recipe and here it is:

1kg (2lb) tomatoes

1.5kg (3lb) sugar

juice of one and a half lemons

Chop the tomatoes, I left the skins on and they ‘candied’ in the mixture. Add the lemon juice and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and stir till dissolved. Boil fast till setting point is reached (I use jam making sugar to speed things up).

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This recipe made six jars and it is delicious.

The tomatoes are still coming so I guess I’ll be adding to my already ample stash of Pomarola and Roasted Tomato Soup in the freezer.

Bath & Bulford

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While staying in Wiltshire, we crossed the border into Somerset for a day trip to Bath.

1.Bath

Known for it magnificent 18th century Georgian architecture

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5.Bath

and natural hot springs, we headed for a tour of the original Roman Baths. Our attention was diverted to a gathering crowd and we joined them to find two g-string clad gents who proceeded to entertain with an array of cunning stunts for the next half hour.

Some of the ladies enjoying a cuppa in the adjacent tea rooms had a bird’s eye view.

The grand finale of synchronised hand stands with sparklers in their bottoms was spectacular.

It was well worth the £5 we donated at the end. We never did see the Roman Baths! We strolled along the river

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and made our way to Royal Crescent. The row of 30 terraced houses was built between 1767 & 1774 and is one of Bath’s most iconic landmarks.

27.Royal Cresc Bath

In need of a well earned lunch and a pint, we found The Curfew, a traditional British pub built in the 1820s.

We returned to our fabulous B&B in Bulford, The Dovecot.

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The core of the house is the old 18th century dovecot for Bulford Manor.

Set on 6 very peaceful acres on the banks of the River Avon

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even the outbuildings had charm.

We found a pub in a nearby village, Upper Woodford, for dinner.

41.The Bridge Upp Woodford

This is not quite what we expected when ordering fish cakes in a pub.

42.The Bridge Upp Woodford

The bottle of South Australian white completed the day perfectly.

Grandvewe Cheeses

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While travelling with my sister, we made the wonderful discovery of Grandvewe Cheeses.

About 40km south of Hobart at Birch’s Bay, Grandvewe is the only sheep cheesery in Tasmania. We were greeted at the door by a special family member.

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We fell in love with the gorgeous sheep

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and the lambs were adorable.

The Grandvewe dairysheep have been especially bred to withstand Tasmanian conditions.

The produce is amazing. As well as delicious cheeses, they offer Whey Vodka, an interesting Vanilla Whey Liqueur and Sheep Ice Cream. The Pinot Paste, made from the marc of the pinot pressings, is a fabulous alternative to quince paste.

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The scenery was beautiful despite the misty day

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with views across to Bruny Island.

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Even the graffiti on the bathroom walls was tasteful.

You can purchase products online at http://grandvewe.com.au

heading south

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After five days in Darwin, we began our road trip southward. Our first stop was Adelaide River War Cemetery.

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There are 434 war graves of service personnel who died in this part of Australia, marked by bronze plaques.

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A further 292 are honoured by the Memorial of the Missing. The civil section contains the graves of nine Post Office staff killed in one of 63 bombing raids on Darwin.

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Pine Creek was the next break to have a look at the now closed open-cut gold mine. The main pit, Enterprise Pit, has been filled with water to prevent acid build up.

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Further on, we lunched in the shade overlooking the swimming hole at Edith Falls.

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Leliyn, as it is known in the Aboriginal Jawoyn language, is a series of cascading waterfalls and pools on the Edith River in the Nitmiluk National Park, about 60km north of Katherine.

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30km south of Katherine, the Cutta Cutta caves tour took us into a tropical limestone cave 15 metres below the surface. Venturing 700 metres into the cave, we were surrounded by all sorts of fascinating formations.

The spectacle wasn’t all underground, this amazing tree stood at the entrance to the cave.

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After checking into our motel in Katherine and a much needed shower, we followed the river northward to Cicada Lodge, an exclusive resort located in Nitmiluk National Park.

We savoured a beverage on the deck

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while watching the descent of the sun

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then moved inside for a unique dining experience. The Chef’s menu features specialty dishes of the Chef’s choice combining traditional elements and incredible flavours from the region. We started with ciabatta with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Entrée was a delicious canard (that’s duck) salad, with beetroot, orange segments, fetta & a merlot and orange glaze.

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Lemon Myrtle Barramundi followed, with broccolini, soft egg, confit cherry tomatoes, wilted spinach & hollandaise.

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The culinary journey was completed with dessert of chocolate tart with calvados cream & fresh raspberries.

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What a fabulous way to end an awesome day.

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