Month: August 2018

French Feels at Mount Ashby Estate

August 21, 2018

Nestled in the heart of Australia’s beautiful Southern Highlands, who’d have thought such authentic European ambience could be discovered. Combining a passion for antiques alongside French cuisine to accompany exquisite wine produced on the estate, Mount Ashby exudes classic style which together formulates the idyllic setting for a weekend leisurely lunch soaking up the charming Australian countryside.

Edit 11.jpgEdit 7Owners Chris and Sally Beresford pride themselves on creating the perfect setting in which to enjoy the immaculately kept estate as you graze on a delectable French inspired menu carefully curated by Sally herself. Whilst guzzling a glass of wine and soaking up the sun, you can explore the vineyard and get to know the majestic family of geese making their characterful presence known on the reservoir.

Edit 8An impeccable taste for French interiors is also reflected in the antique centre next door, in which Sally exhibits her antique tables made using trees imported from France. With a background in the rag trade and regular trips to Europe to scope out original pieces, Sally brings together antique furniture alongside touches of modern elements to formulate her unique style. This compilation of the old and new to accompany exclusively curated tables has drawn the attention of prestigious publications including Vogue and The Financial Times, establishing Beresford’s name in interiors from the highest of crituques.

Edit 9.jpgWith such attention drawn to Mount Ashby amongst socialites of the Southern Highlands and beyond, the estate is set to grow with a new event space being built to accommodate increasing demands of weddings taking place on the property. Set amongst the vineyard overlooking the reservoir, you couldn’t ask for a more picturesque, romantic setting to take marriage vows. Meanwhile, the Pallete Cafe with its new summer special menu continues to bustle on the weekends, firmly proving itself as a little taste of France within the sweeping hills of Australian farmland.

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Carrot Cake Oatmeal

August 9, 2018

With a bit of time on my hands I decided to have a play in the kitchen and create something different for my brekky this morning. You’ve probably heard of zoats which are made using courgette (or zucchini if your Australian) to bulk out the volume of your porridge bowl and get in those extra micronutrients. However with some left over carrots and dates knocking about, I chose to create my own carrot cake oatmeal recipe.

Edit 1.jpgI kept it very simple and the result was so delicious it was like eating desert for breakfast! My new obsession with rice milk really topped the dish off like the whipped cream to accompany a carrot cake. If I had gone to the supermarket and shopped for this recipe I probably would’ve over complicated it, but by just using what I had to hand, I discovered the perfect combination of ingredients – Sometimes less is more!

Edit 3Method:

  1. Cook a cup of oats with 2 cups of water over the stove.
  2. Add most of the grated carrot and chopped dates leaving a little for topping, and continue to simmer gently.
  3. Once the oats are thickening up, add a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. You may want to add more honey at this stage if a sweeter taste is required, but the dates should sweeten the mix enough.
  4. Dish up in a bowl and decorate with the leftover grated carrot, dates, cinnamon and drizzle of honey. Serve with a side of heated rice milk to pour over just before enjoying in the sunshine 🙂

Freedom, Just do it

August 8, 2018

As I sit here in a quaint Southern Highlands town on the other side of the world to my friends and family, I find myself in a bit of a predicament. I’m between jobs having finished up at the farm I was working at for 6 weeks and now I’m on the hunt to find farm work to complete the rest of my 3 months needed for a 2nd year visa in Australia. It’s only been a few days since finishing my previous job, yet I’m already getting itchy feet and feeling uncomfortable with this limbo I’m currently in.

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Since landing in Sydney Australia I haven’t stopped and always had a job or two pinned down. I’ve always been more than happy in my own company and don’t have trouble finding something to occupy my time; whether its working out and going for a walk, or scrolling Pinterest for the latest outfit and recipe ideas. But as I have a few days to myself here in the beautiful Southern Highlands I’m finding it more difficult to switch off and enjoy the time out. Following a conversation with my mum and best friend from back home however, I was reminded of all that I have achieved so far and how hard I have worked just getting to this point alone.

Thank fully I’ve made some amazing friends who have helped me out with somewhere to stay and by simply asking around, I already have contacts to people who own farms or know of those who do. So as I continue forward and pursue my hunt for another farm job, I will remind myself that I have the freedom to aim for what I want and I can make these goals my reality – ‘Just do it’.