LUNCHES
Our Day of the Dead luncheon late last month was delicious. Pozole to start - a luscious earthy chipotle chilli spiced soup with shredded slow cooked pork, tamales, proper dark chocolate mole with 24hr cooked lamb shoulder wrapped in wheat tortillas with pica de gallo on top plus more. We finished the Mexican lunch with Flan Mexicano (turned out so well it was worth staying up till 2am waiting for them to cook) the accompanying candied pumpkin and Satsuma plum wrapped in sweet pastry still warm from the oven were a stand out for me, am making them again for sure!!
Our Japanese themed lunch to be held on November 17th booked out so quickly we are going to do another casual luncheon in early in December, think sour dough pizzas, snacks and Basque cheesecake - should be super tasty! More details to come in the next newsletter!
WHATS IN SEASON RIGHT NOW?
Spring greens galore - how good are sugar snaps!! Asparagus is popping up – if in Kuitpo, the strawberry farm on Brookmans road has big bunches of this for sale. Nasturtiums are spreading over hillsides where uncontained (although the lack of rain I feel will cut their season short) and one of my favourite versatile greens popping up on a roadside near you, wild fennel. Wild fennel is really versatile, pick early season fronds as a sweet anise addition to salads, as they get bigger, chop and swirl through a tartar sauce to have with your fish and chips or through cream based pasta sauces. See below for a yummy pasta dish, very easy to prepare and totally delicious!
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING RIGHT NOW?
Well, lots of things so it is hard to cut it down to a few! The warmer months lends itself to lighter style wines so here are two warmer weather wines that are delicious right now that match really well with the recipe above -
Charlish and Co Rose 2022 Being barrel fermented using wild yeast it is lightly textural with ruby grapefruit and floral notes. Refreshing acidity makes it super easy to match with a wide variety of dishes from Vietnamese salads dressed with Nam Jim to Italian antipasto or delicious on its own, it's the kind of rose that I like to drink (also can confirm goes really well with pork and fennel pizza)
Coates Pinot 2022 Is divine and I feel the most Burgundian yet from Duane. It has taken years of working with the vineyard in Kuitpo making small adjustments to the French oak selection and fruit treatment to evolve this wine to what it is today, persistence is key with this tricky variety and Duane pretty much nailed it. Very happy with how this is developing in bottle and a magnificent food match for this would be a classic – duck.
There are always a few cooler days through spring so a couple of medium to full bodied reds still fit the bill –
Charlish and Co Tinto 2021 A unicorn vintage in South Australia. 60:40 blend of Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and Adelaide Hills (Kuitpo) Tempranillo - the varieties help each other out. Cabernet has oodles of structure with lightly spiced blackberries and great natural tannin. Tempranillo reminds me of juicy ripe mulberries fresh from the tree a flavour that sits between blackberries and raspberries, it cuddles the cabernet making it more plush and complex. We think that this is going to cellar amazingly for another 10 years for those that are patient but it is delicious now with the primary fruit singing. Make sure you open it at least 30 minutes prior to drinking, decanting is optimal and once a bottle is opened, it holds remarkable well over quite a few days (great if you only want a glass or two over a few nights!).
Touriga Nacional 2022 From the Coates range is fantastic and a great wine for those wanting to try something different but are unsure which way to go. Australia’s mainstay grape variety is Shiraz, in Portugal it is Touriga Nacional that takes the crown. Used for table wine and also their Vintage Port, it grows remarkably well in hot dry conditions and has this amazing palate of wine gums, blackberries and velvety tannins with bergamot notes that lift out of the glass. It is something everyone that loves wine should experience. When we have this open in cellar door, I always enjoy watching when people first experience this variety, trying to pick what seems so familiar but at the same time is not. Those who enjoy Shiraz and GSM blends, this is one for you.