It's that time of year again - biggest reason ever to bake some sweet treats. From a few simple ingredients and easy recipes many things can be made - perfect to package up as special, hand-made gifts for friends and family. Just a few things here on the go from the last 24 hours. Mini … Continue reading A few little Christmas treats

"Happy campers" filling their hampers at the end of the Gifts from the Kitchen cooking class today. Oops, too much to fit into the baskets! Never mind, plenty of pretty little boxes for all the treats we'd made. Seemed like a good idea to make an impromptu high tea style morning tea - hot scones … Continue reading Gifts from the Kitchen Class

After a whirlwind week, it's been nice to relax with visiting cousins and get back to some cooking. Stocks of raspberry jam and relish were low, as well as piccalilli and Worcestershire sauce, the latter two to be cooked later today. At present there is a traffic jam on Hester, the Big Bakers Oven. A … Continue reading Back at home in Molesworth….

I am so privileged to have received the Award for the 2019 Senior Australian of the Year for Tasmania, announced at a wonderful function at Government House last week. Huge congratulations to the Award recipients in the other categories. For a long time now I have wanted to develop some cooking-based, volunteer programmes in a … Continue reading Senior Australian of the Year for tasmania 2019

Ferment-table, literally, in the cooking school, the perfect place to catch the sun to speed the process along. Amongst the bottles of sparkling gooseberry and batches of ginger beer, a beautiful bunch of flowers, a gift from a student here yesterday. These ferments will soon be joined by others - a hop/potato yeast for bread … Continue reading A Ferment or Two

Why do we do it? This is why. The colour and flavour, the very essence of the cumquats are now captured in bottles. There's the cordial syrup (in recycled spirit bottles) and lovely orange confit cumquats in jars, cumquat brandy in the making alongside them. There's the intrigue as well. Today the sparkling gooseberry was … Continue reading For the Love of Preserving

I'd like to say it's a creative environment, but I guess it qualifies as a 'mess'. So much fun though, and you can always clean up at the end. Today the cumquat processing was finished and the sparkling gooseberry is coming along nicely. Cheese and Vegemite scrolls baked just for the sake of it, and … Continue reading A Morning in the Kitchen

Beautiful, beautiful, HUGE cumquats, a gift from a lady in Hobart. I have never seen such a productive suburban garden. I spent an hour or two today making six batches of confit cumquats, as well as cumquat cordial syrup. Tomorrow - brandied cumquats and cumquat marmalade. Speaking of things orange - our old ex-feral Tom … Continue reading Cumquats as large as mandarins!

A recipe from a listener (Karen) on Saturday morning.  Sounds fantastic! I will be getting some cumquats later this week so will make it immediately and post a photo. Karen’s Cumquat Upside Down Cake 250g cumquats, cut in half and de-seeded 80g sugar Mix together and leave to stand overnight. For the Cake Batter 95ml … Continue reading Upside Down Cumquat Cake

Here is the recipe for our Medlar Liqueur that i promised to those who listened to the ABC radio Jams and Preserves talkback this morning.  This liqueur is specialty of our house, so rich - perfect for a late afternoon or evening special treat. Here is the recipe: Medlar Liqueur You need to 'blet' the … Continue reading Medlar Liqueur