This morning began, as it always does, with feeding our motley menagerie. In the wheelbarrow ready to go, a bucket of warm barley mixed with vegetable scraps, stewed fruit and cream for Priscilla pig, a jug of barley porridge for toothless ewe Doris who needs to be spoon fed, sheep pellets, apple slices for them … Continue reading A Spring Day of Weeding and Feeding

Oh happy day - I do love making cheese! Prep day today for the cheese making class here tomorrow. A batch of Halloumi is already fully prepared (we will do more batches in the class) plus feta is well on the way to being completed. After the butter episode of a few days ago where … Continue reading Cheese Making Bliss

Many decades ago I came across a recipe for a honey nut top cake. It was in a 1972 Family Circle magazine. I lost that magazine at some stage and the recipe along with it. I've searched market stalls for years, buying bundles of old magazines that looked promising, op shops galore and in recent … Continue reading The Elusive Honey Nut Top Cake Recipe

I was given the most wonderful gift - more than 6 litres of beautiful Tasmanian cream! I've been wanting to make butter for ages, just never seemed to get to it. I decided to make cultured butter by two different methods to compare end results - one culturing the cream with yoghurt, the other with … Continue reading Butter from a Precious Gift

Finally, finally was able to get back to the kitchen. A biscuit making session was definitely in order - family favourites of honey jumbles, kiss biscuits and cranberry and almond cornflake biscuits. Unfortunately the honey jumbles' icing has been giving me grief for about a year now. I wouldn't even dare show photos of one … Continue reading Back to the kitchen

It's been an age since we went to the Banjo's New Norfolk Market, must be a year or even more. A free Saturday is a rarity for us. Last week we managed to get there and my goodness what an impressive sight! No wonder it's called Tasmania's friendliest market. There were far more food stalls … Continue reading Banjo’s New Norfolk Market

Poor Poppy puppy had to have an operation on her leg and spent the night at the vet surgery under observation and pain relief. It's a tight little family of animals here and Rosie, the abominable tabby, fretted for Poppy terribly. Usually they sit on Robert's lap together for hours each evening. Rose refused to … Continue reading Poppy’s operation

Wednesday morning tea today. I decided to bake the Date and Orange Ring from my book "Sweet!" I do wish sometimes I'd just stick to the recipe as I'd first invented it. But no. With a glut of dates in the pantry, and limes, lemons and tangelos aplenty I couldn't resist making about a quadruple … Continue reading Date and Orange Ring – Yeasted Cake

By special request, all dressed up (well, kind of) and ready to go to the party last Saturday, family favourite - lemon mousse cake topped with mini meringues.

Travelled early this morning up the east coast to Triabunna. Spent a very enjoyable morning cooking with this lovely band of gentlemen. During the class I was introduced to a wonderful, flavoursome, pure salt of the region, even received a gift of a packet. It had to be done, might be a while before I … Continue reading Cooking at Triabunna – idyllic Tasmanian seaside town