Lords Of The Manor

Lording It At Lords of The Manor

Gorgeously mellow – Lords of The Manor. Pic: Alison Plummer

Apart from our own piece of paradise in the Hunter, the beautiful Lords of The Manor, a member of Small Luxury Hotels, has to be the most relaxing place I have ever stayed. It must be something in the air at Upper Slaughter (from an old English word for mud) in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, but it just makes you want to give in to all the indulgences such as a gourmet afternoon tea (the best in the area) and a la carte dining at the hotel's Michelin Starred restaurant.

Think Cornish red mullet and crab steamed in a courgette flower on a warm aubergine gateau; sirloin of Cotswold Longhorn beef, fricassee of Hereford snails and broad beans, cep purée, red wine auce; roasted Creedy Carver Devonshire duck, Cox's farm pear puree, pan fried foie gras; fillet of Loch Duart salmon,  Cox's Farm asparagus.

The whole Cotswold area has become a gourmet experience with farm shops to visit, farm gates and fabulous local produce. The ancient city of Cirencester has gracious buildings and laneways with intriguing shops and cafes such as Made by Bob, a stylish, modern café opposite Hobbs House Bakery, while nearby are Cirencester Cupcakes, Jesse Smith Butchers with  Jesse Smith Bistro and the New Wave fishmonger


Cirencester Cupcakes:

All just right for a leisurely drive and flying in to Birmingham on Emirates makes the whole journey very simple. Oh - made myself hungry now ...

 www.lordsofthemanor.com www.slh.com/ www.emirates.com/au
www.visitbritain.com




See my story in The Australian:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/cheese-cheer-and-tasty-puds/story -e6f rg8rf-1225955102120 

Lords of The Manor Gourmet Afternoon Tea

Potted Shrimps with Granary Toast

A selection of Homemade Finger Sandwiches including:
- Cox’s Farm Cucumber
- Single Gloucester Cheddar
- Our own Smoked Salmon
- Cotswold Legbar Egg Mayonnaise and
Spring Onion

Freshly Baked Scones with Clotted Cream and Homemade Preserve,
Butter Shortbread and a selection of delicious handcrafted Pastries

Harvesting oysters on the beautiful  Hawkesbury River, NSW

Orchid time

Spring is here and these little Corybas Orchids have popped up. Gorgeous.

Whispering Brook

Creating a destination complete with a vineyard and olive grove producing delicious Whispering Brook Olive Oil, Adam Bell and Susan Frazier welcomed visitors to their delightful property for the Olive Long Table Luncheon which promises to become a fixture on the annual calendar for many. Whispering Brook Wine Club members mixed with suppliers and members of the press to experience a taste of what the Broke Fordwich region has to offer and learned about the terra rossa soil which makes this area so special.

Chef Carolyn Scott, a Slow Food advocate and owner of Redgate Farm, designed the menu to complement whispering Brook wines which included a rosemary lamb shoulder braised for 12 hours and with a sour dough and tarragon stuffing with slow-cooked ratatouille, potatoes and dressed bitter greens.

Visit the website for an overview of Whispering Brook, its accommodation and more.

www.whispering-brook.com/
Image ©Whispering Brook.

Fraser Suites, Sydney

 I was invited by the fantastic team at Klick to celebrate at one of the Penthouses, Fraser Suites, Sydney. I have stayed at Fraser Suites but the Penthouse was occupied so I couldn't look around. The three-bedroom apartment has fantastic city views from floor to ceiling windows and is a flexible option for those who need space or are travelling with a family. Fraser Suites and Apartments are located around the globe, located in the the best business locations and suitable for both long and short term stays for execs and perfect for leisure stays in the world's most exciting cities.
Fraser Suites, Sydney is on Kent Street, a 42-storey glass tower designed by Foster + Partners. There are 201 studios, one and two bedroom suites and two duplex Penthouses. The 20-metre heated lap pool is cantilevered over the  Regent Place shopping precinct. 



I wrote the cover story about Edinburgh for this issue, shown.

sydney.frasershospitality.com/

Very Vietnam

The Perfume River flows through Hue in central Vietnam and we are proceeding upriver on a tourist boat, watching life go by. Mum is on the phone here while the boys keep a steady course. Hue is busy but laid-back compared with the big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.  As a guest of Vietnam Airlines I was lucky to spend time here and on the road to Quang Binh to the north and then in Ho Chi Minh City – formerly Saigon.
(Image ©Alison Plummer/True Blue Cockatoo.)
www.vietnamairlines.com.vn

Melbourne Jazz Festival

We drove down to Melbourne for the Jazz Festival last week complete with film gear, a double bass, keyboards and an alto sax plus my brand new Nikon D300s which was couriered to me the night before we left! I should have taken a photo of the 4WD piled high with gear, but the camera was so newly out of the box that it sat on my knee for most of the trip. I love it! 

We filmed the Mothership with John Hollenbeck and Theo Bleckmann, rehearsing at Bennetts Lane, performing at the BMW Edge space and then again at the Basement in Sydney. The Mothership is a fantastic orchestra - go hear them when they play next.

We also saw Charles Lloyd with Zakkir Hussain and drummer Eric Harland. Pure magic!


PS Buy all your music from Birdland in Sydney www.birdland.com.au

The quintessential Crab Sandwich

I was driving to Port Douglas recently and stopped in a little town which had a welcoming cafe and – great excitement – a board listing crab sandwiches as one of the specialities. I grew up on the border of Devon and Cornwall in the UK and visits to the Cornish coast were frequent, which is where I developed my taste for crab. Nothing seems to come close to the succulent sandwiches available there which, made properly, are heavenly.

The key, I was reminded when I mentioned crab sandwiches to the wonderful Valli Little of Delicious Magazine, is the use of both dark and light crab meat. So I am off to experiment again and see if I can produce the quintessential crab sandwich ....watch this space ...

Chocolate update

" the possibility that chocolate could causally contribute to depressed mood, driving the association, cannot be excluded"


http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/wellness/Chocolate-is-linked-to-depression-Study/Article1-536403.aspx

Travel to Europe

Sitting here wondering how many people there are like me who have ageing parents in Europe and have been called upon to travel same day to hospital bedsides. It was difficult enough to find an airline seat for same day travel this time last year but the Flight Centre in Crows Nest, Sydney did the seemingly impossible and were very patient – I am trying not think about what would happen at the moment. 

Stonehurst Cedar Creek Semillon 1998

The Stonehurst Cedar Creek wines have become favourites and we tasted a 1998 Semillon last weekend that was pure Hunter – deliciously coloured and delicious to taste. Award-winning wines include the 2006 Chardonnay Semillon Champagne Style Sparkling White which won a trophy at the 2009 Hunter Valley Boutique Winemakers Show. Shiraz, Chambourcin and Semillon are more drops to try at the pretty sandstone cellar door. Love red? Try the Grower's Reserve Shiraz and the Chambourcin!
The pomegranates in the picture were growing on the Cedar Creek property which have led me on a search for recipes - I have an Armenian one which includes pistachio nuts, rosewater, yoghurt and cream which I can't wait to try. Watch this space ...
www.cedarcreekcottages.com.au

Image © Ken Martin/True Blue Cockatoo/Stonehurst Cedar Creek

PS: Just looking at Not Quite Nigella (created by one of my favourite travelling companions) I see a recipe for pomegranate chicken. See for yourselves:www.notquitenigella.com.au

Volkswagen Eos & Hunter Valley Test Drive

Lucky us - we drove a Volkswagen Eos around the Hunter Valley last week for the Volkswagen Magazine. The weather was perfect so we had the roof down most of the time. We drove the Peat's Ridge Road off the F3, north of Sydney, stayed in Wollombi and drove to Pokolbin where we stayed at the brand new Chateau Elan, dined at Legends on Tony Maher's delicious food and had a massage at the divine spa.

We photographed The Vintry, a contemporary 'green' house on DeBeyers Road, photographed at Talit's, a Provencale house in Broke and loved the gnocchi at Margan's Restaurant (above), close to Whispering Brook. The full feature will be posted soon ..

Images © Ken Martin/True Blue Cockatoo

Kham's Arun Thai Stir-fried Clams with Chilli and Basil

Delicious stir-fried clams from Kham's Sai Mae Nam, the Arun Thai  cook book.
(To buy, click on the cover, right, or see stockists below.)

Ingredients
500g fresh clams in the shell
2tbsp vegetable oil
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp Roasted Chilli Paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp fish stock
handful sweet basil leaves

Method

Rinse the clams thoroughly and drain.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and add the chilli and garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic is golden brown - less than 1 minute. Add the clams and stir them until they open. Discard any that do not open.

Add the roasted chilli paste, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, stir, then pour in the fish stock. Cover and cook for three minutes. Add the sweet basil, stir and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes

© Khamtane Signavong, True Blue Cockatoo www.bluecockatoo.com.au

Arun Thai Restaurant, Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney.
Arun Thai Restaurant, Hong Kong.

Kham's Sai Mae Nam & Where To Buy

Kham's Arun Thai Cookbook, Kham's Sai Mae Nam, is available to buy direct online at www.bluecockatoo.com.au  just click on the book cover, see right.




Also at:

Arun Thai Restaurant, 28 Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney, NSW

Arun Thai Restaurant, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Books For Cooks, 233-235 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, VIC

Essential Ingredient, Rozelle, Sydney, NSW 

Potts Point Bookshop, Potts Point, Sydney, NSW

The Cookery Book, 4 Sailors Bay Road, Northbridge, Sydney,  NSW
Kitchen to Table, Yamba, NSW
Millfield General Store, Millfield, Hunter Valley, NSW
Wollombi General Store, Wollombi, Hunter Valley, NSW


Howard Park Wines, Margaret River WA

National distribution: www.dennisjones.com.au


Stockist enquiries info@bluecockatoo.com.au

Mushroom-fest

I just had to have mushrooms - Woolworth's had Portobellos on special so BCF bought two punnets, then found locally grown at the wonderful farm shop where we buy most of our vegetables on the way to (and from) Camp Cockatoo.
So, armed with more mushrooms than any cook can handle, we arrived at CC last night to find we had had 30ml of rain and the road a bit the worse for wear. Luckily arborio in the store cupboard and the rest of last weekend's reggiano + a couple of brown shallots.
Mrs BCF planted some herbs a while back so raided some slender stems of sage (which I adore with mushrooms) to sizzle up with onion, shallot, mushrooms, a little salt and pepper and a sliced large red chilli. Arborio in next and then stock. Sprinkle of the parmesan added while cooking.
NB: Bit of a deadline as Mr BCF had a film to watch but risotto gives in when it wants to and I wait until the moment arrives.
Verdict: Divine.

Cuisine NOW

BCF was extremely lucky to experience the cooking of Philippe Mouchel (currently Brasserie at Crown, Melbourne) at CuisineNOW, the initiative of the one and only Tony Bilson. Philippe Mouchel's Master Class/lunch meant divine food and surroundings at Sydney's Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf. Personal favourite: Oyster jelly with pea puree & mushroom foam. Also thought that Doltone House makes a great venue. 

Solar panels & lime juice

Blue Cockatoo Flyer is celebrating Australia Day at Camp Cockatoo in the great Australian bush - 38.2˙. Sensational day with a breeze and plenty of king parrots and cockatoos to remind us of our location.

Frequent Flyer visitors will perhaps be a little sad to hear that the solar panels no long rest on those elegant garden chairs on the roof, but now have a superbly crafted stand, constructed by Mr Blue Cockatoo.

Thank goodness for Woolworth's Select lime cordial ( so limey!) with plenty of ice on a day like this.

Also celebrating a fabulous write-up by Not Quite Nigella about the Arun Thai Restaurant with mention of new book. Thank you NQN and love your lamingtons.
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2010/01/24/arun-thai-potts-point-

1000 Chilli Chicken

Just one of the delicious recipes featured in Kham's Sai Mae Nam cookery book  published by True Blue Cockatoo, RRP A$49.95 + $10.00 postage and packing from:
www.bluecockatoo.com.au

1000 Chilli Chicken is a chilli feast much loved by Southern Thais, this twice-marinated chicken is crispy and tasty on the outside and tender and moist inside.

Endorsed by Thai Select, Kham's Sai Mae Nam features recipes and inspirations from Thailand, following the great rivers such as the mighty Mekong and influences brought by ocean traders.

Featuring 248 pages of recipes by Kham Signavong of the Arun Thai Restaurants in Sydney and Hong Kong and stunning images by Ken Martin, this book is a working cook book as well as a beautiful collector's item for your cook book shelves.

For more information, current stockists and email order details, email us at info@bluecockatoo.com.au