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Aug. 29th, 2010 07:00 pmI've just had a beautifully refreshing day out. It was work-related, but it was my food history side and just what I needed to shake off some of the overwork from my writer-historian sides. A food expert/tourism expert/really nice guy took me here: http://www.braidwoodmade.com.au/
We talked for ages with the owners. The Watkins-Sullys are terrific. They were very happy to talk about the history, and so we did. I know way more than I did about the district. Reidsdale's interesting. Beautiful dairy country, though there aren't many cows round now and most of those, I was told, are for meat. A pocket of Irish goldminers set up in the middle of Irish convict (and bushranger) territory. Very, very interesting election tactics at one stage.
The building The Old Cheese Factory uses was innovative in 1927, and they've retained as much of this structure as they can (which is most of it) while adapting the old maturing-shelf space for offices and a kitchen/classroom (they've replaced the charcoal insulation with an oven and stairs and a part-wall and the building still has the right proportions and feel - it's cleverly done) and, on the other side, a place for making cider and wine and etc. I tasted a 2010 merlot made by local students, and their next batch of perry (will be ready in 6 months - at the moment it is interesting rather than gorgeous) and some cider and a totally fascinating stinging nettles wine. They also plan to make mead and are after more historical drink recipes. I sent them recipe-wards, but also offered them the use of my ever-increasing library. I would love to have more drinks from historical recipes available in the region!
We talked about all the uses of stinging nettles. We talked about what sort of vegetables and fruit can be found in a gone-to-pot garden from a Chinese market gardener, long gone, and how to identify the plants so they can be used. We talked about different types of apples and what one does with them (dessert, cooking and cider) and about medlars and quinces and damsons. We talked about Tristan da Cunha. We argued about Breton cider vs Norman cider. I'm afraid it was not a good thing, having so many people who love food history and regional history in the same place!
They hold various classes there and I might get to give one myself sometime. That would be fun!
Other things I learned today:
- the etiquette to be observed in talking to the descendants of dangerous bushrangers
- the uses of sorb apples
- what a spieling is (though I'm not quite sure about the spelling)
- the many uses of pickhandles (OK, so I knew this, but it was curious to be in the actual place of the strange use, so close to an election)
- why cock ale includes whole chickens, what happens to the bones and that it was drunk in the UK until quite recently.
There was more, but I just had duck eggs for dinner and blood oranges and spiced tea for dessert and I really ought to do some work.
We talked for ages with the owners. The Watkins-Sullys are terrific. They were very happy to talk about the history, and so we did. I know way more than I did about the district. Reidsdale's interesting. Beautiful dairy country, though there aren't many cows round now and most of those, I was told, are for meat. A pocket of Irish goldminers set up in the middle of Irish convict (and bushranger) territory. Very, very interesting election tactics at one stage.
The building The Old Cheese Factory uses was innovative in 1927, and they've retained as much of this structure as they can (which is most of it) while adapting the old maturing-shelf space for offices and a kitchen/classroom (they've replaced the charcoal insulation with an oven and stairs and a part-wall and the building still has the right proportions and feel - it's cleverly done) and, on the other side, a place for making cider and wine and etc. I tasted a 2010 merlot made by local students, and their next batch of perry (will be ready in 6 months - at the moment it is interesting rather than gorgeous) and some cider and a totally fascinating stinging nettles wine. They also plan to make mead and are after more historical drink recipes. I sent them recipe-wards, but also offered them the use of my ever-increasing library. I would love to have more drinks from historical recipes available in the region!
We talked about all the uses of stinging nettles. We talked about what sort of vegetables and fruit can be found in a gone-to-pot garden from a Chinese market gardener, long gone, and how to identify the plants so they can be used. We talked about different types of apples and what one does with them (dessert, cooking and cider) and about medlars and quinces and damsons. We talked about Tristan da Cunha. We argued about Breton cider vs Norman cider. I'm afraid it was not a good thing, having so many people who love food history and regional history in the same place!
They hold various classes there and I might get to give one myself sometime. That would be fun!
Other things I learned today:
- the etiquette to be observed in talking to the descendants of dangerous bushrangers
- the uses of sorb apples
- what a spieling is (though I'm not quite sure about the spelling)
- the many uses of pickhandles (OK, so I knew this, but it was curious to be in the actual place of the strange use, so close to an election)
- why cock ale includes whole chickens, what happens to the bones and that it was drunk in the UK until quite recently.
There was more, but I just had duck eggs for dinner and blood oranges and spiced tea for dessert and I really ought to do some work.