Favourites list and Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas! Before we all go into festive lock down, I just wanted to swing by and say thanks so much for hanging out with me here on Local is Lovely this year. I also wanted to share a little mixed bag of things I’ve read, cooked, seen, done and loved this past month or two. Plus a bunch of photos from the last month or so here on the farm.

Wishing you all a happy, calm, safe and tasty Christmas and I hope you manage to squeeze in even a little holiday over the next few weeks. We don’t generally go anywhere as a family in January thanks to the ever-present threat of bushfires at this time, but that’s not so terrible. I quite like summer holidays at home, we’re not rushing around to school things, everyone seems more relaxed, last minute dinners are organised, picnics at the lake happen and, as long as it rains a little (or preferably a lot), summer in the country can be pretty sweet.

Favourites list

We’ve just published the last My Open Kitchen podcast episode for 2016 and I think it’s my favourite. Have you had a listen yet? Loads of great links in the show notes too.

This caramel almond tart is right up my alley

If you like finding out about cool new things to read, wear and do, check out my wordy friend Felicity’s Wednesday newsletter ‘What’s the Wifi Password. I need it’. So great.

Can’t wait to try this avocado and lime ice cream, and thank you Sneh for another thoughtful, beautifully written post.

Our Food Stories produce the most stunning images, and this Christmas post with its stollen bundt cake is as beautiful as ever. Also, do you follow them on Pinterest? You should, it’s one of the nicest places to be on that platform.

And just for a laugh – if you are a fan of the podcast Serial, this spoof might make you laugh. As will any Saturday Night Live skit involving my favourite of their characters Penelope.

Brown butter peach ice cream cake – wowsers.

I have and love this jumper and will wear it with pride at the end of this year. Cause I think I did. Mostly. Didn’t you?

The art of hosting.

My favourite Christmas song, Fairytale of New York just got better since I watched it’s film clip for the first time (below). Where to I start on its goodness….Matt Dillon’s cameo, that they are just a bunch of Irish dudes in 80s threads sitting round smoking and playing so beautifully, Kirsty MacColl just standing at the piano belting it out? Sigh.

Wowsers do I need to clean my lens. That’s embarassing. But look at that grass! Such a good summer here so far.

A bit happy with the sourdough breadrolls I’ve been turning out for our recent Farm Kitchen. More pics from that lunch follow below.

Our Mandagery Creek Venison, simply char-grilled and sitting atop a buttery carrot puree with lentils and garlic scapes.

Dessert was elderflower jellies with thick cream, local strawberries and honeycomb. So yum.

Crouching tiger. Hidden elderflower.

Have you come across Flow magazine yet? Oh gosh it’s so good. I’ve been raving about it over on the My Open Kitchen podcast. I was also a bit excited a couple of weeks ago to receive my first ever delivery from the Lucky Dip Club, including a set of invitations to my very own pity party. Love it.

A couple of weeks ago my Mum Annie Herron came to stay and she, Alice and I spent a day at the Farm Kitchen bottling cherries and making apricot jam. It was heaven. The very best of days with my two favourite females in the world. Next time I just need my sister there too and all will be well.

    

These ridiculously buttery scrolls are one of my all-time favourite things to bake. I posted the recipe recently over on the Mill House Blog. And speaking of that lovely corner of the web, I also put together a Christmas baking e-book for these guys recently and you can check it out here.

And still on baking – I made a batch of stollen the other day, we ate one loaf still warm and then wrapped three and popped them in the fridge to warm up for Christmas morning.