December 2009

Seasonal Cycles

Meet the folk uprooting their city lives for a life of handcrafted gourmet produce — it’s a country mile worth travelling

WORDS CAROL WEST
PHOTOGRAPHY ROBERT MUIR

A gourmet gold rush is attracting city slickers and seasoned tree changers to North-East Victoria, a three-hour drive on the M31 (Hume Freeway) from Melbourne. Putting down roots in Beechworth, Stanley, Milawa and Oxley, couples show that working together doesn’t have to be a recipe for disaster as they chase their dreams. We sample their labours of love.

JIMJAM, THANK YOU MA’AM
“No, the ‘Prince of Quince’ wasn’t named after me,” quips Steven van den Bergh as we sample his best-seller. Five years ago, this Melbourne-based graphic designer decided to parlay those skills into the art of food. Going where few men have gone before, namely the kitchen, van den Bergh and his stylish wife Maggie Mackenzie now produce 50,000 jars of preserves with attitude from their backyard kitchen-factory near Beechworth. Under their label jimjam foods, there’s Big Bang Tang relish, In a Pickle and home-grown chestnut spread Le Jam Ooh La La. Visit their farm gate from late January 2010.

THE BIG CHEESE
“It’s refreshing to be part of a creative community where people work together,” says Jade Miles, a former Melbourne girl. Taking over a former bootmaker’s shop in Beechworth in July 2009, The Larder is the town’s first fromagerie. “People have sophisticated palates here and sourcing local produce has been easy,” says Miles who turned to farmhouse cheesemakers, Bruce and Sue McGorlick for their Locheilan brie; and the Tarago River cheese company for Shadows of Blue, a mild Gippsland blue for beginners.

DAILY GRIND
Rocco Esposito fires up his Wega coffee machine like a Ferrari. After four years at Cecconi’s in Melbourne, he’s full of beans running Wardens Food & Wine in the restored Beechworth Hotel. Esposito and wife Lisa came across the hotel five years ago, making the move from city to country a no-brainer. The spot to find out what’s brewing around town, the food is mod-Italian and seasonally adjusted, all served up in a relaxed dining atmosphere. “Our summer menu is an innovative assemblage of local produce. The John Dory fish in saor onions with baby artichokes, pinenut pangrattato, oyster mushrooms and a sheep’s yoghurt dressing is a standout,” says Lisa proudly.

Hailing from Mildura, Sue Thomas and husband Martin spent a year in Tokyo before heading back to rural life in 2007 to run the Beechworth Provender. “When Martin’s parents moved to Beechworth, we decided to stay close so the children could experience a rich family country life,” says barista Sue who dispenses full-flavoured Divina coffee — Bendigo’s first regional roasted coffee. “My beans, Veneziano machine and grinder are a magic combo,” says Thomas who brews to individual taste. She’s also been known to recommend Stress Buster or Digestive Zinger herbal teas supplied by a local naturopath, served with homemade plum cake.

BERRY NICE
Wayne Pegler’s father-inlaw lured the Melbourne-based executive to Oxley with a newspaper advertisement offering “lifestyle with an income”. A decade later, he’s living the dream and from December to March he picks a tonne of raspberries, boysenberries, blueberries and blackberries to sell under his Blue Ox Berries label. Sixteen jams, a dozen chutneys and a handful of sauces later, he’s running a nice little earner from his farm gate while supplying local restaurants and a world of customers via the web.

SUITE DREAMS
Ex-Adelaidian Michael Ryan, along with his winemaker partner Jeanette and young daughter, has an idyllic life that revolves around creating menus of light, subtle flavours sourced from the finest local produce for his Provenance restaurant. “North-East Victoria’s excellent restaurants and fine local produce and wine are a strong attraction for Jeanette and I,” says Michael, who previously ran the kitchens at Melting Pot and beachfront favourite The Star of Greece. At Provenance, Ryan offers a sensational dégustation menu with perfectly matched wines, and the option to stay in the luxury mod-Asian suites attached to the award-winning restaurant.

DOILY-FREE ZONE
A mid-life crisis led Canberra-based chef Sharon Cook to Beechworth and her B&B country house Koendidda. The historic Victorian mansion sited at the end of a tree-lined driveway and constructed of hand-made bricks with decorative cast-iron verandahs is grace personified. “You don’t have to stay here to eat here,” says Cook, who sources brilliant local produce for her fine-dining menus served under a chandelier of melted down gold coins. This may include smoked trout for summer salads, organic chicken, Black Angus beef, goat or locally smoked lamb cutlets on oven-roasted pumpkin, topped with rocket and tomatoes from her kitchen garden. Cook caters for pre-booked lunches and afternoon tea on the lawn while Hercule Poirot would love her ‘Murder Dinners’ where five couples hire Koendidda out and enjoy food to die for!

LICENSED TO THRILL
Bob Geldof was partially responsible for Annemarie Harris’ make-over from makeup artist to food professional. “I ran Bar Central on Chelsea’s King’s Road in the early 1990s where Bob and Robbie Williams were regulars,” she reminisces about being part of the London food scene. Meeting and marrying sommelier Shane Harris sealed the deal. While visiting Beechworth, Annemarie was captivated by the region, and the Sydney-based family decided on a tree change in December 2007. Now the owners of Beechworth’s renowned gastro-pub The Stanley, the Harris’s lost their home during February’s ‘Black Saturday’ but will rebuild and forge ahead. Their mantra is to keep the food simple referencing classic French bistro fare letting regional, seasonal produce shine.

Snowline fruits provide 10 varieties of apples for their mouth-watering tarte tartin, the goat is locally reared, while the trout is fished from nearby Hume Weir. “Attitudes are different in the country and reputations take longer to build. It’s about endurance, not sprinting,” says Shane. A sentiment that resonates with tree changers everywhere.

JIMJAM RECIPES

Preserved Lemon and Tuna Salad
• 1 tin good quality tuna, drained
• 1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• rocket or other salad greens
• 3-4 pieces of JimJam preserved lemon, rinsed, flesh discarded and peel cut into strips or chopped
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges
• fresh oregano
• good quality olive oil

Combine all ingredients and serve.

Orange Marmalade Dessert
Melt some jimjam marmalade and spike with your choice of alcohol. Spoon over strawberries and serve with cream, ice cream or yoghurt.