Good morning, my beautiful food friends,
What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been since the Grape Escape! Between exciting events, cooking demos, junior chef classes and a few teaching days, life has certainly been busy in the best possible way.
I’m writing this Monday morning while everything is still fresh in my head after an exciting weekend at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. I had the absolute pleasure of doing cooking demonstrations featuring Irish soda bread, Irish stew with saltbush and a Warrigal green colcannon — because you all know how I roll, adding native foods wherever I can.
The crew at Sovereign Hill are just amazing and continue to be incredibly supportive. There is so much that happens behind the scenes at events like these, and a huge shout-out has to go to Vic, who was the support chef behind the scenes, making sure everything was ready for the demos.
I had an absolute blast on stage with Kara, although there were definitely a few little hiccups along the way. At one point, the spatula broke while I was stirring the Irish bread mix on stage, which certainly entertained the crowd, and then, while serving the stew, the spoon flipped back and splashed Irish stew all over my apron. But honestly, that’s what aprons are for!
One of the highlights lately has been our Junior Chef classes online through Instagram Live. A few days beforehand, I post the ingredients list, and families jump online and cook along with me, my nephews and my niece. Honestly, these kids have it all under control. I’m behind the scenes while Xavier absolutely shines, explaining processes and steps, Bailey — the youngest — is all about camera time and absolutely loves it, and Claudia… well, I wish we all had the confidence my niece has.
So far we’ve made golden syrup dumplings, nasi goreng, spaghetti bolognese and chilli con carne, with plenty more recipes still to come. The whole idea is to keep it relaxed and fun while encouraging little ones back into the kitchen and enjoying food again. Because I can guarantee you — if kids help make it, they’re far more likely to eat it.
We’ve also had some wonderful services out at the golf club lately, including Mother’s Day, which, for anyone in hospitality, is usually one of the last really big hectic table services before winter settles in. This year, most of our bookings were smaller groups, which actually makes a huge difference behind the scenes. I think we had around 17 bookings in total, compared to our usual Sunday lunch services, which sit around 8–10 bookings.
It was such a lovely day, and I’m incredibly thankful we’ve been able to create a space where mothers and families can come together and celebrate. But honestly, that’s what our Sunday lunches have always been about — good food, good company and taking the time to slow down together.
I’ve also had some beautiful produce dropped off lately, including pomegranates and strawberry guavas. Funny enough, the same day the guavas arrived, I found an old recipe book that my students and I created back in my Tully days, using produce from Far North Queensland. It instantly inspired me to revisit an old dessert we used to make — a chocolate délice cake that originally featured red river cherries. This time, I swapped them out and made a strawberry guava jam instead, and honestly, it turned out beautifully.
Another exciting thing starting this week is an outreach program I’ll be involved in that works with disengaged youth. Together we’ll be creating dinners and, more importantly, a safe place where young people can learn, cook, and share meals. I’m really looking forward to this, and I’ll definitely keep you all updated as it progresses.
And lastly — Paddy came home for the weekend, which was absolutely fabulous. We headed out to his uncle’s farm for a proper Sunday roast, and honestly, nothing brings people together quite like finishing the week with a roast dinner around the table.
So now I have to ask… what’s your favourite roast?
Our next Sunday lunch services will be:
• 31st May
• 7th June
• 14th June
• 21st June
For bookings, send a text to 0428 138 856 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
As always, my friends,
Big food love,
Cat Clarke
