In this week’s column: New life for an Adelaide Hills institution, awards for the state’s best restaurants, making a different kind of cheese, a book club where you can taste the recipes as you read them, and new producers for the Central Market.

Mill makeover

The iconic Bridgewater Mill, which for more than 20 years operated as a winery cellar door and award-winning restaurant, has thrown open its doors to a broader clientele as a casual lounge and dining destination.

After Petaluma shifted its cellar-door operations to its new Woodside winery last month, the “granary” space at the 1860s flour mill became available for new owners Warren and Nicolla Randall to develop the venue.

“In the past, the Bridgewater Mill was seen as elitist,” says Nicolla. “But The Wine Lounge and Long Table, with its casual vibe and platter menu, has demystified it. People are popping in all the time for a coffee or a glass of wine.”

Head chef Zachary Ronayne, who has been cooking at Bridgewater Mill for close to seven years, is continuing with the a la carte menu in the restaurant and has created a new menu for the Wine Lounge and Long Table. He says it has been the busiest July he can remember.

The Wine Lounge and Long Table offers a variety of settings for groups to enjoy casual grazing, quaffing and coffees from 11am. Both menus are available for lunch and Friday and Saturday night dinner. Earlier opening hours and a breakfast menu are to come.

The Randalls also plan to double the Mill’s alfresco dining capacity in time for the warmer weather.

“Everyone wants to be on the deck, so we have had plans drawn up by architect Max Pritchard to add a further two levels to the deck by the wheel,” says Nicolla. “The top deck will be covered and there will be ceramic heaters under the umbrellas which will extend our outdoor dining season.

“The National Trust and SA Heritage have given us the tick of approval, so we are only days away from starting the renovation.

“Part of the Heysen Trail passes right through the Bridgewater Mill property. We want people to feel they can walk straight up to the deck and have a latte.”

Best restaurants

Bridgewater Mill was also a finalist in the New Restaurant – Regional category in the Restaurant and Catering Awards for Excellence held at the Adelaide Convention Centre this week.

With so many restaurants opening in the state this year, the New Restaurant category received more than 40 nominations and was divided into four new sections: City (awarded to 2KW Bar & Grill); Regional (Fino Seppeltsfield); Suburban North & West (Café Sia, Evanston); and Suburban South & East (Aharn Thai, Malvern).

Other new categories included Best Burger (won by Grill’d, Norwood) and Best Dessert Bar (Red Cacao Chocolatier, Stirling).

Restaurant of the Year was awarded to Magill Estate and Best Chef went to Jock Zonfrillo.

The full list of winners can be found here.

Mixing up the cheeses

The Cheese Makers Carnival. Photo: supplied

Woodside Cheese Wrights cheesemaker Kris Lloyd’s new brand Kris Lloyd Artisan has produced three new-release washed-rind cheeses, using either her exclusively produced Jersey cow milk, buffalo milk, Friesian cow milk or goat milk – and sometimes a mixture of them all.

“The Cheese Makers Carnival is a triple-cream washed-rind cheese that we’ve named ‘The Cheese Makers Carnival’ because it combines so many varieties of milk and cream – Friesian cream, Jersey milk, goat milk and buffalo milk,” explains Lloyd.

Another of her new washed-rind cheeses, ‘Harlequin’, is made from 100 per cent Jersey milk, while ‘Forager’s Feast’ is a small-batch seasonal cheese infused with Adelaide Hills porcini mushrooms.

Lloyd has been experimenting further with buffalo milk to produce Buff Curd, Buff Betty (ash-rolled white mould) and Bush Buff (a smoked fresh cheese made with bush tomato). She has also developed a range of cheese accompaniments, including ‘Monet’ crackers (made with petals), Bloody Mary Relish, Beetroot and Horseradish and Orange Relish, Fig and Star Anise Jam, honeycomb, and plump dehydrated Riverland fruit.

The Kris Lloyd brand is looking and tasting very good. When InDaily asked if Lloyd might be thinking of selling Woodside Cheese Wrights and focusing all her attention on her new brand, she said “no”, but her eyes suggested something else… maybe they were saying “mind your own cheesy business”.

Foodies Book Club

The Adelaide Hills Foodies Book Club – the brainchild of Liz Harfull (author of The Australian Blue Ribbon Cookbook) – has been running dinner events for around five years, with the students from Heathfield High School’s hospitality training program (under the guidance of chef Beverley Millott) preparing and serving food made from recipes in the book club books or inspired by the books.

Some of the books selected by Harfull for the events have included Rosewater and Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran, Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jeffrey, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by Anya Von Bremzen, and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

On September 3, the book club is hosting a special author dinner event featuring Beata Zatorska and Simon Target and food from their award-winning book Rose Petal Jam and its sequel Sugared Orange at the Heathfield High School Hall. Tickets are $60 per person, excluding drinks, which will be available to purchase. Books will be available for purchase and signing on the night through Matilda Bookshop. For bookings or more information email Gillian Copping here.

‘Uber’ food

A new Adelaide-designed app claims to be the first premium food service of its kind in Australia to deliver food from your favourite restaurant to your door. Mlkman allows users access to take away dishes from restaurants that don’t typically do takeaway. For a delivery cost of $9, it promises users will have food arrive at their home or workplace within 45 to 60 minutes. Mlkman will be launched later this month.

Producers in residence

The Adelaide Central Market plans to provide artisan producers with a small space each fortnight to test their products on consumers and get a sense of whether or not the market would be a good fit for their business.

The initiative is part of a new Producer in Residence program, which offers applicants a 4sqm food-grade space designed to accommodate two producers at a time.

“It’s also a great opportunity for other traders to see what other producers are out there and whether their products can be sold in existing stalls, or if we can grow a producer into a larger-sized stall,” says Adelaide Central Market general manager Aaron Brumby.

“We’ve had lots of artisan producers in the market who have started small, like Barossa Fine Foods, and have become national retailers. The response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive; we already have quite an extensive waiting list.”

The program should begin within the next six weeks. Contact the Central Market office for more information

Winter Reds

Three reds for winter drinking as selected by East End Cellars’ Michael Andrewatha. Photo: supplied

East End Cellars’ Michael Andrewartha has given us his pick of SA’s best reds for winter drinking:

Cirillo Estate ‘The Vincent’ Barossa Grenache 2014 – RRP $20
Marco Cirillo has some of the oldest Grenache vines in the world, dating back to 1850. With them, he makes a remarkable Barossa Grenache that rivals some of the greats from France. The Vincent is made from fruit that doesn’t quite make the cut, but still over-delivers for the $20 price tag. Ripe red fruit with a touch of spice and some dark tea tannins. This wine is on the lighter side but still has plenty of presence.

Shobbrook ‘Clarott’ by Tommy Ruff 2014 – RRP $26
Barossa, but not as you know it. Tom Shobbrook is one of Australia’s most electrifying winemakers at the moment. This is Tom’s version of the old Australian classic Claret, but minus the Cabernet… a Shiraz Merlot blend made for drinking young and fresh. As vibrant as they come and very easy to drink.

Spinifex ‘La Maline’ 2013 – RRP $75
Quite possibly the best Barossa Shiraz we have seen here at EEC in a while. Peter Schell is the unassuming assassin behind Spinifex wines, whose deft touch with the Barossa stable grape Shiraz is wowing all at the moment. This is all about layers of flavour, and there are so many. This is a commanding wine, but at no stage looks too big or overripe. Incredible depth of fruit and structure. Buy this wine, put it in your cellar – you’ll thank us later.

This week at the Adelaide Farmers’ Market – Lemongrass

Lemongrass. Photo: supplied

Lemongrass is best known as a culinary herb from Asia with a citrus flavour which is often used as an ingredient in curries.

It is a tall clumping grass which is easy to grow in a backyard. Lemongrass can be propagated by taking a small piece from the parent plant (making sure it has some roots on it) and planting it directly into the soil.

The central tender pale leaves from the bulbous base are the best ones to use in cooking – just chop and add to a dish. Lemongrass can also be dried and used in pieces or ground up finely or frozen for later use. It is a great additive to both sweet and savoury dishes, including to flavour curries, stocks and soups. Try adding a stalk to rice for flavouring when cooking (remove before serving).

Annemarie Brookman from The Food Forest recommends using it to make a homemade herbal tea: Cut a piece of lemongrass stem about 5cm long (per cup), halve lengthwise and ‘bruise’ to impart flavour more easily. It can be combined well with ginger, honey or mint leaves to give the tea additional flavour.

Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market stallholders The Food Forest currently have lemongrass available and sell it in bundles of three or four stalks. The Food Forest attends the market on a fortnightly basis and will be next at the market on August 9 from 9am-1pm at the Adelaide Showground, Leader Street, Wayville.

What’s on?

Meet the chef – Simon Bryant – August 6
Join Simon Bryant and Matilda Bookshop for dinner at The Lane Vineyard at Hahndorf for the launch of Vegetables, Grains and Other Good Stuff, a collection of 100 of Bryant’s most vibrant vegetarian recipes. Tickets are $130 and include dinner prepared by the chefs at The Lane using recipes from the book, matched wines and a signed copy of the book (RRP $40). Bookings can be made by phoning The Lane on 8388 1250.

Running With Bulls / Hoosegow degustation – August 6
Join winemaker Sam Wigan at Hoosegow Charcoal Restaurant for an exclusive pre-release tasting of the 2015 Running with Bulls Barossa Garnacha alongside a five-course degustation of Hoosegow charcoal-grilled dishes and entertainment by Alma Flamenca. Tickets are $99 per person. Contact Hoosegow for information and tickets.

Truffle Adelaide – August 6 to 9
Truffle enthusiasts, foodies and the curious will gather at the Adelaide Central Market for Truffle Adelaide this month, highlighting Australia’s place as the fourth-largest truffle-growing nation in the world after France, Spain and Italy. The four-day program will see a large mountain of truffles brought to town. The festival will culminate in a three-course Grand Truffle Feast on Sunday, with each dish on the menu featuring the finest market produce paired with truffle. More information can be found here.

Pinot Palooza Adelaide – August 8
Brought to Adelaide by the same folks as wine festival Game of Rhones, Pinot Palooza is a food, music and wine experience at the Published Art House featuring some of the best Pinot Noir produced in the Southern Hemisphere, including Ata Rangi, Bay of Fires, Shaw + Smith, Yabby Lake, Kooyong, Mt Difficulty, Giant Steps, Two Paddocks and Pegasus Bay. Tickets are $60 including a take-home Riedel Pinot Noir Glass. More information can be found here.

Smelly Cheese Club cheese and beer-matching masterclass – August 12
Ever tried good cheddar with pale ale? The story of beer and cheese is ancient – they were both made on the farm and were naturally consumed together. The grain grown was not only for making beer but also for feeding dairy herd. They share the flavours from the earth … yeasty, musty, fruity, floral and toasty. Some cheese experts contend that beer is more compatible with cheese than wine. Naturally, beer connoisseurs agree and this two-hour session will help you form your own opinion. Tickets are $80 per person. More information  here.

Greenock Gourmet – August 16
Experience the village atmosphere of Greenock with handcrafted wines, food and entertainment from Murray Street Vineyards, Kalleske Wines, Ballycroft Vineyard and Cellars, Schluter Wines, Greenock Creek Wines, Artisans at Greenock and Mark McNamara from the Food Luddite and more at this Barossa Gourmet satellite event at the Greenock Town Oval. Visit barossagourmet.com for more information.

Babette’s Feast – August 20
Introduced by Adelaide chef Cath Kerry and screening at the Mercury Cinema at 7pm, this mouth-watering, Oscar-winning film is about self-sacrifice, thwarted ambition and lost love. Having retired in 2012 from running the Art Gallery Restaurant, Kerry is an erudite and passionate advocate for the pleasures of the table and Babette’s Feast is one of her favourite subjects. A fluent French speaker and Francophile, she will talk about the food and wines served in the film (she’ll have a recipe or two for you to take away as well), and identify the glorious dinner services and stemware used. Bookings and information can be found here.

2KW Burgundy Week – August 27-28
Join Mischief and Mayhem founder Michael Ragg for this showcase of his Cote D’Or new releases matched with canapés ($90 per person) at 12pm on Thursday, August 27. Then on Friday, August 28, join Olivier Halley, owner of Chateau de Meursault, for a three-course lunch ($165 per person) as he showcases his iconic wines. Bookings essential. Phone 8212 5511.

– with additional reporting by Nicole Wedding.

News, tips and information?

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