This week in The Forager: a unique newcomer on the Hills food scene; success for McLaren Vale’s alternative-variety wines; SA lamb wins gold, and upcoming foodie events.  

Lifestyle concept inspires new Patch

A beautiful new family-friendly food and wine destination incorporating a restaurant, veggie gardens, play areas and a florist is opening this weekend in Stirling’s original 1885 post office and outbuildings.

The children’s wear and toy shop Boo and Child has been in situ for a while at 143 Mt Barker Road in the heritage premises which was previously occupied by Siemer’s Indian Restaurant, but property owner Ben Barnett has now developed the entire site to include his new venture Patch Kitchen and Garden.

After 20 years in late-night venues (Q Bar and Garage Bar), Barnett and his wife Renata decided they wanted to create “somewhere that is the sort of place that we’d love to go to, with or without the kids” (now that they have baby son Bailey).

The building was built in 1885 and was the original post office at Stirling. Photo supplied

The old post office and outbuildings have been completely restored to present a fresh, eclectic look while retaining original old-world features such as exposed wooden beams and pitched shingle ceilings.

“It’s a modern version of Grandpa’s shed with its shadow boards, veggie gardens and chooks,” said manager Bonnie Maguire. “It’s homely, bright and happy.”

Maguire comes to Patch from The Lane Vineyard at Hahndorf, along with head chef Denny Bradden (previously sous chef at The Lane).

“We have access to amazing local farmers and producers, who are as dedicated as we are to ensuring that the food you eat at Patch is as fresh as if you’d just picked it out of the veggie patch or plucked it off the tree yourself,” said Barnett.

“Denny brings her passion for wholefood, seasonal cooking and using what’s in abundance, and at least one of her grandma’s recipes.”

Expect dishes such as hummus with crispy chickpeas and warmed sheep’s yoghurt, flatbread and raw carrot; char-grilled squid skewers with salsa verde of cucumber, green olive and dill; grilled Coorong mullet with hand-cut, sea-salted potato chips; handmade spelt papardelle with roasted chicken, basil pesto, dried cherry tomatoes and goat’s curd; bittersweet chocolate and avocado mousse with sesame snaps, blueberries and mint salad; and raw cacao and coconut truffle.

There is a healthy kids’ menu, a breakfast menu and a display cabinet with savoury and sweet selections to eat in or take on a picnic.

Food allergies are also well catered for, said Barnett. “With first-hand experience of navigating Bailey’s various food intolerances, when it came to creating our menu for Patch, we tried hard to make it easy for other parents in the ‘this free’, ‘that free’ world of today’s eating out.

“We are proud to offer so many menu options that are both delicious and nutritious and that everyone can share.”

The coffee comes from local artisan roaster Kicco Coffee and the bright yellow Ruggero espresso machine is a sight to behold. The wine list is short and local.

“We are sourcing from small producers, a couple of cases of this and that,” said Maguire. “They will be from local winemakers who are doing interesting things, such as natural, organic and preservative-free wines, but we will also have old-world-style wines too.”

An interior dining space at Patch. Photo Andrew Moncrieff

Architect James Shueler has helped create interesting interior spaces and, along with neighbour and garden expert Trevor Nottle, exterior spaces, too. Within the fenced yards at Patch are lawns to picnic on, vegetable gardens and fruit trees to pick from, wood features to marvel at, a chook yard to visit, Hillsy clipped hedges to hide behind and an enormous rhododendron to sit beneath.

The Ivy Shed with its rustic workbenches will be a riot of fresh flowers and potted plants, specialising in locally grown varietals such as hydrangeas, camellias and dahlias.

“In the near future, we plan to host garden events including wine tastings, cooking and artisan craft workshops, jewellery making and yoga,” said Barnett.

Patch Kitchen and Garden will be open from 8am Wednesday to Monday for breakfast and lunch (dinner on Thursday and Friday) and everything in between.

McLaren Vale’s best alternatives

Chefs Frank Cammora and Stefano di Pieri with Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show trophy winner, McLaren Vale winemaker Corrina Wright from Oliver’s Taranga. Photo supplied

McLaren Vale took out seven of the 16 trophies at the 14th annual Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show held in Mildura last week.

Winemaker Stephen Pannell won Best Wine of Show for a fifth time with his S.C. Pannell 2013 Tempranillo Touriga blend, and winemaker Corrina Wright said she cried “tears of joy” at her Best White Wine of Show trophy win for her Oliver’s Taranga 2014 Fiano.

“I have been entering the AAVWS for a few years and have won golds previously, but never before a trophy,” she said. “I was pretty happy with the 2014 Fiano – it’s a textural, savoury white wine. It reminds me of basil pesto – it has a green lift on the nose, a nutty background and a lovely fresh, natural, mouth-watering acidity.”

Wines from 24 different Australian regions entered the show, but McLaren Vale featured very strongly as an alternative-varietals-producing region.

“McLaren Vale has a very high concentration of alternative varietals,” said Wright. “As a region, many winemakers have looked at alternative varietals for climatic reasons, as many are heat and drought-tolerant.

“McLaren Vale is also known for its big Shiraz and lovely Grenache, but what we eat is fish and we wanted to make a few wines to drink with food – alternative varietals have lovely fresh, natural savoury as well as an acidity which French varieties don’t have.”

A full list of 2014 AAVWS results can be found here.

Alternative varietals tasting

Not the Usual Suspects on November 30 (2pm to 6pm) at the National Wine Centre is an opportunity to taste many locally produced alternative wine varietals and chat to the winemakers. Participating wineries include Protero, Scott/La Prova, Oliver’s Taranga, Hahndorf Hill, 919 and many, many more. Tickets are $30. More information can be found here.

More winners…

The Sydney Royal Fine Food Show continues to offer a benchmark for many Australian food producers, including a number of South Australian producers who won multiple awards at the recent spring competitions (held in September).

The 2014 Branded Lamb Competition was entered by Richard Gunner, Remarkable Meat Co Organic Lamb and Laura Hills Lamb – all of whom received medals – but it was Malone Lamb at Naracoorte that won gold in all three categories entered and the trophy for Champion Grass Fed Lamb.

Champion grass-fed lamb grown at Naracoorte on the Limestone Coast by Malone Lamb. Photo supplied

The Malone family also make cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from fruit grown at their Wrattonbully vineyard. Incidentally, the 2009 won best Cabernet Sauvignon at the Sydney Boutique Wine Awards in September and the 2009 Shiraz made the Adelaide Review’s 2013 Hot 100 SA Wines.

Another SA producer who cleaned up at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show was Barossa Valley Fine Foods, winning Champion Ham Exhibit (Baked Leg Ham), Champion Smallgoods Exhibit (Paprika Leberkasse) and a total of eight gold, 25 silver and 15 bronze medals in the Spring Deli Meat competition.

Schools of wine

Nuriootpa High School won two of the three trophies up for grabs at the recent 2014 Royal Adelaide Wine Show Australian Schools Wine Competition.

Its Barossa Scholar Shiraz 2013 won the TAFE SA Trophy for Best Wine Made by a School, while its Ten Year Tawny NV won the Seppeltsfield Wines Trophy for Best Fortified Wine.

Urrbrae Agricultural High School won the University of Adelaide Trophy for Best Wine Commercially Produced for its Urrbrae Estate Shiraz 2012.

The Australian Schools Wine Competition was introduced in 2013 as an initiative of the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia to enable students to benchmark their wines with other schools and the industry in general, and to encourage students to pursue careers in viticulture and winemaking. It is the only capital city wine show to run a section for school-made wine.

The full list of results from the schools competition can be found here.

And a school of coffee

Adelaide coffee franchise Bean Bar is teaching school students how to become professional baristas and run their own café in a program being run at the Southern Montessori School at O’Sullivan Beach.

Bean Bar director Nitin Jakhwal says The Bean Bar Little Barista Program has given students the opportunity to experience the workplace environment.

“Along with the support and interest shown by the students, the program was initiated to align with the curriculum of the Occupations and Micro Economies subject for Year 7 and 8 students.”

The Southern Montessori’s own café, The Coffee Corner, is fully managed by the students. They undertake the Little Barista Program provided on behalf of Bean Bar, providing them with skills for part-time work outside school hours. Any profits are reinvested in the business for the purchase of supplies and equipment.

More information can be found here.

Hamper of Hope

A new program launched by The Salvation Army South Australia will provide packages of food to those in need this Christmas, but is relying on community donations of non-perishable canned and packed foods. Businesses and community groups wishing to participate in the Hamper of Hope program can register here.

Events

Meet the Author – Dee Nolan – November 13
Award-winning author, food producer and journalist Dee Nolan will be at Matilda Bookshop in Stirling to launch her latest book A Food Lover’s Pilgrimmage to France. Join Nolan for cheese and wine while she gives some personal insight into this stunning book. For more information, call 8339 3931. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased here.

Polo in the Park – November 14
Held as part of The Australian International 3 Day Event (November 13-16), Polo in the Park is a chance to see some of the best players from all over Australia battle it out at this twilight event held at Victoria Park. But the food and wine is set to be a star attraction as Hilton Adelaide’s executive chef Lloyd Cremer offers a number of “action stations” – paella, dude food, salt and pepper squid and canapes including SA Gulf prawn rolls, Port Lincoln tuna ceviche and O’Connell’s crispy pork belly. More information can be found here.

Bedford Noodle Market – November 14
Peter Lehmann Wines at Tanunda is again hosting the Bedford Noodle Market on Friday from 5.30pm to 8.30pm, when Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Malaysian and other types of food will be served from the back of Bedford trucks stationed on the lawns of the cellar door. Peter Lehmann wines will be available by the glass and bottle, and a DJ will be setting the party atmosphere. More information can be found here.

Picnic at Marble Hill – November 16
This one-day festival of artisan wine and food from the cool heart of the Adelaide Hills features wines and cider from local producers Basket Range Wine, BK Wines, Boovability, Gentle Folk, Henschke, Jauma, Lobo Cider, Marble Hill Wines, Ngeringa Vineyards, Ochota Barrels, Tansley Farm and Whisson Lake. Food is from Ashton Valley Crush, Piccadilly Kitchen, Moshico Coffee, Udder Delights, Quince Catering, Woodbake, Natura, Forage and Feast and Le Creperie. Entertainment includes music, guided tours, walking trails and face painting. Tickets are $15. Proceeds to the Cora Barclay Centre and Cherryville CFS. More information can be found here.

CompassionATE Community Dinner – November 18
Chris Jarmer will be cooking a CompassionATE Community Dinner at the Hutt St Centre on Tuesday, November 18. Dinner includes three courses presented as “a modern twist on Christmas dinner” including beef, asparagus, mushrooms, berries and Jarmer’s signature prawns wrapped in crispy potato. BYO alcohol. Soft drinks supplied. Tickets are $80 per head and are strictly limited to 48 guests. Contact Carmel on 8418 2509 for tickets and produce donations. More information can be found here.

Dessert Divas book signing – November 25
To coincide with the publication of her new book Dessert Divas, Christine Manfield will sign copies from 6pm at Bottega Rotolo King William Road. For more information call 8271 8866.

Diner en Blanc – November 29
As the worldwide phenomenon Diner en Blanc celebrates its 26th anniversary this year, it will be Adelaide’s second secret epicurean picnic. Last year’s Diner en Blanc attracted 750 enthusiasts to its all-white BYO event and this year it will again take over an undisclosed public space with more than 1000 people expected to attend. Invitation is by word-of-mouth or by signing up to the waiting list.

Wild Harvest Lunchernoon by Fair Food Adelaide – November 30
Celebrating Fair Food Adelaide, this gourmet long-table lunch will be prepared by guest chef Kamilah Kadir with high-quality ingredients sourced from organic farms or wild foraged. The secret menu will be revealed next week. This slow Sunday afternoon event will be held at the Silvermine House, Glen Osmond. Guests who cycle there will be offered a special cyclist price. Address and directions (including a cycling map) will be given once you’ve ordered your ticket. Tickets are limited and cost from $70 per head. This includes a three-course feast and wine. More information can be found here.