A Saturday of Sensations!

Today I went to market, to market - to Eveleigh Markets at the Carriageworks. Check out the website for details and images -  www.eveleighmarket.com.au  It was indeed a delightful experience. I went with my dear friend Helen, from work. We had such fun, drinking coffee, eating artisan hot cross buns, buying lisianthus and greenery, not to mention delicious fruit, vegetables and cheese. One of my favourite cheesemakers is Binniore cheese, from the Hunter Valley. I used to go to a local farmers market, until they stopped stocking Binniore cheese and was quite pleased to find them at the markets. I purchased what was once, and will now again become a staple - cows milk marinated fetta and a new cheese - Duette. It is a lovely mix of gorgonzola and goes really well with fresh figs. Buying two varieties of cheese made me think about how Charles De Gaulle once said "How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?" 

I bought lovely fresh lemons, capsicum, fennel, eggplant, broccoli, dutch creme potatoes, portobello mushrooms, swiss brown mushrooms, fuji apples (my favourite - closely followed by Pink Ladies) baby beetroot, dutch carrots, fresh strawberries and cheese, pots of sage and tarragon. It truly was a wonderful experience. 

There was a lovely wine tasting for Mistletoe Wines at the Hunter Valley, so after tasting the blend of shiraz cabernet, I bought one for my husband. 

After our idyllic morning, chatting to the farmers, cheese makers, wine makers and flower farmers we headed home. 

I then visited my favourite butchers  Nick and John and came away with different cuts of lamb and beef, chicken and ham and bacon.

Dinner tonight was inspired in part by Maggie Beer and in part by the fabulous farmers whose produce was indeed sensational. I do have to say vino cotto is now one of my favourites! I deglazed the pan (after cooking some delicious t-bone steaks seasoned with salt and pepper) with the vino cotto and used it to serve with the beef (after it had rested) and it was just divine. Figs with duette and strawberries accompanied the shiraz. 

One could think that all I did was shop for food and cook food - well that was most of the day, though I did want to reflect on the successes on my verandah - the endive is taking quite well to the pot and today I planted sage and tarragon. I have now got the planter pots ready for the seeds which I will plant tomorrow. 

I have to say that food is a joy, a delight. To eat excellent produce is not only life giving but it does indeed feed the soul.