Oil Oil Oil

Post haste!

Glorious autumnal days stolen for picking olives to spite the cheeky birds.
A bumper crop underestimated by a factor of 3 means the cavalry has to be called. Managed to pick half of them before light was declared.
Rendezvous with H, the best wild rabbits. Pure livers, hearts and clear lungs and a heritage that honours the rabbito's tradition. The farmed ones are just not the same.
First taste of our 2008 Arbequina a joy, everyone around here is picking olives from dawn to dusk. Tasted the fresh Camilo Ligurian oil, a product of McGovern’s vision.
Running late to Meredith dairy well after dark, Iraki boys milking, the sacrificial lamb for Wednesday's winemakers' lunch is tucked into pillow cases. Wonderful fresh caprini and blues ready for ripening.
The ute laden with translucent jelly persimmons of perfect ripeness, kilos of cumquats waiting for their embalming in the spirit of morello.
New ham stand for the Pedro pig.
Home at last with our fresh Arbequina oil… the menu awaits …have the medlars bletted?
Leo’s cotechino? tongue to pickle? Where’s the wine list? Have the bookings been confirmed? Saturdays class notes edited?
Is it going to rain?
!!!!!
Its pissing down, there is a god.

Draft menu for Sunday May 18

Spelt and potato bread with our freshly pressed extra virgin Arbequina olive oil
Camilo table olives [Ligurian varieties] Teesdale
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Roman style broth with drizzled egg and Parmigiano Reggiano
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Pumpkin and perilla pasties

Our soft dried tomatoes with fennel, peperone and black kale

Spanish style ham with tomatillos avocado and limes

Cannelini Beans with smokey eggplant

Choucroute of mussels with house-smoked ocean trout
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Crepinette of wild rabbit with roasted beetroot and pomegranates
Otway reds with garlic
Cauliflower and Succulent salad

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Upside down spiced cumquat and saffron cake
Vanilla ice cream

Yoghurt honey panna cotta with drunken morello cherries

Quince fool with a white peach sorbet

Chocolate and cardamom crème with persimmons and a lemon sabayon

Turkey livers slowly cooked in duck fat on toast
Provencale paste
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Coffee with a Slice of spice

Introducing Angela our new assistant cook who has brought a wealth of experience coupled with good cheer and a sense of timing that is exquisite….. thank you so much for making the kitchen shine again.
Saturday class then a classic service on Sunday with so many old friends and new visitors…. Still a hundred or will it be two hundred kilo of olives to pick tomorrow?
There will be at least 60 litres of new green glorious oil. The word is out, persimmons and cumquats are delivered by generous gardeners all in excess…
And to top it off 23 mm have fallen to begin a new season in the garden. Perhaps even some fungi in the forrest

Go Cats.