Thursday 20 December 2012

Life is a tub of raspberries...... and cherries; Adelaide hills, Australia


Raspberries.......

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012
Mr Collins comes in from the field with some raspberries for us.

Cherries and raspberries in Australia are at their best in December and so what better way to enjoy them than FRESH, straight off the bush or tree.

We are lucky in South Australia to have such wonderful produce so close to the actual city of Adelaide. One has only to travel 30 to 45 minutes to be in the heart of the apple, cherry and raspberry districts.

The price of rasbberries in Australia can make people think twice about making their own jam with this delicious fruit. However, if you visit Les and Audrey Collins, Orchadists in Summertown in the Adelaide hills, you can purchase raspberries that have been put away for this express purpose, and are cheaper. The sole reason that they are tagged as 'jam' raspberries is that they are less elegant looking (a little more squished) but equally delicious.  Being a lover of raspberry jam this was an exciting find!

They also have the 'perfect' looking raspberries and silver berries for your plate.

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012
Sam busy picking silver berries and raspberries

You don't PYO at the Collins' orchard, Sam from Wales is doing a brilliant job of that.  


Les & Audrey Collins
Collins Road
Summertown
Ph 8390 3240
(also grow apples, cherries & pears).


Cherries......

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012

For PYO cherries, head to Stella Creek, only another 20 minutes or so on from Summertown and 30 minutes from Adelaide.

Rows and rows of magnificent cherry trees greet you on your arrival. Head to the shed, grab your bucket (and for the busy Christmas period a hot sausage in bread at the sausage sizzle stand), before heading out to the orchard.

Not only do you get to go home with gorgeous fresh cherries but you get them at a much lesser cost than you would find at either the green grocers or the market. 

Make cherry jam, pickle them and serve with duck, freeze them for the colder months, or munch on them fresh.


Quick easy dessert for any time of the year.....

For a quick easy dessert at any time of the year place cherries (leave the pips in) on a tray and freeze. When completely frozen, take them out and cryovac and place back in the freezer.  They will make their very own sweet and delicious juice. Serve them with icecream.

178 Plummers Road
Forest Range
Ph: 08 8389 8572


Wishing you all a very happy and safe Christmas.

Millie x

Saturday 15 December 2012

A workshop with Carla Coulson and French pastries at Mulots

Two recent events got me thinking about how much photography has enriched my life.

Through this passion of mine I have met people I would not ordinarily have met, i have crossed thresholds that in the past I may not have thought of walking through, and it has given me windows of opportunity that years ago I would never have imagined coming my way. 

Here are two recent events that have been so enriching and inspiring.

A workshop; Carla Coulson's'Get Published' 





Last weekend I participated in Carla Coulson's 'Get Published Workshop' in Sydney.  It was an extraordinary day in many ways. 

Carla, is an Australian Paris based photographer, whose knowledge of the photographic and publishing world is immense, as is her generosity in imparting her 'know how'. We were spellbound. The depth of information that we gained from Carla herself, Sharon Misko, Creative Director  of Inside Out, and Bryce Corbett, author and deputy Editor of The Australian Woman's Weekly magazine was mind blowing. We truly were 30 very fortunate photographers, getting an in depth inside look into the world of publishing, as well as gaining an understanding of how we can go about breaking into it, and succeeding in it as writers and photographers. 

It was not only the knowledge and information that we gained that made the day so extraordinary.  There was a spirit of friendship and support that filled the room, and there is no one more supportive of young and or new photographers than Carla; a heartfelt and personal thank you from me to Carla.

As well as being a huge learning experience the workshop also presented an opportunity for 30 of us budding 'to be published' writers / photographers to meet, chat, and, hopefully in the future support and encourage each other in reaching our goals and realising our dreams.  Post workshop; Carla has even gone a step further and set up our own 'Get Published Workshop' facebook page to facilitate our networking, and I look forward to staying in touch with all the wonderful people I met that day as well as the others I did not have the opportunity to meet personally. 

Here's to many more Carla Couson workshops.


A Pastry Kitchen, Mulots


© Copyright Millie Brown 2012
André working the pastry for the croissants, pain au chocolat and pain au raison.

Another fantastic and recent meeting also came about because of my love for taking photographs and eating! 

When I am in Australia I always miss France's divine pastries. So I headed to the gorgeous authentic French patisserie Mulots in Hyde Park, Adelaide to ask the French owners André and Annette Guerinet if I could possibly spend some time with them in their kitchen.  I wanted to take photographs and get an idea of how their to die for creations are made.

They could not have been more welcoming, and happily allowed me to join them the very next morning.  I was spellbound once again.  The organisation just like the workshop, was a mixture of precision, passion and incredible expertise. 

I was like a child in a lolly shop. I spent four wonderful hours watching, shooting, and chatting and it felt like 2 minutes.

Croissants

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012

Pain au Chocolat

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012

Pain au Raison

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012
Left, checking their weight before flattening with the palm of the hand. Right, Gaby the new apprentice enjoying her first week in the kitchen at Mulots, lucky girl.!

Apricot Tart

 Copyright Millie Brown 20012

André's two rolling pins, (both made in France from a special type of hardwood).  The one on the left is 28 years old and came all the way from France with him all those years ago. You can even feel the groove where his hand rests. The one on the right is clearly younger and hasn't quite done the same mileage as the older one!


...lemon & raspberry tarts

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012


.....delicious and ready to eat!

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012

Mulots is a family favourite of ours, fortunately for us it is just around the corner, and there is no where else we would contemplate ordering our croissants (all 22 of them for Christmas morning).

And when it comes to a Quiche, I can assure you it would be very difficult to find better anywhere in the world.

André and Annette are masters at their craft. To watch them at work is a pleasure, and I thank them both for allowing me into their very delicious world for a morning. 

I'm happy also to report that I am not the only person lucky enough to be able to step foot in their kitchen; Mulots has half day courses available throughout the year for both the general public and professionals.  

For details and dates on the courses click here.

Ever grateful for my interesting and wonderful life.

Millie x
143a King William Road
Hyde Park
08 8272 6499

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Christmas Giveaway; Paris print




Photo of the Palais Royal, Paris
Image size 40 cm x 40cm with a 5cm white border on Matt photographic paper
(Print size 50cm x 50cm)

I love Christmas; I love that the family gets together for a relaxed, fun day. They come from the different corners of Australia, and sometimes the world, and that is what makes it the warm and special day that it is (that, and my mother's wonderful cooking and loving attention to detail). 

For me Christmas is all about taking the time to be with loved ones, whether they be family, friends, or both.

So to celebrate my love of the festive season I am giving away one of my photographic prints of Paris. 

All you have to do to be in the running is share the competition post on my Travel Notecards facebook page. The winner will be drawn on Thursday the 13th and will be announced on the Travel Notecards facebook page.

Good luck, and to all of my lovely blog readers thank you for popping in throughout the year and I wish you all a very happy, safe and fun filled Christmas.

Millie x

Monday 3 December 2012

Carrick Hill, Adelaide, South Australia; welcomes Australian Artist Jeffrey Smart


© Copyright Millie Brown 2012

If any of you are heading to Adelaide, South Australia any time soon (or even if you are an Adelaidian for that matter), now is a great time to visit the gorgeous English Manor style house known as Carrick Hill Estate.

This majestic former home of the Haywards was built after two of Adelaide's most prominent families came together in marriage, Ursula Barr Smith and Bill Hayward. It is situated only 10 minutes from the centre of the city and upon completion in 1939 became one of the Hayward's four homes.


© Copyright Millie Brown 2012


© Copyright Millie Brown 2012

Much of the oak panelling found throughout the house was purchased by the Haywards at a demolition sale of an English mansion in Staffordshire, England.


© Copyright Millie Brown 2012
Ursula and Bill Hayward were prolific art collectors and lovers, and many of the artists whose work fills the house were their close friends...Artists such as Nora Heysen, Sir William Dobell, Donald Friend and Sir Russell Drysdale.

French and British art also grace the interior of Carrick Hill, as well as some of the finest 16th to 18th century oak furniture found anywhere in Australia, including a carved oak panel from France dating back to 1600.


© Copyright Millie Brown

© Copyright Millie Brown 2012
Now until February 24th is the perfect time to visit Carrick Hill as it is currently housing part of the Jeffrey Smart exhibition, 'Master of Stillness'.

South Australian born Jeffrey Smart has been described as 'Australia's iconic master of the urban vision' and one of Australia's most important modern day artists. 

The exhibition is showing concurrently across two venues in Adelaide, Carrick Hill and the  Samstag Museum at the University of South Australia. Together these venues feature over 60 of his works from 1940 to 2011. 

Carrick features his early work produced in Adelaide during the 1940's, while the Samstag is showing work Smart produced from 1951 onwards in Sydney and in Tuscany where he is now living and working.

Master of Stillness will also be making its way to Victoria, touring to the TarraWarra Museum of Art in Healesville, December 21 to March 31, 2013. 


Carrick Hill Estate
46 Carrick hill Drive
Springfield

©Copyright Millie Brown 2012
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