Other Tasmanian delights

Meadowbank Vineyard

A couple of weeks ago I went to Tasmania for Savour Tasmania and have already blogged about that. On arrival in Hobart, a friend collected me and took me to the Meadowbank vineyard for lunch. Here I was surprised and delighted to find Wayne Smith and his wife Emmanuelle. I had long been a fan of Wayne’s cooking when they had La Goulue in Crows Nest, now sadly closed down. We shared rillettes and terrine with a glass of excellent pinot noir and then had a second entrée of whiting with a remarkably mild and delicate citrus sauce matched with pinot gris. There is also a shop attached which is full of interesting products and a good range of food and wine books, including Balance Matching Food and Wine. What Works and Why co-authored with Colin Corney (Hachette $35).

Rabbit rillette, crostini & cornichons

Game terrine, mustard fruits & cornichons

 

Pan fried whiting with citrus sauce

I stayed at the historic, beautifully renovated Henry Jones Art Hotel (25 Hunter Street, Hobart) where not only are the staff extraordinarily friendly and accommodating, but there is a complimentary history walk, and research done on your ancestry by their resident history buff.

The Saturday Salamanca markets are huge, and sell just about everything, with a few food stalls scattered in between them. I was pleased to visit the newer Farmers Markets on Sunday in the Melville Street outdoor carpark where everything sold is Tasmanian.  I brought home some organic pork pies and pork rillette but loved the range of potatoes and gorgeous vegetables on sale.

Tasmanian produce at the Farmers' Market

Another revelation was the Lark Distillery (14 Davey Street, Hobart) where I learned that Tasmania has its own peat bogs, one of the necessary components for making whisky. Peat, with malted barley prepared and supplied by the Cascade Brewery are made into several different styles. However, the biggest revelation to me was their Pepperberry gin. It tasted amazing, even at room temperature, so a bottle made its way into my bag. I can’t wait for my first gin martini!

Lark Distillary Pepperberry Gin