The Guitar Room

Ok, so it’s best to answer the obvious question first. Yes, you can buy a guitar off the shelf at this Kilmore guitar business. No, that’s not the main purpose of the business though.

People come here to learn the art of making guitars. Some are guitarists, some are not. Some have previous wood-working experience, some do not. The experience of learning to make an acoustic guitar over weeks or even months, depending on the pace you want to go at, will leave you with both a beautiful instrument made of natural timbers to your own design and specification, but also with an immense sense of pride in your ability to tackle a daunting task and finish it. Even this, though, is not the whole story. More on that later.

Rod McCracken purchased the renowned and long established Montsalvat-based Thomas Lloyd Guitars recently, having been a student at the original site starting in 2014. Rod’s own story, coming into life as a luthier after a long career as a teacher, hints at what lies at the heart of this business. Caring for his wife Mandy, who lost her hands and feet to sepsis in 2013, Rod found himself with a need to rebuild his own resilience once she was well on the way to rehabilitation.

Building resilience. That’s what this guitar-building is really about. It’s about doing something you didn’t think you could do, with the support of others and the guidance of a skilled teacher, and coming to an understanding of yourself as a person.

A florist’s plea for all to wake up and smell the roses

Words by Della Vreeland
Images Supplied

Katie Marx’s relationship with the natural world can be described as thus.

“A lifetime love affair.”

Growing up on a farm in regional New Zealand, the florist says she was instilled with an affinity for her surroundings from a young age.

“Mum was a landscaper, so we had this incredible garden growing up, and I don’t ever remember a time when I didn’t have a patch of garden where I was allowed to plant my own stuff,” Katie recalls.

But it wasn’t just her farmhouse lifestyle that conjured Katie’s love for the earth. For the mother-of-two, being immersed in nature is seen as a form of meditation.

For me, going for a bushwalk or camping and having that stillness seems like a real meditation.

“Our family goes camping as much as we can, and it’s being in nature with no other people around, and the stillness and life that is going on around you, that I adore so much.

“I love walking through the Australian bush and driving past places that may not seem like anything at first glance. But when you take notice and you see that detail and beauty in everything – it brings me so much joy.”

Katie decided to officially harness her passion for flowers and foliage into a business venture over a decade ago, launching her very own floristry business out of her humble kitchen bench in Northcote.

Fast forward 14 years, and she is currently based in Newstead with her partner, Greg, and their two girls.

Her family are the proud owners of the multi-purpose hub that is Butterland – a former butter factory lovingly restored into a space where heritage, nature and creation combine.

Katie says it took close to six months to return the factory back to its former glory, with the building also used as a candle factory up until 2009.

Since taking over ownership, Katie and Greg have transformed the heritage-listed property, celebrating its history while giving it a whole new lease on life.

The space plays host to many number of events, weddings, workshops and soirees, each characterised by Katie’s incredible floristry and underlined by her strong work ethos which is based on a love for native fauna and the use of seasonal and sustainable materials.

“I’ve always had a strong connection to nature and I hope my work makes other people aware of their connection too.

“I want people to look closely around them and realise that they don’t have to buy stuff all the time. There are so many beautiful things we can use in our everyday lives.”

A huge advocate for supporting local growers and industry, Katie is also part of a sustainable floristry project which is devoted to promoting mindful floristry.

“I try not to preach or be a martyr. It’s just about trying to make the florists coming through a bit more mindful in their work,” she says.

“Just because your grandmother was a florist and did it one way, doesn’t mean you have to.”

Katie’s passion is real. Her love affair with flowers and foliage is clear. Her desire to maintain natural beauty for generations to come is more than apparent.

“I love regional Victoria and can’t imagine ever moving back to the city. I’ll always be a country girl now.”

To find out more about Katie’s work, as well as her workshops and events, hit up the Butterland website.


THE DETAILS:

WHAT: Butterland
WHEN: Now
FIND OUT MORE: Butterland

Yarra Valley Garden Party

Words by Amanda Kennedy Images supplied 

As we get closer and closer to being able to travel again, businesses of the Yarra Valley have been working away, getting the valley ready to welcome you back for a visit and we’re almost there. Until then you are officially invited to the Yarra Valley Garden Party virtual event October 2-4.  All you need to do is order the Garden Party Pack and create a spring garden party in your own home with family/friends/bubble buddy. 

So what’s in the pack?

Six of the region’s best wines, recipe cards to inspire your party, a Spotify soundtrack to reflect the valley in Spring, Diggers Club sweet pea seeds, iso-craft garland supplies and a list of spots throughout the region to pimp your Instagram (tulips bulbs to come in January.) With only a couple of clicks, support regional businesses and get it delivered to your door thanks to The Regional Pantry.

Whether it’s a succulent’s workshop, a guided wine tasting or a Four Pillars gin cocktail class, the Yarra Valley Garden Party has got you covered. With the entire event to be live-streamed online via visityarravalley.com.au as well as through the Facebook page, the Yarra Valley never been so accessible.

Saturday morning with yoga at Alowyn Gardens

Start your weekend off on the right note with a live-streamed yoga class from the picturesque Alowyn Gardens located in Yarra Glen. Restore balance and harmony to your day with an uplifting class designed for all age and fitness levels. Whether it’s the Parterre or the Edible garden that catches your eye, ‘downward dog’ will have you planning your next visit.

Sourdough skills – more than just an iso-hobby

Next up, it’s time to put on the Spotify soundtrack and get ready to flex your kneading skills. You’ve seen others get their sourdough game on during recent stay-at-home times; we’ve got all the tips and tricks for you to step up yours. This timeless bread-making technique fits in seamlessly to a modern lifestyle, especially if working from home. Wherever you are on your sourdough journey, there’s something in this session for you.

Dylan McMahon and Phillip Johnson at Seville Estate

4pm is officially wine o’clock so join Seville Estate winemaker, Dylan McMahon, and landscape designer, Phillip Johnson, as they wander the gardens of Seville Estate while talking all things wine and garden. Dylan’s dedication to low-intervention wine-making is reflected in the same approach to the estate’s garden program. In the months to come, the friendly winery staff will shift from pruning the vines to serving guests at their cellar door, restaurant and accommodation.

For now, all you need to do is grab the glasses and pour a glass of their barrel-fermented 2017 Estate Riesling, which Dylan describes as a textural wine, well-balanced by acidity and notes of lime. It ticks a lot of boxes for ardent Riesling fans while also being a great entry point for those just discovering the varietal.

Pencil this one into your calendar.

Wake up and discover flavour with Silva Coffee

Okay, it’s Sunday morning and by now you need a coffee. Local roasters, Silva Coffee, will help demystify your morning brew with their Coffee Tasting class. Experience four coffees from different regions, each with their unique flavours and aromas. Cleo and Wayne began roasting coffee from their Wesburn home in 2010. Graduating from farmers markets to now supplying a raft of venues and homes across Victoria, they’ve not wavered from their dedication to community and sustainability. Byo boiling water.

Yarra Valley Pasta’s Lisa Giffard with cook and author Julia Busuttil Nishimura 

Join Lisa and Julia in casual conversation as they discuss subjects dear to all our hearts – food, family and cooking. These two accomplished home cooks will draw on their robust family heritage to weave together stories and tips for simple, seasonal dishes.

With unfussy recipes from quick pastas to generous baked treats, it’s easy to see why Julia’s popular cookbooks have inspired so many. You’ll soon be drafting the menu for those long, leisurely lunches with family and friends we all miss.

Bringing together two of the valley’s foremost producers, Buxton Trout Farm and Yarra Valley Dairy, Lisa will prepare Yarra Valley Pasta’s smoked trout and goats cheese ravioli. Looks like it might be time to crack the Mac Forbes EB52 Rose.

This relaxing Sunday afternoon session is the ideal antidote for those dreaming of a plane ticket to Italy.

Not quite tiptoeing through the tulips

You’ve just finished the live guided tasting with Jess Nguyen, so settle back and enjoy the sounds of the Yarra Valley Opera Festival set to the visual spectacular of Tesselaar Tulips’ fabulous fields of blooms. And lucky you, your party pack bulbs will arrive in January. 

Flick through the tempting recipe cards created by Caroline Gray or be inspired by the winemakers’ favourite dishes, both perfect Sunday evening activities. Whatever you choose, sit back and toast your wise decision to celebrate Spring in the valley without ever leaving your armchair.


THE DETAILS:

WHAT: Yarra Valley Garden Party
WHERE: At home
WHEN: October 2-4
MORE INFO: Yarra Valley Garden Party

Sweet Fern

Here’s something a bit different. Think wine tasting, but you’re not putting it in your mouth. Although, there’s wine. And platters. But you’re not drinking the thing you’re tasting. Follow?

Sweet Fern is a perfumery, and the experience is captivating and unique. Let’s start with the experience of owner Kate Robinson walking you through the ‘Fragrance Wheel’. It’s a mind-blowingingly  simple way to understand the scents we love. It’s deeply personal and loaded with all our experiences of life and memories. As she explains, ‘Smell is the sense of memory.’ The idea that from this, we can narrow down from hundreds of the highest-quality fragrances to the single one that is our own recognisably ‘you’ scent is extraordinary. It’s not just ‘perfume shopping’, it really is a very personal experience – one which can be quite moving, as you’re delving back through memories via scent.

Get a few friends together for a weekend, and book a fragrance masterclass during an afternoon. Then hit the town, maybe make some new memories somewhere, like Catfish Thai. And in case you’re wondering, it’s not a gender-specific experience. Memories and smell are for everyone.

Mitchell Harris Wines

The Mitchell and Harris families grew up in the Ballarat region. You could argue that they were early instigators of the food revolution off the main drag (Sturt St) in town. The last few years have seen the likes of Catfish, Meigas and the Mitchell Harris cellar door/bar open up and make Ballarat a foodie destination.

The Mitchell Harris style is of relaxed industrial and historic chic, and is at once familiar and fun. It’s a place you can spend a whole Friday night getting lost in a detailed exploration of your friend’s holiday recommendations over several bottles of whatever it takes to make that sound interesting.  It’s a place for meeting up with your best friend to laugh about that time you couldn’t remember that thing you did together, and order the Sabre sparkling, complete with the actual sabring of the bottle. All the Mitchell Harris wines are of course made in the company’s own winery. They’re good. Really good. There are some fabulously sessional wines in there, perfect for the formerly referred-to Friday evening.

If you’re not content with just drinking the wine someone else made for you, you could enrol in the Curious Winemaker workshop. Over the course of several visits through the season, make your own wine: from grapevine to bottle. Don’t worry, you’re not left to your own devices. You’ll be under the expert guidance of winemaker John Harris, and with him make all the critical decisions along the way to produce a decent drop you can call your own.

Mitchell and Harris is also a place to eat. A bloody good one. The food is comfortable and brings on all the requisite ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhhhs’.

Foxey’s Hangout

Here at OHO, we don’t like to play favourites or single out any particular experience. Foxey’s Hangout at Red Hill is our favourite, and a singularly fabulous experience. Hey – rules are made to be broken, right?

Owner Tony says that he ‘didn’t come here to run a restaurant’, and it follows that the combination of cellar door and food service is fun and unique. It’s compact and casual, and the menu is an exercise in minimalist attention to detail. It’s a bit like great minimalist architecture: if you’re going to put up super-simple dishes, they have to be precise and perfect. Tick. The quail, for instance, is simple pan-fried legs, made for picking up and sucking the meat off the bones. They are cooked to perfection, unsullied by technique, and addictively delicious.

Tony is rigid and focussed in his approach to Foxey’s Hangout. You can’t book a group, he doesn’t do events. It’s for casual dropping in and hanging out, and it’s all the better for this simplicity.

Foxey’s Hangout wines continue this focussed approach. Nothing is rushed. You can learn this at one of their sparkling wine–making workshops. The DIY approach to things like bottling means that it can take time to get the job done, but Tony’s not worried. It’s a ‘nicer time’ than running about madly for a day with an industrial portable bottling line contractor. But let’s face it, we don’t really care about the bottling. We care about what’s in the bottle. Sauvignon blanc drinkers will love the pinot gris. Anyone will love the Kentucky pinot noir.

The Meat Room

Those who are lucky enough to have grown up with family food traditions that include sausage making, preserving and so on can understand the simple pleasure of making foods that have become commoditised and sanitised by commercial production. There is enormous satisfaction in taking the best produce, like organically farmed pig, and turning it into succulent, delicious sausages.

James is certainly passionate about his pigs. There’s genuine appreciation for the life of the animal, and a sampling of products made from pigs that have had variations in feed is a revelation. He’s also experienced with other livestock, but pigs are a particular interest. He and  his wife Cathy run workshops in making sausages for people looking to turn their hand to the art of this simple staple.

Classes run regularly, and the best way to stay in touch with the schedule or any new classes is at themeatroom.com.au. James says the return of the salami classes have been hotly anticipated.

Piper St Food Co – Q&A with Damian Sandercock

Tell us about your family’s long history with cooking.

Food has always been a central part of our daily lives. Growing up the son of two chefs and living in and around restaurants all my life – following in my parents’ footsteps was hard to resist.

Take us through your own journey with food.

One of my childhood memories is waiting for the cooks in the kitchen of our family’s restaurant to slow down so I could dash from my bedroom – through the kitchen – to the bathroom.

I started my apprenticeship with my mother and then continued my training in the kitchens of some of Adelaide’s most iconic restaurants. After qualifying, I then travelled and worked in Europe (falling in love with charcuterie along the way) and finally landed in Melbourne where I worked for years at Il Bacaro.

After starting our family and moving to Kyneton we opened a wood-fired pizzeria called Pizza Verde – it became a local classic and won loads of awards. We sold it to create Piper St Food Co – a small boutique charcuterie and now home to our famous pork pie and a busy cooking school.

The older I get, the more I realise how important food is as a way of bringing people together and creating connections. I feel privileged to be able to make food that people take into their homes or on picnics and share with loved ones.

What has been your inspiration for the focus on preservation and charcuterie?

I am fascinated by the traditions and skills of preserving food. It is so ancient but still makes so much sense. Travelling through Europe opened my eyes to these centuries-old techniques of preserving meats – it was done purely out of necessity – initially to use every part of the animal and to provide protein for the winter months. The variations from village to village and slight regional differences was something I became very interested in. After returning home I discovered a second-hand copy of Jane Grigson’s 1967 classic The Art of Making Sausages, Pâtés and other Charcuterie – it is beautifully written and captures all of those regional recipes I wanted to know more about. My copy is now falling apart because I refer to it so often – we have used the recipes as a basis of so much of what we do here at Piper St Food Co.

Travelling through Europe opened my eyes to these centuries-old techniques of preserving meats – it was done purely out of necessity – initially to use every part of the animal and to provide protein for the winter months.

How does where you live influence your cooking?

Living and working in Kyneton – in the Macedon Ranges – is just so easy. We are blessed with loads of small, quality growers and producers – as well as beautiful natural mineral springs. But the biggest influence is actually being amongst other makers – Kyneton is home to the Lost Trades Fair – and there is a growing, thriving community of people that make, grow and cook using traditional methods. Our cooking classes are all based on traditional methods: making things from scratch using hands and traditional tools and utensils. Some of our classes with Rundell&Rundell mean you even get to make your tools first and then come and do a class.

What do you love about living in Kyneton?

The natural environment – fresh air, mineral springs, beautiful walks and swimming holes – it’s such an easy place to live and raise a family (we have five kids). It’s a real community too; business owners and individuals work together to support each other and offer unique experiences (and thankfully we have great locals who support these unique small businesses).

Plus, all the great food (wine, gin, beer, cheese, olives, restaurants, farmers markets etc) on our doorstep.

What is your favourite region outside of where you live?

Bright (Alpine Shire). Every year in January we close up shop for a week and load the trailer full of bikes and head to Bright. We do a bike ride in the morning, plan meals and cook during the day, and swim in the afternoon. There’s lots of beautiful swimming holes and hikes and we’ll often do day trips or rides to other little towns. Each evening after dinner we always walk up to the ice-cream shop and maybe to the water park for another swim. It’s just very relaxed family time – with lots of boardgames, reading and games of backyard cricket (all the kids work alongside us in the business, so this is a well-deserved break for everyone!).


Join Damian in his beautiful commercial kitchen in Piper St, Kyneton for a fun, hands-on Traditional English Pork Pie–making class with all the trimmings. Book here.

A Search for Authentic, Local Honey: Daniel BeeShepherd

Bees and beekeepers are our best friends when it comes to crop pollination. Just ask Castelmaine beekeeper Daniel BeeShepherd  – or read on to see his answers to our Q&A…

How did you get started working with bees?

I’ve always been fascinated with bees. My earliest memory is from the age of four or five when my big brother taught me how to pick bees up without getting stung. My friends thought this was very impressive, and it came in handy when I wanted to frighten the bullies away. I took every chance I got to study and research bees as I was growing up. At around ten years old I thought I was very clever for using the Latin name for bees as the title of a school assignment Apis Mellifera (I got an A).

It wasn’t until I had decided to stop moving around and choose a home in Castlemaine for my family that I took a beekeeping course and then started looking after bees myself.

The day after I finished the beekeeping course a swarm landed in my friend’s garden. I caught that swarm, put it in a hive, and at that point I was hooked.

Over the next two or three weeks I caught nine more swarms. It was a very steep learning curve. I soon realised bees were my calling and, along with being a parent, it became my full time gig in 2013.

What do you find is the biggest misconception people have about bees?

That bees are aggressive. Up until recently, when the general public has started to realise how precious pollinating insects are, and recognise that they are in trouble, bees have had a pretty bad rap in the media. In films and on television bees are almost always portrayed as aggressive stinging pests that will swarm out in a cloud at the drop of a hat and chase you. The truth is that, yes – obviously – bees sting, but they are never aggressive, only ever defensive.

Bees are intelligent creatures and usually die when they sting so they only ever sting when they thinks it’s the last resort. That’s not aggressive. That’s self defence.

There is some evidence to show that the honey we buy in the supermarket has been adulterated, what advice do you give to people wanting to buy real honey?

The fact is that the honey market is almost completely unregulated and “honey laundering” (selling fake honey) is very common – and impossible for the average person to detect. Like with all food, you just never know what you are getting with honey unless you produced it yourself. The only way you can be sure you are getting real honey is by harvesting it yourself from your own bees. So my advice is, either learn how to look after bees and get a hive of your own, or make friends with someone that has their own hive.

What’s the advantage of seeking out authentic honey?

There are so many advantages to seeking out authentic honey it’s difficult to know where to start.

Mass produced honey has often been heated which can destroy almost all of the beneficial health properties of real honey. However, in light of the recent stories about fake honey in the press, I’m probably more likely to talk about how buying authentic honey supports authentic beekeepers and their families. Buying fake, denatured industrial honey supports shareholders and criminals.

Honey laundering is a big business. We have no idea what’s actually in a lot of the “honey” out there, or where it came from, and there’s no easy way to find out as testing is not cheap or easy.

Often, what is sold as “honey” in Australia has been blended with “honey” from overseas. This means that it may not be honey at all but some other kind of sweet syrup product. But worse, the use of insecticides, antibiotics and other poisons by beekeepers to treat bees WITHIN THE BEEHIVE may have been poorly regulated or not regulated at all. This means that the poisons beekeepers have used to treat bee diseases will end up in the honey you eat. Another consideration in terms of potential toxins in honey is the types of agricultural pesticides used in the areas where the bees foraged. Again, these may or may not be regulated and could well include substances banned in Australia.

There are also biosecurity risks associated with importing honey. Bee diseases can be spread in honey and this poses a huge risk to the relatively disease-free Australian honey industry. I’d go further than encouraging people to find authentic honey. I’d say it’s also important to seek out authentic LOCAL honey. This is very important if people are looking at using honey to help with hay fever and allergies. And of course, the most local honey is from a beehive in your own backyard.

Favourite place for breakfast, lunch and dinner in your region?

The community lunch held by Castlemaine Community House on a Tuesday is somewhere I like. Bento boxes at LunchBox Sushi in Castlemaine are my absolute favourite for lunch though.

Besides where you live and work, where is your next favourite part of regional Victoria?

I like to explore the bush. I have quiet little favourite spots all over the place.