Orange food and wine scene through her
Taste Orange events, winning the ‘Maggie
Beer Award for Outstanding Contribution to
Australian Food’ in 2006, the same year she
took the reins at Brand Orange.These days, farm-fresh and local is literally on
Kim’s doorstep and she creates set menus
each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from
whatever her gardeners gather. Lunches are
long and languid, with six incredible courses
served in large dishes for two, adding to the
family table vibe that permeates the
farmhouse. The space is light and bright, with
large windows letting in sunshine and rural
views, although the many rugs, cushions anda crackling fire keep things cosy. Kim’s
kitchen bench sits in the open at one end of
the main room by the large French entrance
doors and is piled high with produce. Her
food philosophy is that fresh, organic
produce shouldn’t need anything fancy done
to it. There are no smears, foams or plating
with tweezers here — just perfectly paired
bold flavours, simply cooked from scratch.On the day I’m there, Kim has prepared a
series of fresh, light, flavoursome dishes
including a charcuterie board with heirloom
beetroot, celeriac and hazelnut salad with a
horseradish and fennel aioli, which is
followed by a tart of Ash’s puff pastry with
caramelised leek and onions, stinging nettle
pesto and local legends High Valley Cheese
Company’s curd and fetta, served with freshly
picked Zin garden greens and pomegranate.Fortunately for the foodies who flock here,
Kim’s partner David Lowe has literally been
labelled a ‘Legend of the Vine’ and his
vineyard and cellar door form part of the
property. David curates the wine flights to
match Kim’s menus and they are a wonderful
way to explore the wines of the region as he
doesn’t just stack the list with his own, but
also includes a smattering of locals too. An
absolute standout is the Eloquesta Shiraz
Petit Verdot from Mudgee, which pairs
perfectly with the rosemary and tapenade
crusted veal cutlet, accompanied by pumpkinG O U R M ET GETAWAY