A WEEKEND IN TASMANIA
A Weekend in Tasmania - Luxury Travel Magazine
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A Weekend in Tasmania | |||||
| By: Kendall Hill, Issue 44 – Spring 2010 | |||||
| (Tasmania, Australia) | |||||
| KENDALL HILL DISCOVERED A RESTORED GEORGIAN INN NEAR LAUNCESTON IN TASMANIA WHERE GUESTS CAN COMBINE LESSONS IN FRENCH CUISINE WITH WINES, MOVIES AND ACTIVITIES THAT RECREATE THE RHYTHMS OF PROVENÇAL LIFE. | |||||
| The convicts who painstakingly carved and laid the sandstone for the Hadspen Inn in 1844 could never have imagined this coach house outside Launceston would one day become a magnet for French cooking enthusiasts. The Red Feather Inn, as it’s now known, launched classes in February this year that combine owner Lydia Nettlefold’s love of the French lifestyle and cuisine with chef Lee Christmas’ passion for homegrown produce and old breed pigs. Nettlefold, who bought the handsome Georgian inn in 2006 and gave the interiors a lush, French Provincial-meets-modern makeover, was schooled in Switzerland and travels to France each year. With the Red Feather she has brought a little corner of rural France to northern Tasmania, complete with a Gallic appreciation for good food. Christmas is the inn’s chef and an able accomplice to her grand plan. A champion of rare breeds and farm-fresh produce, he developed quite a foodie following when he was at The Agrarian Kitchen, the farm-based cooking school at Lachlan in the Derwent Valley. His curriculum at Hadspen has a strong paddock-to-plate focus with emphasis on the provenance of ingredients and those who grow them. A new series of dinners will feature talks by growers of premium Tasmanian produce – Angus beef or free range geese, for example – while guests tuck into a four-course meal based around the star ingredient. The roster of classes currently available includes lessons in pasta and pastry making, traditional sauces, charcuterie, smoking and curing, and growing and harvesting kitchen gardens. There’s also a seven-day retreat, “A Week in Provence”, in which guests can combine lessons in French cuisine with wines, movies and activities that recreate the rhythms of Provençal life. The big draw of the Hadspen school will be visits to Nettlefold’s 160-hectare Midlands farm Haggerstone, home to Hereford and Highland cattle and Christmas’ prized Wessex Saddleback pigs. “The farm was built in 1830 and has a gentleman’s residence and a magnificent barn complex,” Nettlefold says. “Part of the experience of some of our cooking classes is going to happen out there, visiting the pigs and getting a sense of where the animal comes from.” The homestead still has its original basement kitchen, which Nettlefold plans to restore. Back at the inn, guests will stay in three rooms and two suites spread between the main house and the barn and stable complex. Most overlook the pretty private garden with its stately willow and resident white homing pigeons. The décor in each room is unique, blending colonial furnishings from Nettlefold’s own collection and 18th and 19th century European antiques she picked up from Provincial Interiors in Oatlands, north of Hobart. Alessi wall clocks, gorgeous free-standing baths and whimsical works by Tasmanian artists show Nettlefold has a stylist’s eye for decorating and the confidence to trust her own good taste. The downstairs lounge and kitchen are the spots to settle with a glass of Tasmanian red in the winter; in summer, the gardens beckon for a game of petanque or croquet. Hadspen was once a pitstop on the Hobart-Launceston coach route. It has few other attractions beside the 1819 Entally Estate (open daily) but the city lights of Launceston are just 15 minutes’ drive down the Bass Highway and the picturesque vineyards of the Tamar Valley are a short drive further on. But guests may well prefer to stay put at the Red Feather. That’s partly why Nettlefold and Christmas kicked off the cooking school, to enhance the experience of staying in a beautiful part of Australia rich in local produce and traditions. And while the French accented menus prepared by students might seem the height of sophistication in northwest Tassie, Nettlefold insists the classes won’t be stuffy or intimidating. “I don’t want it to be formal and uptight,” she says. “I want it to be a really fun experience. And at the end of it, you will have learnt something really good.” | |||||
| DETAILS | |||||
| GETTING THERE | |||||
| Hadspen is 15 minutes drive from Launceston airport and 10 minutes by car from the centre of Launceston. The Red Feather Inn will arrange private car transfers starting from A$25pp but hiring a car will allow you to explore the local area during your stay. The Red Feather Inn 42 Main St, Hadspen Tasmania | |||||
| www.redfeatherinn.com.au | |||||
| Ph: 03 6393 6506 | |||||
| RATES | |||||
| At the time of publishing there were no scheduled dates for the “Week In Provence” retreat however “Retreat To The Red Feather” weekends showcase Tasmania’s finest winemakers and producers and include hands on cooking classes, gourmet meals and fine wines, airport transfers and two nights accommodation. Twin Share A$1,095pp, Single A$1,395pp (max class size 12 people). | |||||
| WHEN TO GOThere is no particular time to avoid Tasmania as it doesn’t experience extreme heat in summer and winter is a great time to enjoy excellent local wines by the fire. | |||||
| PIG’S CHEEK BOURGUIGNON | |||||
| INGREDIENTS | |||||
| 1.2kg pig’s cheeks 3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed 150g smoked bacon, thickly sliced 2 onions, sliced 1 stick celery, thickly sliced 2tbsp plain flour 1L Shiraz wine 2 bay leaves 6 springs fresh thyme 4 fresh sage leaves 500mL water 1kg carrots, peeled & thickly sliced 60g cold butter | |||||
| METHOD | |||||
| • Heat a heavy bottom casserole dish, add the cheeks and cook over a medium heat to brown • Reduce heat, add garlic & bacon and stir until bacon is golden • Add the onions & celery and cook for another 2 minutes until onion is soft • Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly • Gradually add the red wine, herbs & water • Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1 hour • Add carrots to the dish and simmer for another 30 minutes, until meat is tender and sauce has thickened • Remove the meat and vegetables and set aside • Beat in the cold butter into the sauce and bring to the boil, whisking constantly • Return meat & vegetables to the dish, season with salt and pepper • When hot, serve immediately with mashed potatoes or crusty bread | |||||
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