Adelaide to the Barossa Valley

Part 1: Adelaide highlights 

Kristy and Robyn munch on kranskies in Hahndorf

The past week has brought with it such luxuries as daily showers, a stove and oven to cook with, a bed to sleep in, a washing machine and the company of old friends. We were kindly hosted  by a friend that I grew up with and had seen only once in the past 13 years and soon discovered that it was just like old times as we giggled away and reminisced on our childhood. Outside of shooting Nerf guns with Kristy's son Max, teaching him magic tricks and jamming with him on the guitar, JR spent the week working at the Adelaide Children's Hospital. Meanwhile, Kristy and I caught up on the past 13 years, gobbled fish and chips at Glenelg Beach, had dinner with her family and talked some more. I also had the opportunity to explore Rundle Mall and the city of Adelaide when I was not busy devouring Peter Godwin's musings on Mugabe and the Zimbabwean struggle.  On JR's day off, Kristy, JR and I headed to Hahndorf, a cute little German town in the Adelaide Hills, where we took quickly to the surroundings by enjoying kranskies with sauerkraut followed by sorbet from the cutest German ice creamery you've ever seen. And before we knew it, the week had disappeared! Thank you again Kristy and Max for your hospitality and for so many good memories!

Max hunts his targets with the Nerf WMD

Kristy and JR show off "ye olde ice cream"

Part 2: An afternoon with Maggie Beer 

Maggie's kitchen

Robyn in Maggie's kitchen

The Barossa Valley is home to one of Australia's well-known culinary masters, as seen on Masterchef (and a number of other shows), it is Maggie Beer. Traversing the Barossa Valley on Sunday, we turned down Pheasant Farm Road and came across Maggie Beer's Farm House and dropped in for a visit. After taste-testing tantalizing delights such as quince paste, pickled figs (JR's favorite), pheasant pate and raspberry and pomegranate jam (my favorite), we settled on Maggie's plum paste to accompany our Aged Dutch we bought in Hahndorf. We found a nearby reserve and indulged in our goat's cheese, plum paste, crackers and sparkling grape juice. It made for a lovely afternoon.  We then headed back to the Farm House for a 2pm cooking demonstration in Maggie's Kitchen (you may recognize the kitchen from the photos). JR kept Russell company (i.e. worked online) while I Iearnt the secrets of cooking with verjuice. Mmm..yum! While Maggie wasn't there herself, I enjoyed making the most of her products and utilizing her kitchen ;)

Thanks Adelaide and the Barossa, we had a lovely time!  Next stop, Flinders Ranges...

R.

Our "fancy picnic"!  Gotta be done in the Barossa apparently...