For the Aroha of : rhubarb

I’m putting a line in the sand. My mum makes the best rhubarb crumble in.the.world. Buttery, salty sweet, light-as-air crumble over jaw-seizing poached rhubarb just begging for a scoop of full-fat vanilla ice cream. Good lord, there is no such thing as a diet when that sweet smell fills her house. All I can think of is how to sneak a spoonful from the edge and smooth it over so no one will notice…

Anyway, did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable? So it counts towards your five a day. Really. Unless, of course, its juice is extracted and turned into cordial by the lovely people at Aroha…which is then added (by me) to ice, fresh mint leaves, vodka and a splash of soda.

Aroha make other delicious cordials including Gooseberry, Elderflower, and Ginger & Honey, all of which are free from added sweeteners, artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. I discovered them at the la Cigale markets in Parnell, but a quick look at the Aroha website shows that they are stocked all over the country. They also do a sparkling range, and I can’t wait to try the Feijoa & Elderflower one…my mouth waters just typing the name.

In the meantime, Mum, if you’re reading this…the rhubarb season is nearly over…hint hint…

x

Food that sings to your soul

Handmade gingerbread from Kuna's Pure Food

Several years ago, we spent a magical white Christmas with my friend Klara and her family in Klatovy, a storybook town a couple of hours out of Prague. 

Although we couldn't communicate with words, Klara's mother spoke straight to my heart with her intricate, handmade gingerbread decorations. The recipes and designs have been used to decorate trees in Czech for centuries, and they capture the magic of Christmas in a way that $5 a dozen baubles from the Warehouse just can't. On the day we left she presented us with a gingerbread house complete with a tea light candle inside that lit up the windows and blew smoke out the chimney. If it hadn't been so warm, cinnamony and delicious I would have kept it forever. 

Klara recently followed her husband across the world to Australia, and I was so delighted when I learnt that she has started a little business selling handmade gingerbread treats for Christmas. Every item is baked, decorated and wrapped by Klara herself, and the detail is incredible. In a world of fast, furious, cheap and cheerful, her gingerbread is infused with centuries of tradition and love. For those of you based in or around Melbourne, Klara will be at the Geelong Artifact Market (18th November), Piccadilly Market in Geelong (20th November) and at Magnolia Square in Melbourne (1-3rd December). For everyone else, if I get enough comments I will beg Klara for her recipe and post a how-to on Beaunz (bribery, yes, but I want to hear your voice too!) 

Tell me about your beautiful Christmas traditions, Beaunz belles?

x