A few weeks ago we sat down to a delicious luncheon with friends to celebrate our love of local food from this beautiful region we call home. Read on as our co-founder Victoria shares more about the event and Terase from Taste Byron Bay shares a recipe below... I love food. I love growing food. I love picking food. I love foraging for food. I have been known to stop the car on the side of the road just-to-see-what-is-that-GUAVAS!!-stop-the-car kind of love for food. Emma and I love sharing a meal, with friends is even better. So when Terase from Taste Byron Bay invited us for lunch with friends it was a no brainer! We ventured just down the road and had a delicious long table lunch at Clem’s Cargo.

Terase runs food tours in and around Byron Bay, but gosh golly she does more than just that! Taste Byron Bay offers food tours and cooking classes showcasing local produce and supporting local businesses. The shopping food tour is a favourite of ours, with visits to Newrybar Merchants, Brunswick Heads and Bangalow. The shopping food tour showcases local design, talent and amazing local produce! We have included one of the delicious dishes we feasted on at the luncheon. Enjoy!!

Vic xx

ROASTED BEETROOT TARTE TATIN w GOATS CHEESE

This recipe is one of my all time favourite recipes to prepare, I came up with this super simple recipe a while back when I was craving something meat free for dinner, using seasonal ingredients that I normally have in my kitchen this time of year. Oh yes, and I wanted the flavours to go well with goats cheese, you see I am thoroughly smitten with goats cheese! Terase x

5-6 medium beetroots - raw (try and get them all to be roughly the same size) 3 fresh bay leaves ½ bunch thyme 100g butter Extra virgin olive oil Salt & pepper 1 sheet puff pastry ½ cup full cream milk Chervil to garnish (if you can’t find chervil you can substitute chopped parsley) 150g soft goats cheese or goats curd

5-7 medium red onions – peeled – cut in half and slice 2 fresh bay leaves 3 sprigs thyme – picked Extra Virgin Olive Oil 150ml red wine 100ml balsamic vinegar 2 tbs soft brown sugar

Pre-heat your oven to 180 Celsius Using a baking tray – place two sheets of alfoil over lapping (making a cross like pattern) then place a sheet on baking paper in the bottom of the tray Cut the roots off your beetroot (this will also create a flat surface for them to sit up straight) if the beetroots are big – simply cut them into quarters to reduce the cooking time (you want to keep the beetroot pieces sitting all together though so the beetroot remains a circle) Place your whole beetroot on top of the baking paper – scatter over the bay, butter, thyme, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper Wrap the sides of the alfoil up around the beetroot – so the parcel is totally sealed (this is important to ensure the beetroot cooks evenly and retains all the natural juices and flavour), depending on the size of the beetroot this should take approx. 45-60 mins to cook Test the beetroot is ready in the same way you would a potato, ie insert a skewer and if it goes through easily it is ready Remove from the oven when ready – allow to cool for 5-10 mins before you open the alfoil pack - as it will be full of steam – once cool, open with care For the onions:: using a non stick fry pan – heat the fry pan to medium heat – then add a drizzle of olive oil – place your onions in the pan evenly – add the bay, thyme and season with salt and pepper Stir the onions occasionally allowing them to soften – do not allow the onions to get any colour on them though – once softened add your red wine and simmer until the red wine has reduced by half Add your balsamic vinegar and allow to simmer until the onion mixture becomes soft and glossy – once the onions have completely collapsed and the vinegar has reduced by three quaters – remove from the heat and stir in your brown sugar until it has dissolved Check the seasoning and your are done! To assemble the Tarte Tatin :: simply peel the beetroot with a table knife (the skin should come off easily) place an even layer of your cooked onions at the bottom of an oven proof pie dish – cut the peeled beetroot into wedges and fan out evenly over the onions – then place the slightly defrosted puff pastry on top Press the puff pastry onto the sides of your pie dish – so you have a perfectly sealed tart – remove any pastry that is hanging over the sides with a knife – gently brush the top of the pastry using a pastry brush and the milk - make sure you have a thin but even coating of the milk Cook in a pre-heated 180 celsius oven for approx. 30 mins or until golden brown Allow to cool slightly before using a plate to turn the tart over making it a Tarte Tatin! Garnish with goats cheese and your picked chervil

TIPS:

ï If you don’t feel confident turning the tart upside down onto a serving plate – don’t worry! Simply keep the tart in the pie dish and serve at the table in the pie dish ï If you not a fan of goats cheese, ricotta also works perfectly well with the flavours in this dish ï I often take this dish to friends houses or picnics as it is glorious served at room temperature – for picnics I simply serve it in the pie dish for ease ï Soft brown sugar is best for this recipe – it not only gives you the right flavour balance with the balsamic but it also adds a lovely glossy finish ï You can keep any left over cooked onions in a glass jar in the fridge for a couple of months – they are also great for adding to cheese platters or dolloping on sausages and mash heavenly! ï I often use the leftover beetroot for making a cumin and beetroot dip :: simply add any remaining beetroot to a blender with some yoghurt, ground cumin, salt and pepper – Yep it really is that easy!

A huge thanks to Terase from Taste Byron Bay for hosting and cooking for us! Check out what she does here- tastebyronbay.com & @tastebyronbay

Venue- Clems Cargo @clemscargo

Thank you to all those involved with the day: Flowers @bowerbotanicals Glassware @luigibormioli Caassegrain wines @cassegrainwines Ink Gin @ink_gin Stitch and Hide @stitchandhide Byron at Byron @thebyronatbyron 100 Mile Table @100miletable Churchfarm General Store @churchfarmgeneralstore

Styling-

Victoria wears @isla_label

Emma wears @shopdoen

Photography- Matt Johnson

xx TBP