ciao tutti! It’s Friday. You’ve made it to today. Lunch has to be something very unfussy, quick, easy and tasty.
Try saying avocado on toast + grated tasty cheese + slices of ripe tomato. Bless with S and P. delizioso!! It even ticks the ‘nutritious’ box.
That was lunch today for TLCR. The avocados? Gorgeous creamy, buttery ones from a friend’s garden. buon appetito… alla prossima!

Pumpkin scones using GF flour.
buon appetito!

This beautifully textured Kent pumpkin was delicious roasted, skin on for easy prep AND steamed made for some really tasty GF pumpkin scones.
Pumpkin Soup with a touch of chilli and nutmeg will be on the menu today.

buona cucina!

ciao tutti! With the re-calibrating that CV19 means for all of us on the planet, having a go at growing your own fruit and vegetables looks to be up there at the top of the list. The Little Cellar Rat has not dabbled in growing pumpkins before, but a vine came up in compost taken over to the winery herb patch. TLCR is learning a lot about the sex lives of pumpkins! May I introduce Pietro the Kent Pumpkin, weighing in at 6.7kg, circumference 89cm, diameter 36cm.
There are 5 or 6 more little Pietros coming along. TLCR will keep you posted. How did he taste? DELIZIOSO!!!

alla prossima!

ciao tutti…. It’s Saturday and doesn’t that word have a wondrous sound to it.
Beautiful thin-skinned Meyer lemons are festooning trees in local gardens and the little Cellar Rat’s thoughts turn to LEMON DELICIOUS, that unpretentious but utterly delicious pudding from days when the wood stove produced amazing roast dinners and no-one would think of wasting that precious heat so something as simple as this would go in. No worrying about hard to find ingredients – these were the staple of any country kitchen.
My recipe is STEPHANIE ALEXANDER’S but I’m sure you have one handed down from a grandmother or great-aunt.

LEMON DELICOUS PUDDING – Stephanie Alexander
You need: 180° 1 litre oven proof dish + larger dish for bath

• 60 g butter
• 2 lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons SR flour
• 1 ½ cups milk

Cream butter, sugar, zest and egg yolks.
Add flour and milk, scraping down sides, then blend in juice.
In separate bowl whip egg whites until quite firm then gently fold through lemon mixture.
Pour into buttered dish (enamel is excellent). Stand dish in larger baking dish and pour hot water to come halfway up the sides to create a ‘bain marie’ or water bath.
Bake approx. 1 hour. Top will be nicely brown and set to the touch. Cool and enjoy with some pouring cream + scoop vanilla ice-cream.

buon appetito…. buona cucina!

ciao tutti! It’s Friday and the first day of a new month – May. The fifth month in our calendar, its origins are a complex little story involving both the Greeks and the Romans. Unlike almost all the days of the week which are Scandinavian in origin, the names of the months in English are all Roman based. In a nutshell, May is named after MAIA, goddess of spring and fertility, remembering that it is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Now, You are going to have a mid-morning break soon. Do you have a tray (of course you do…. probably 3 or 4 ) Get out the one that sings to you, load it up with your beverage of choice and maybe a family photo album. Find a sunny spot and soak in the Universal Mother! alla prossima!

ciao tutti!! Adding to yesterday’s post about teaching kids/ partner/ grandkids how to feed themselves: The Little Cellar Rat learned early on that a carafe, jug or bottle of water at the hand + ready when cooking, is essential and invaluable.
It might sound like COOKING 101 but it simply works and de-stresses. whenever that dash or two of water is needed, it’s ‘no problemo’!
buona cucina!

Yes, NANNA GGELSO 2018 our sweet red blend settled down post-bottling, the labels arrived and all is ready for mail or phone orders.
It’s light and lively and still a little bit cheeky! With notes of ripe berry fruits it reflects the carefree days of summer gatherings, echoing those times throughout the year.

Still $20 per bottle/ $240 per case. Owing to government regulations the Cellar Door is still closed, but please phone, as we can process credit card over the phone and talk about collection or arranging delivery, especially for the Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Maryborough areas.

07 4126 3470 07 4126 1311 0408 875 305 e: mangohillcottagebb@bigpond.com

It’s Wednesday! How are the WFHers faring and are you staying safe and sane.

Wednesday….hmmmmm. Few other words in the English language give as much trouble as this word when it comes to spelling. Like 6 out of 7 days of the week in English, this word comes from Norse culture. Think of it as Woden’s Day, named in honour of Woden, aka Odin, the Norse god of lightning and thunder. Woden is depicted riding in a chariot drawn by goats and with a hammer in his hand. Practical man by the sounds of it!
The words for this day of the week in French and Italian are based on the Roman god, Mercury (Messenger of the gods) so we have ‘mercredi’ in French and ‘mercoledì’ in Italian. If you squint and turn your head slightly to the side you will see the word ‘mercury’ in both! Oh, that’s not a typo with the words in lower case. Both French and Italian do NOT capitalise the days of the week.
alla prossima!!