‘Love letter’ to good food
AUSTRALIAN cook Sophie Hansen (right) describes her latest book, In Good Company, as a ‘‘love letter’’ to shared tables of good food.
She spent a year travelling around Australia visiting friends and family, cooking with and for them.
‘‘We dragged tables into gardens and paddocks and set them up, we shared picnics on windswept headlands, we had cosy kitchen suppers and we barbecued lamb on the back of a boat.’’
While there is so much people cannot control, they can feed the people they love and show them that love through a table set with pretty flowers, candles, your best napkins and their favourite food, she says.
Hansen hopes her book will give people ideas for gatherings at their own place, whether a morning tea, drinks or a quiet supper in the back garden with neighbours.
‘‘It’s about belonging, being looked after, looking after others in return and feeling like you are part of something, even for just a night.’’
In this edited extract, Hansen visits Kim and Wendy Muffet, of Girragirra Retreat in Forbes, New South Wales.
At the time of writing we are in lockdown, waiting for the Covid19 crisis to pass. I keep coming back to this quote shared on Instagram by one of my favourite food writers,
Carla Lalli Music: ‘‘I know there’s a lot to be unsure of right now, but for those of us who love to cook, there’s a lot to feel positive about, too. You can continue to feed yourself, your family — and others, if that feels safe — and I hope that in doing so, you find relief, and a release.’’
There is so much we can’t control in life. So much in the news that makes us sad or scared or bewildered. But how we come together, how we spend our Sundays and what we cook and feed the people we love . . . these things we can control. I’m not talking about fancy, expensive food and gatherings, but simple, tasty food that’s real and good and full of love. I think that conviviality is our secret superpower — that bringing people together to share a meal is an important act that can change outlooks, brighten moods and make us feel connected in a very powerful way.
Kim and Wendy are all about
conviviality and also happen to be the growers and makers of some of the tastiest food I’ve ever enjoyed. It was a pleasure to make lunch for their family in the midst of their annual ‘‘passata day’’. As it happens, this shoot was the last outing I had for some months. We began socially isolating just days afterwards, so that sunny Saturday lunch under the grapevines in Forbes holds a special place in my memory.
Wendy’s tips for making things easy when friends come over: I would love to be one of those people who has everything done an hour before guests arrive — cool, calm and collected, glass in hand. But to be honest, all is well if I manage to have the table set with something lovely from the garden (flowers, fruit, pretty weeds!) and some upbeat music on. I also try to have the predinner snacks and drinks ready to go.
We like to keep these simple and tasty and look to the garden for inspiration — one big platter laden with local olives, a pickle and homemade hummus with crisp vegetables from the garden and various kinds of sourdough bits is a favourite.