Poach and serve

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This was published 14 years ago

Poach and serve

Country style ... tasting at Lambert Vineyards.

Country style ... tasting at Lambert Vineyards.Credit: Owen Thomson

Canberra may represent the heart of the nation's political power but it's also a player when it comes to the portfolios of gastronomy and relaxation. The recently launched Poacher's Way, a marketing idea, encompasses 25 experiences representing the best local chefs, winemakers, artists and rural retreats. It covers an area from Gunning to Gundaroo and Bowning to Bungendore. Following the Poacher's Way is a great way to spend a weekend, or even a week.

Silo Bakery

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Ten minutes' drive from Canberra's airport, this stylish suburban eatery is an ideal place to begin a Capital Country sojourn. Inside, polished concrete floors and stainless steel trim lend the establishment a hip semi-industrial vibe, an apt ambience considering all its breads and pastries are baked on the premises. I start with a seasonal caprese salad of rich Gundaroo tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. I follow it with Silo's signature dish, tarte flamiche, a yeast pastry around poached leeks and washed rind cheese. There's a selection of local and imported wines to choose from and a chilled glass of 2008 Rusty Fig Albarino from Bermagui is the perfect foil. Dessert is an excellent passionfruit and mascarpone tart. Here, the pastries taste as good as they look.

36 Giles Street, Kingston. Open 7am-4pm Tue-Sat. Phone 6260 6060.

Mt Majura Vineyard

My visit to the 9.3-hectare vineyard (just 9 kilometres from Canberra Airport) begins with a casual stroll through the vines, a chance to peruse and literally sample fruit varieties including merlot, pinot gris and touriga. Head winemaker Frank van de Loo says the area's ancient red volcanic soils are ideal for wine production. So I head for the tasting area to test his assertion purely for scientific reasons, of course. With some coaching from my guide, Julia, I'm soon discerning the flavours and subtleties of each wine. I start with a selection of whites my pick is a 2008 chardonnay. Of the reds, the 2004 Dinny's Block (apparently best described as earthy with mulberry flavours and spicy overtones) and a 2007 Graciano (peppery with fragrances of redcurrant and gum honey) are the most striking testaments to local geology.

314 Majura Road, Majura. Cellar door open 10am-5pm Thu-Mon. Phone 6262 3070 or see mountmajura.com.au.

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Grazing

The first thing that strikes you about Grazing is its bricks and mortar it is in Gundaroo's Royal Hotel, dated 1865, which was once the first stop on the Cobb & Co coach route between Queanbeyan and Sydney. The second thing is the ambition of the menu, based on fresh local produce, much of it grown on site. Today, the work of chef and host Tom Moore includes a magic dish comprising smoked Snowy Mountain trout, potato terrine, fennel and celery remoulade and a wasabi lemon granita. The main course, duck with raspberry vinegar, is accompanied by a brilliantly improvised salad including sorrel, figs, chioggia, saffron aioli and tempura zucchini flowers. It's one of the best dining experiences of my life.

Corner Cork and Harp streets, Gundaroo. Open for lunch (Fri-Sun and most public holidays) and dinner (Thu-Sat). Phone 6236 8777 or see grazing.com.au.

Country Guesthouse Schonegg

The middle of a vast expanse of rural grassland 30 minutes from Canberra seems an unlikely location for an award-winning guesthouse, but it's precisely here I find Country Guesthouse Schonegg, a purpose-built bed and breakfast and restaurant run by German-born Evelyn and her husband Richard Everson. Their six guestrooms are named after favourite wine varieties. I happily check into the viognier room (though I'm more of a shiraz fan), a comfortably appointed space with a small private courtyard and garden. Here I find a pair of deck chairs from which to survey the gently rolling topography. The anaesthetic effects of silence and stillness are only the start of the experience. Dinner, prepared by Richard, is a highlight. My main course is chermoula-basted alpaca with an apricot couscous and tamarind jus. Dessert is equally enticing just like an alcoholic slushie, the riesling granita underscores the experience.

381 Hillview Drive, Murrumbateman. Single accommodation from $120 a night. Guests can dine six nights a week (except Tuesday), while the restaurant is open to the public on Friday and Saturday nights. Bookings required. Phone 6227 0344 or see schonegg.com.au.

Poachers Pantry

The sun is setting as I pull up at Poachers Pantry, a stylishly converted grazing residence reached via a dirt road running through sheep paddocks. The Pantry was established by former merchant banker Susan Bruce and her husband Robert in 1991 and has since earned a reputation for its cuisine and range of smoked meats including prosciutto and bresaola. I start with chargrilled peach and prosciutto with coriander, then tuck into a main course of smoked quail and skordalia. It's a revelation, followed by smoked chicken with prunes, green olives and couscous. Finally, lamb cutlets with a smoky lentil salad and yoghurt sauce and some excellent local wines. The moon is only half full when I leave about 10pm but I'm now well and truly ahead of it.

431 Nanima Road, Hall. Phone 6230 2487 or see poacherspantry.com.au.

Geranium House

All this fine dining, wine tasting and countryside appreciation leaves me tightly wound. Actually, no, it doesn't but I head to Geranium House anyway. It's a day spa perched at the top of a hill commanding sweeping views. I complete a questionnaire before my aromatherapy massage and must reveal what ails me. Tiredness? Muscle aches? Sleeplessness, perhaps? I actually feel fine but decide that my mental stress levels could probably be addressed. Masseuse Erin gives me a choice of aromas designed to tackle the job. The one I choose combines wild camomile, petitgrain, frankincense, rosemary and coconut oil. I'm soon smelling good enough to barbecue. Oh, and the stress? What stress?

Via Spring Range Road, Hall. Phone 6230 9220 or see geraniumhouse.com.au.

Owen Thomson travelled courtesy of Tourism NSW.

FAST FACTS


Canberra is three hours' drive from Sydney. QantasLink has regular flights from $178.

While you're there

There are 25 businesses on the Poacher's Way, from wineries to cafes to restaurants to woodwork and ceramics studios. See thepoachersway.com.au.

While you're in the neighbourhood

- Lambert Vineyards started as a hobby project in 1991. Try the reserve pinot and shiraz. 810 Norton Road, Wamboin. Cellar door open 10am-5pm Thurs-Sun. Phone 6238 3866 or see www.lambertvineyards.com.au.

- Redbrow Garden is a secluded bed and breakfast surrounded by bushland and wildlife. Rooms from $195. 1143 Nanima Road, Murrumbateman. Phone 6226 8166 or see canberraguesthouse.com.au.

- Old Saint Luke's Studio is a 19th-century sandstone church, now the gallery of ceramic artists Ian Jones and Moraig McKenna. 1045 Shingle Hill Way, Gundaroo. Phone 6236 8197 or see oldsaintlukesstudio.com.au.

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