Rob Hartwell is the 2008 Acorn Scholar. As part of a year’s development activity, he has been given a sabbatical from his sous chef role with Peach Pub Company to take a four-month cooks tour.
On leaving Fiji we shared a feeling of sadness to leave our own little island of paradise but this had been such a great start to the tour we can’t wait for stage two.
After a 10-hour flight, we arrived in Perth and then travelled down to Busselton, near the Margaret River, where my older brother lives.
The first night we were there, my brother laid on a traditional Aussie BBQ and I had the feeling that this would be the first of many.
The following day we headed off down the Margaret River, first to the chocolate factory where we watch the chocolate being made, so Sophie was over the moon for the rest of the day.
Second, we were off to the cheese shop where despite a wide selection, the produce is pretty average and the ones I tried were all a bit young and lacking in body. And all of this before breakfast!
After this very rich start to the day, we visited three superb vineyards; Hay Stack’s, Vasse Felix and Mad Fish, where the pinot noir was the highlight. It was exciting finding great new wines to drink, explore new flavours and continue to expand my palate.
Later on that week we went out fishing. This trip was not a success for us unfortunately, but a good day for the fish so on the way home we found a free-range organic spit roast chicken joint called ‘switch’. It was amazing and proved to me that the trend for fast-food places (like Leon in the UK) is also available in Australia. How wonderful to find fast food this healthy and also good for the environment.
At the weekend we set off on a bush camping and fishing trip to Pemberton, a little town in the Kerri forest where the second biggest trees in the world grow and it’s possible catch beautiful fresh water trout.
During our stay there, we managed to snag ourselves six of them for dinner. Our best catch of the weekend though was a 5ft striped Wobbegong shark off the beach during a night fish.
In the Australian tradition of accessing the best of Pacific Rim cuisine, this we marinated in a big plastic bag with lemon, herbs, garlic, chilli and soy sauce and grilled it over a wood fire – spectacular!
After a full two weeks of fishing and living the Australian country life, it was time for me to head back to Perth. We stopped at one of my favourite places on the way back called Little Creatures.
This is a converted boat shed/croc farm and a huge vibrant space. It takes the form of a massive restaurant on one side and a working brewery on the other. The range and quality beer is great and the food, including wood-fired pizza, tapas and even kangaroo steaks. If you are ever in Freemantle this is a good place to spend a long Saturday afternoon.
This stage of the tour has not only been about experiencing the food but more about getting into the Australian mind set in readiness for my two stages with Neil Perry and Bill Granger. I feel the things that are important to the Australian way of life are reflected in their food - uncomplicated, fresh and honest, with a unique twist.
Now it’s time for me to get back into the kitchen; I have this itching feeling to start cooking and creating again. I cannot wait to start my work in Sydney at Bill’s....
