It’s been a little while between blogs, so I thought I’d take a minute to catch you all up on the latest from our little favourite corner of the world at the Dimboola Golf Club restaurant.
We’ve finally had some rain – the tanks are full, the trees and garden are loving it, and for now, the dust has settled (literally!). The road into the golf club has been graded too, making the trip much smoother – big thanks to the council for that. We’ve also had a couple of new directional signs installed to help guide folks to the golf club – they’re looking great and are already making it easier for visitors to find us. The third sign is on its way, with my beautiful stepdad kindly lending a hand to get it up over the next few days. Grateful as always for the village it takes!
Over in the kitchen, we’ve had kangaroo tail and lemon myrtle crocodile on the menu lately, and both have been going down a treat. The tail is slow-cooked and served with warrigal greens and soft polenta. The crocodile is the tail cut into pieces, and we do a quick fry with cornflour and spices and serve with a salsa verde and garlic aioli, kind of like our version of popcorn chicken. Haha. We’ve also upgraded to a beautiful Wagyu for our steak offering – a step up in quality that’s been well received by our diners. The menu will be staying the same over the next few weeks as we take a short break. The restaurant will be closed from Thursday, July 24th, and reopen on Thursday, August 7th. These quieter winter months are giving us a chance to catch our breath, reset, and get ready for the next chapter.
I’m always thankful for the bookings and support we receive, especially during this time of year. We’ve had some really special celebrations come through, and our Chef’s Table / Feed Me menus continue to be a hit. There’s nothing quite like being able to cook with the seasons, share a bit of our story, and fill bellies and hearts in the process.
Outside of the restaurant, I’ve been keeping busy with some beautiful community sessions. A few weeks back, I ran a cooking class for young mums in Horsham – we kept it real, focusing on making life easier in the kitchen and taking the pressure off. We made a one-tray chicken and risoni bake, yoghurt shards, and an easy pasta sauce that makes the most of leftover veg in the fridge. And yes, sometimes dinner is cereal or scrambled eggs. That’s okay too.
We also catered a finger food function for 60 people in Nhill – the weather was wild that day, but I took it slow, Miss Daisy-style, and got there safe and sound.
Another highlight was welcoming the Sistas from Goolum Goolum to the golf club for a cooking class. We cooked lemon myrtle chicken, damper, and chocolate puddings with muntrie jam. The kitchen was absolutely buzzing with their beautiful energy – such a joyful day.
Last week, we hosted a two-day conference for DEECA, covering all things agriculture and farming. We served up strawberry gum scones and bush herb sausage rolls with muntrie jam for morning tea, followed by Rueben focaccias with sunrise lime pickles, saltbush lamb sliders, lemon myrtle chicken, and a warrigal green & quinoa salad for lunch.
Meanwhile, I was also back out cooking with the Marung students in Stawell for NAIDOC Week. These deadly junior chefs cooked muntrie and raspberry cookies, chicken skewers with lemon myrtle and sunrise lime, kangaroo sliders, and wattleseed scones – they were absolutely brilliant.
And just yesterday, I was in Halls Gap with the Budja Budja crew doing a cook-up with the junior chefs – saltbush potato cakes, strawberry gum scones, and kangaroo tacos all made their way to the table. Everything was a hit!
Today’s about catching up on emails, tying up loose ends, and getting ready for a weekend in the restaurant. We’ve slightly adjusted our opening hours for winter:
- Thursday: from 4 pm
- Friday: from 12 pm through to dinner
- Saturday : closed for lunch during footy season (unless booked)
- Sunday: Chef’s Table ‘Feed Me’ lunch
Thanks again for being part of this wild, seasonal, heartfelt ride – whether you’re booking a table, joining a class, or just reading along. We’re here doing what we love, rain or shine.
