Today is not Halloween. It may be All Hallow’s Eve (or Samhain) on the other side of the world- the celebration of death (particularly of the growing season), but you literally couldn’t get further away from that here.

Instead, tomorrow (November 1st) is Beltane in New Zealand. This is a celebration of flowering, fertility, or life. We are about as far away from death as it is possible to be in the seasonal calendar.

Ours is not the season of restraint, stinginess or self-effacement. Ours is the season for adornment, generosity and gratification. Lots of gratification.

We are enjoying the first wave of fertility in the growing season on The Food Farm- soft, sweet lettuce leaves and peppery, delicious rocket. Tiny pink radishes and bright green herbs fill bowls at meal times. And still SO many eggs. None of these things take long to grow, harvest or prepare.

Asparagus is now in full flight and even the four year old can’t keep up, finally leaving some for the rest of us. Asparagus embodies instant gratification. Just a few minutes cooking teamed with a couple of perfectly poached eggs, a grating of pecarino and a slice of toasted sourdough.
Our first prosciutto is ready as well, and the saltiness of the cured meat works perfectly with our other seasonal ingredients. Best of all it takes no time to slice and is so, so good with the Riesling. No really… so good!

We’ve launched Tongue in Groove at Pinot Palooza in Melbourne and in keeping with the season we were rewarded straight away. A consumer vote saw us in the top three New Zealand Pinot Noirs alongside Ata Rangi and Craggy Range. Oh no, no self-effacement here!

As so it all begins, the website is up, the liquor license in hand, the season of beginning upon us. Eggs anyone?