With the clocks going back this weekend, autumnal days are well and truly here. It hasn’t turned cold yet, but those days can’t be that far away. Pumpkins, feijoas, apples and the first Brussels sprouts now fill the supermarket shelves. Little fungi keep popping up in the garden and the evenings are getting dark much earlier.
A mini break
As I mentioned yesterday, we headed over the hills for a couple of nights escape in Greytown in the Wairarapa. The drive is just over an hour which makes it a great place for a short break.
We stayed at Briarwood, owned by Marc Weir, the former brains behind the restaurant, Loretta (here in Wellington). It is a really beautiful place with elegant gardens situated on the main street. Below you can see Karl standing in the drive on Friday evening, pictures of the interior (including a bowl full of colourful lollipops) and the homemade granola and shortbread biscuits left for our enjoyment. Eagle eyed regular readers might notice the striped, velvet cushion on the bed and sofas is a different colourway to the one that frequently features in the featured image at the top of what’s on your bookshelf? posts. Anyway, suffice to say, this was such a comfortable place to stay, with great amenities and a short walk from the centre of Greytown.
Eating, eating and more eating
We stopped off for lunch on Friday at Brac and Bow in Featherstone, and as usual I had the smoked fish chowder, so full of fish and flavour. For Friday’s dinner we went along to 1860, part of the Greytown Hotel, where I had the prawn pasta, topped with grilled prawns, and Karl the fish and chips. A glass of local pinot gris went down well too.
With me being incapacitated, no long walks were on the cards, but good food and wine were no problem. After a stroll and coffee in Martinborough on Saturday, we headed over to The Runholder, somewhere we had wanted to go for lunch for a while. The Runholder is the home of Te Kairanga, Martinborough Vineyard and Lighthouse Gin. Below you can see vines turning autumnal, Karl with the hills behind him and the hills. The building below I guess is some sort of storage, but has some great artwork on the side with creatures treading grapes for wine and enjoying the final product.
To eat we started with tomato and rosemary focaccia with kawakawa, dukkah and olive oil to dip. I had salmon with the sweetest braised leeks, fennel, preserved lemon, capers, dill and greens. Karl had the wagyu beef bavette with béarnaise, watercress, onion and thyme jus. We had some ‘pommes anna fries’ with rosemary, garlic and smoked tomato relish, which were layers of crispy potatoes and very good. The food was excellent and beautifully presented and served. We each had a glass of a 2023 John Martin pinot noir from Te Kairanga.
I had booked dinner at The White Swan in advance of our decision on Friday afternoon to book our lunch on Saturday, but off we went. There were nice bite sized starters on the menu, with a ‘Chicken liver parfait churro’ (a little pastry shell filled with the parfait) for Karl and the yellowfin tuna ceviche with a charcoal tapioca cracker served on a paua shell for me. I opted for Canterbury duck breast with duck confit ‘cigar’, parsnip and pistachio puree and blood orange and Karl the pork belly with poached apple, potato mille-feuille, toasted walnut, black garlic, apple cider glaze. We enjoyed a glass of syrah from local vineyard, Johner.
In the basket
Before we left on Friday, the Wonky Box was delivered with a pumpkin, broccoli, capsisum, potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and a bag of sprouts and rocket (rucola or arugula). We picked up some sausages from the butcher in Greytown, and a fennel bulb, tomatoes, blueberries, a couple of apples, a bunch of cavolo nero and some pink peppercorn salami, chicken and pork filet on Sunday. When we were in Martinborough, I got some truffle infused olives, crackers from The Baked Dane and a piece of Over the Moon triple cream brie from The Grocer.
Simple things
- Reading about a new app to help you find the best pies – Australians and New Zealanders will get this!
- Finding a bright red shirt on sale.
- Eating so (too?) much good food…..
- Feeling that my foot doesn’t hurt so much….fingers crossed for the hospital visit next week.
- Planning cosy evenings.
- Getting this beautiful plate at Oggidomani in Greytown. Isn’t it gorgeous?
What were your small pleasures this week? Here are some other blog posts from a few fellow bloggers looking at the good things in life.
- Laurie of Notes from the Hinterland writes about library closures.
- Anne of Something Over Tea considers milk.
- The Glasgow Gallivanter tells about an exhibition she is curating.
- Deb of Deb’s World makes progress.
- Enjoy coffee and a chat with Trent.
- Maria of Green Dreams has been spring cleaning.
- Check out the tadpoles, rhubarb and bees over at Mr Tootlepedal’s blog
- Donna of Retirement Reflections maintains a balance.
- Sue is also cultivating harmony.
- Travels Through My Lens shares a fun short story.
- And Fred shares 6 things from his garden including fritillaries.
- Meanwhile The Travelsketcher shares his week in The Pearl.
- Mr Platypus of Now I’m 64 visits a miniature marvel.
- Jude of Cornwall in Colours shares pictures of the most beautiful muscari.
- ..…and all the other lovely bloggers out there. Sorry if I have missed anyone…..
Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis.