Just before I settle into 2018 I must recount a late highlight of 2017.
Is there anything better than joining dear friends and heading to a comfortable retreat, to really talk? To discuss weighty or frivolous topics as well as cook and eat and drink together. I did this just before Christmas and we ate at Annie Smithers’ du fermier in Trentham. The best rump steak with béarnaise and pommes lyonnaises I have ever eaten. A big claim, but true.
After lunch we were invited to view Annie and her partner’s newly-acquired property. It was jaw-droppingly amazing.
Its natural spring is already being used for kayaking and swimming. It is to be stocked with trout. The property has old sheds with massive hundred-year-old timbers, permitting secure storage of stuff and the garaging of a huge ride-on mower. It has several outbuildings that offer a multitude of possibilities, from classes to celebrations. The vegetable gardens are planted with the widest range of edibles, all growing well in the magnificent deep soil the colour of crumbled chocolate cake. The geese are pets, and are not for sale or consumption and have names. And there is a comfortable house and an ambitious landscaped garden plan for the future.
