A quarterly journal covering recipes, craft, printmaking and fabric designs .. sharing musings from my everyday life in the treetops of Clareville on Sydney’s northern beaches
I have had so many requests, from near and far for a digital version of the two booklets which Kevin Weldon (dad) and I worked on before his passing late last year. I have provided download links to them in this special edition of the Journal. I hope you will enjoy them as others have done or perhaps it will inspire you to create your own little booklets with your parents or grandparents. I have also included a small excerpt in celebration of Dad’s life, from my perspective as his eldest daughter.
There’s never a morning where I don’t wake up and feel incredible grateful to live here. Even on the overcast days, the northern beaches are full of wonder - cockatoos screeches, the high and low tides changing the beach landscape hourly and the rich and deep greens of the magical blend of bush and rainforest and tropical plants that surround our house. On the hot humid days you can smell the heady fragrance of frangipani. Sometimes this gratitude is expressed creatively and sometimes it’s just experienced as a the backdrop to stolen moments in the day for tea and cake or cheese and chutney on the front verandah.
A simple recipe for a cake (or slice) base to fill with your favourite fresh fruit. I have used plums but apples work a treat. And summer finally arrived - threes nothing better than returning home forma morning swim to an outdoor shower. I’ve put together a few renovation tips if you’d like to create your own. My seed cracker recipe is on rotation in our house and a little story about the circle of life and more
We share an old fashioned Lemon Cordial recipe named after my granddaughter Layla - who has an old lemon tree in the backyard of her new house on the Bellarine region of Victoria, and diving into mums recipe book I found a letter from Jessie Bradman (the famous cricketers wife) sharing Don Bradmans favourite cake recipe ..
From the headland above Avalon Beach - everyday the sea and sky are different - endlessly inspiring and its such a treat to pause and feel the morning unfold this way. We love a breakfast picnic here often just simple blueberries and strawberries with fresh yogurt and coffee from the Classic Coffee Van.
In this issue of the Journal we have 2 great recipes for picnic treats and a 1950’s fabric scone basket to make. This is such a great way to transport fresh baked muffins or scones of buns and when you arrive at your location it flattens out as a base to serve them - perfect for a car boot picnic! This pattern makes a basket that fits 10 large scones in its pockets: 4 pockets in each of the two layers and space for two in the center … and we feature our signature Banksio cushion cover silkscreened in white on natural linen
With most of us in lock-down we take a home bound journey in this journal - a longing reflection of Sunday Kitchen’s Lebanese cookery classes and a gratefulness for the rich and diverse heritage of our population, and with climate change on our mind we have a recipe to make your own veggie wash and a guide to storing fruit without plastic.
We’ll be providing a new cake topping every issue to pimp up those cakes in a new way - this month it’s Apricot Coconut Cake Topping and we provide a glimpse into our “makers” process with a look at my next tea towel design as it progresses and of course we have restocked our online store with beautiful raw linen, hand silkscreened cushion covers and fabric by the metre.
The craziness of chilly nights and sunny days calls for simple food, nourishing and full of love. In this journal I’m sharing one of my favorite lunch menus - Grandma Glendas soup and Sicilian focaccia - I’ve had requests for this simple chicken soup from so many people who enjoyed it at mum’s house - even all the way from France. And I’m unreavellign the inspiration behind the Weave fabric - a 1950’s beach house on the gold coast - and a shop update … Enjoy and stay safe
There’s nothing nicer than warm winter sun filling a home on chilly days or venturing out, all rugged up to watching the sunrise over the water. Those who follow me ion instagram stories will know my favourite spot on the hill above Avalon beach.
These two recipes are perfect for picnics by the sea or brunch on the weekend. They are a healthier alternative to bread and crackers and so simple to make … in the shop this month we profile our Frangipani tea-towels.
It’s the change of seasons here in the southern hemisphere - moving from warm balmy afternoons and evenings into twilight’s chilly edge and a crisp wind at sunrise. My favourite place to see the sunrise is from “the Hill” above Avalon Beach - it’s such a gentle way to ease into the day, connect with the locals, watch the waves roll in, and the birds riding the uplifts off the cliff edge. It’s a chance to breathe in deeply and appreciate “home”.
So, it’s a perfect “breakfast picnic” place to bring warm fresh-baked cinnamon buns and a thermos of Laxmi’s home-made chai. I love these recipes which have both been shared by wonderful women - I have adapted the swedish cinnamon bun recipe and added a few variations which are fun to make. This is recipe makes about 20 and I’ll often make up a batch and freeze them before baking them “on demand”. Happy Baking
We’re excited to announce our Weave table-runner giveaway - Just tell us who you would invite over for lunch if you could and what you’d serve. Try our two sweet treat recipes _ Sicilian Orange Cake and our simple Date Ganache and we have a new fabric design on the way.
The ELA pattern can be used as a ruffled collar, a linen “necklace”, a belt or a wrap around head scarf. It’s a great companion for any linen shirt or dress and a great way to use up linen scraps.
Anzakkies are my healthier take on Australian Anzac Biscuits. They’re so easy-to-make and full of rolled oat and coconut goodness - to finish them off I like to dip or drizzle them in dark choloate. We also have a sneak peek at our limited edition Italian linen printed in the Gum Nutyy and Weave textile design.
Afternoon teas with my mum, Glenda Weldon are fondly remembered and often recalled by many. I have shared many of these in my makers journal posts and I thought it might be fun to bring them all together in a little cookbook.
Our treehouse had such a creative and nourishing impact on our lives from May 1998 -Jan 2015. When we sold the house we had so many inquiries about the design of the house and requests from many people who stayed with us over the years for the floor plans. So I thought it fitting to write a little piece about what it meant to live there and how some of its unique design details created such a special sense of space.
It's all about the LOVE. I have been on search for the recipe for these sweet delights since first trying these delicious caramel centred light shortbread biscuits in Bookoccino book store in Avalon on Sydney's northern beaches years ago.
When my daughter, Sophie, was 16 she won a scholarship to Atlantic College on the coast of Wales in the UK. When she was notified that she had won the scholarship we were excited and overwhelmed in equal measure. It was amazing opportunity and one not to be missed but it was a huge journey for me as a single mum, to let her go across the other side of the world at that age .. to follow her passion and dreams.I decided to create a sisterhood quilt that would honor the women that had gone before her and the woman that inspired her and that surrounded her now, as well as the inspiring peacemakers at home or abroad and the heroines she loved in books and films.
This was one of my mothers go-to recipes for afternoon tea with friends. She loved to serve in on the verandah overlooking the harbour when we lived at McMahons Point just behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Served with fresh whipped cream and a cup of hot Assam tea or good brewed coffee and watching the boats sail criss-cross up the harbour .. nothing better.
One of my fondest memories of Sage is picking the large wide leaves in Sicily in the kitchen garden of Case Vecchie. As late afternoon approached we walked down the hill and through the century old vineyard towards the old stone cottage where dinner would be served.We were greeted in the garden with a refreshing Aperitif served with these wonderfully surprising treats, Sage Leaves in a Light Beer Batter.
These two recipes are super simple to make and really tasty. Great as home made gifts for a hamper or to bring to a summer picnic. The Oatcakes deliver a perfect neutral balance for any savoury topping. The Fig and Walnut Paste wrapped in vine leaves is not only beautiful to look at but with the inclusion of toasted sesame seeds, warming spices, quince vino cotto and a little ouzo they are a sweet fragrant 'friend' to cheese.
Sometimes no matter how we manage our life there are times when the joy of slow cooking using freshly market produce is beyond us and we just need to get something on the table quickly.Here are two recipes to keep the "wolves at bay" while you work on the main meal or they can also work perfectly well as a delicious light lunch or dinner.
