Real Fruit Granita (that's a slushie to the kids)

Roger has mastered the juicer and we are full steam ahead making real fruit slushies served out of the milk bar just like they used to in the old days.  Back then it was the Veneris family's secret recipe Orange Ale and we are not claiming ours to be as good as everyone's memory of their refreshing drink.  However we would like to dedicate our version of something similar to the memory of Jack and Peter.  Everyone remembers their drink so very fondly.  They remember how it was a drink but used to ice up around the edges of the freezer and how it had to be stirred once in a while to keep it liquid.

Well, ours is more a traditional granita, in fact that is exactly what it is.  We make two varieties so far using freshly squeezed fruit juice (Roger has been slaving over the juicer just like Peter used to).  Orange and Watermelon Real Fruit Slushies are now on tap so to speak at The Blue Bird.  And as it has most definitely been 40+ degree temperatures all this week the summer is well and truly into what I call 'Watermelon Weather'.  In fact it has been the only thing that has managed to cool us (and our customers) down this week.  Roger reckons that the icy drink is quite moreish but as it is made with 90% fruit including pulp, it is probably not a bad thing to become addicted to in the scheme of things.

From the original comes the even better

I was truly surprised at how quickly our original home-made sausage rolls became a hit in Lockhart not long after I first started making them.  I think that was sometime in February last year...certainly before the Antiques Under the Verandah day because I remember making truck loads of them to sell that weekend.  Since then I have made a batch every day and almost every day, they have sold out.  That is really good feedback that I was on the right track when I decided to focus on flavour over size as the commercial varieties seem to do.  It has certainly been one of the main comments we have received about them...that our sausage rolls have flavour and that you can taste the meat filling.

So I decided to have fun experimenting with other flavours and came up with my own version of the classic Cheese and Spinach Roll.  It has a secret ingredient to give it a bit of extra pep.  That has featured sporadically on our menu now for a number of months.  At long last I can unveil a new, gourmet range of 'sausage' rolls...

Turkey, cranberry and brie - subtly sophisticated and slightly festive

Pork, apple and mustard - an English country flavour inspired by the Hairy Bikers

and..

Chicken, macadamia and sundried tomato -my personal favourite, the intense hit of sundried tomato balanced out by the creaminess of Australian macadamia.

Who said that a sausage roll had to be all about the meat?  My new flavours test the boundaries of the ordinary sausage roll and I hope I can tempt some traditionalists into stretching their imaginations and their taste buds to try something a bit different and new.

A New Year and a Milestone

Roger and I have not only made it through Christmas and New Year 2013, but we have also reached a bit of a personal milestone and are taking the time to reflect on all that we have achieved, as well as of course, as breathing deep for some new year's resolve.  January 2014 heralds the anniversary of the re-opening of The Blue Bird for meals and a rekindling of the business.  It might not have been as dramatic a year for the Shire of Lockhart as 2012, there were no floods in 2013, but it was a huge year for us.

The winter was long and hard to undergo our first year in business but we made it through and now we can say that we have seen all the seasons and seasonal changes.  We will know better what to expect in the coming year.  A tremendous learning curve and we are grateful that we have been able to roll with the times.  Spring arrived after a good rainy winter and the canola bloomed its butter yellow early.  The changeable spring with unfortunate late frosts was not kind to the farmers or their crops but Lockhart pulled through better than other areas and harvest took place earlier than usual to make the most of the crops that were left undamaged.

In December we suffered an early heatwave.  After the mild previous December in 2012, Lockhart had lulled me into a false sense of security.  Here I was thinking that it would not be as hot as people had warned me.  We sweltered for four days of temperatures that tipped over the 40 degree mark, followed then by sticky humid rain.  It wasn't so much the heat that distressed me as the multiplying bugs.  They might have been little but they learned over the week of their life span, to bite and be very, persistently irritating.  Tiny insects that pestered me day and night, attracted to light coloured things like our vehicle, our toilet and our skin.  The local Banjo frog was a welcome visitor in our back garden as they enjoyed a marvelous feast of insects.

Fortunately the weather cooled just before Christmas and it has since been a couple of weeks of lovely temperate 30 degree, fine days and cool nights so we have been able to get some sleep.  Christmas Eve presented a picture perfect sunset and since then we have been busy, busy, busy in the cafe as the traveling families make the most of the nice weather to trip around and stop at The Blue Bird.  Of course, I am having the same feeling that I do every year I work through the Christmas/New Year season.  I envy everyone else who is on holiday when I am not.  But it is a case of 'making hay' for us as we build up our business and we will be hopefully be able to stand back some time in the future and see the rewards of our hard work.

I terms of new year's projects?  Well, we are enhancing our collection of milk bar memorabilia and working on researching more of the history of The Blue Bird, Greek-Australian cafes and milk bars.  We have known all along that the most important part of what we are doing here is preserving a precious part of Lockhart's and indeed Australian history and the more of that history that we can share with the world, the better.  So here's to 2014 and its place in history.

The last minute Christmas rush

Now I know that there are not many people who have their Christmas shopping completed, wrapped and under the tree before Christmas Eve.  The last minute rush is almost traditional for some.  I remember occasionally being kicked out of shopping malls at 9 o'clock on Christmas Eve as the worn out staff tried not to lose their cool in their effort to get rid of the annoying last minute shoppers.  The roller doors came down and the big burly security guard stood stoic and grim, shaking his head at pathetic protests of desperation.  He did not look at all like a jolly Santa.  But there was that dreadful sinking feeling that the shops were shutting one after another and there were still presents not yet bought.  Someone in the family was going to miss out on Christmas Day.  Oh the nightmare of Christmas.

It's not supposed to be like that.  Maggie Beer has a new Christmas recipe book out and Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and all the other TV cooks make Christmas look perfectly magical.  The preparation of food and the consumption of the feast with family and friends is supposed to be joyous and infinitely easy.  Or so we are told.  I don't think anyone of us mere mortals really believe that, now do we?  The preparation of a hot cooked meal for a host of relatives is no easy feat.  It is successfully done in many kitchens in many houses all over the world but it is certainly not easy.  And in countries like New Zealand and Australia, it is a stiflingly hot task.

I am fond of the memory of the first Christmas I spent in Australia.  It was just Roger and I.  We took a picnic basket of crackers, cheese, grapes, chocolate and a bottle of wine to the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne and sat under a tree each with a book to read.  We spent the afternoon in quite pursuit of Peace on Earth.  Now that was magical to me.  In the past the lead up to Christmas, throughout my library career, was usually full of stressed customers and the pressure of booking in leave three months in advance or missing out.  I often had no idea in September what I wanted to do at Christmas so invariably I would agree to work through and let other staff take holidays.  And every year, come the first week of January when everyone else looked rested and relaxed from their holidays, I would regret the decision.

So this year I have some advice on how to beat the end of year stress and the last minute Christmas panic.  Here it is.

Take your break now and go on a mini holiday in the last couple of weeks before Christmas.  Don't wait till after when you are already too stressed to wind down.  Avoid the shopping malls with their endless earworm Christmas music.  You will never get it out of your head.  Do your shopping in small towns rather than big cities.  There is less stress and less hype to distract and pressure you into buying in panic.  In fact, come to Lockhart.

This Friday night the town is having late night opening and a street festival to get the community out enjoying the season together.  And if you are still looking for gifts at that point, then there are a number of opportunities in Green Street to find something that you are unlikely to get elsewhere (certainly not at the price).  The Blue Bird has good books and unique handmade retro crafts for sale and the other shops, Heaven in Rags, Intuition, Ginge and Fluffs are all places that offers something quite different and special in a world full of mass produced and chain stores.  There is a relaxed atmosphere in Lockhart this Christmas, come and catch the bug.

The Taste of Summer

Last week The Blue Bird Cafe launched the new summer dine-in lunch menu.  We now serve our most popular pizza during the day all week...the Hawaiian.  As well as a home-made baked pasta like lasagna or spinach and ricotta cannelloni.  The spinach is grown in our own garden free from chemicals.  We use our own Napoli sauce and as many local ingredients as possible.  Or there's omelette - vegetarian or ham which has been going down well in this hot weather as they are light and airy.  Our nod to the classic mixed grill is still a work in progress as we work out a way to present a grill within the limits of our kitchen facilities.  We do have a tasty chicken schnitzel which has lots of flavour and is served with sweet potato (kumara to the Kiwis) wedges, corn and a herb gravy.  And last but not least we are serving the classic fish and chips dish with a tempura battered NZ hoki fillet, beer-battered chips and a crisp salad.  It's starting to sound like a real restaurant menu at last!

But best of all is the new dessert range.  How long has it been since you last had a banana split or an ice cream sundae served at a real milk bar.  Well, wait with longing no longer because you can do just that at The Blue Bird of Lockhart.  And we are making our own toppings...raspberry, real caramel and real chocolate sauces plus the Blue Bird Special Sundae with our own fresh made blueberry topping, whipped cream, and blue heaven sprinkles.  Oh, and don't forget the cherry on top!

It's the Simple Things that Make all the Difference

Let me share with you one of the heart-warming encounters that has brightened our days of late.  Since the Spirit of the Land Festival we have had scoop ice creams as part of our traditional milk bar offerings.  Selling ice cream sounds like a pretty cool way to make a living.  I mean, rows of brightly coloured flavours, sweet, cold and creamy, what could be better.  It's like being the Candy Man really and ice cream never goes out of style, not with big kids and not with little kids.  But it also comes with a degree of stress.

For instance, about this time last year we received our first delivery of ice creams.  The intention was to sell ice cream alongside the drinks fridge we had recently parked in the doorway of the shop.  Just remembering back to our first form of revenue, a mere year ago, reminds me of how far we have come in twelve months.  I remember too, the constant stream of customers, frustrated puzzlement crossing their faces as they realised that they were blocked by a tall fridge and would only get inches into the cafe.  "Do you do hot chips?"  They asked peering around the fridge into the construction site that had once been a cafe.  There was no floor, the walls were only half plastered, tools and paint pots were scattered everywhere.  "No, sorry we are under restoration."  "Oh, okay.  How about a spring roll then?"  Yes, truly that was a genuine question that made us laugh.

But I digress.  I started to say that selling ice creams had its stresses.  That first day, in 30-something heat and high humidity, we took receipt of a freezer full of ice creams and felt optimistically that all our cash flow troubles would be over now that we could trade a bit.  That afternoon was stormy but the break in the sultry weather held off until the evening when lightning lit the sky and unbelievably cut the power.  An ice cream freezer newly stocked was melting fast and we were plunged into despair.  See, the stresses of ice cream.  That episode did have a happy ending by the way.

However, ice cream brings joy to many people and it has truly been a pleasure these past few weeks to be the Mr Whippy of Lockhart.  And here finally, is the heart-warming story.

About two weeks ago an older gentleman came into the shop.  He pointed to his wife sitting in a wheelchair outside and said that she would like to have an ice cream.  "What flavour?" I asked and added.  "Would you like to bring the chair inside so she can choose?"  He shook his head, they were out for their walk and weren't stopping.  He pointed to the Hokey Pokey tub.  "That one will be fine.  Just a single scoop will be enough."  As he left he said: "See you tomorrow."  I watched him take the cone out and hand it to her.  They continued on their way and his wife happily licked her ice cream.  He has been in every few days ever since and it's always the same.  A small cone of vanilla ice cream, not too big, her heart is content with just the simple pleasure of a wee taste of ice cream.  I am afraid that I haven't learned their names yet but my day is always brightened meeting the needs of this lovely couple.  And it seems to me that a life where satisfaction comes as a small scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cone, like when you were a kid, is the best one to have.

Prize-Winning Tomato Sauce

In October The Blue Bird entered some of our secret recipes in The Rock Show.  Roger entered his own creation called "Cumin-side there are oranges in here Tomato Sauce" and took out not only First Prize but Champion in the Men's Section.  It was his first attempt not only at the sauce but also at competing in a show and he was tickled that he did so well.  We are now considering bottling our prize-winning sauce and selling it in our shop.  So watch this space for the chance to sample some.

I entered my Hummingbird cake in the Ladies Cake Section.  It competed alongside a number of cakes of all varieties and won Second Prize (the competition was strong).  As it is the first time I have entered a local show, I was proud of my achievement.  And the prestige has opened all sorts of future possibilities for products available at The Blue Bird.