Baker Jess Sankey shows off her Hot Cross buns in our picture (yeah, there's four missing - but we couldn't help ourselves as they came out of the oven!)
And here are some things you might not know about the superstitions behind Hot Cross buns: One of them says that buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or mould during the subsequent year. Another encourages keeping such a bun for medicinal purposes. A piece of it given to someone who is ill is said to help them recover. Sharing a Hot Cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said at the time. Because there is a cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before being eaten. If taken on a sea voyage, hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck (we note that there were no Hot Cross buns on the Titanic!). If hung in the kitchen, they are said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. So we'll see you at Baker St at Williamstown!
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processed in open fermenters before being basket pressed to extract the finest juices for the iconic Freedom Block wine.....The 2014 vintage is currently being processed - and Cellarmaster Jonathon Bitter says the vintage will be excellent despite challenging weather. To learn more about Langmeil Wines and its amazing 170 year old vines, get our Talking Tours audio CD... a great story for visitors to the Valley, or for armchair travellers...
Autumn continues to make its presence felt in the Barossa Valley. In our posts below, you will have seen a fine sunset over the Valley a week or so ago - and as storm clouds pass through as winter approaches, the Barossa sky keeps changing. On this day, the temperature reached in excess of 35 degrees C - but as the sun went down, storm clouds started to gather - and by 2200hrs it was raining! But that's what makes the Barossa so interesting! Fine days and moist nights - just the weather for the growing of fine grapes! With Easter just around the corner and the weather in the Barossa Valley cooling down, it's time to think of warming foods - and no better than that from the Apex Bakery in Tanunda. Call in on Nipper Fechner and his brothers to see what they're cooking up in their 100 year old 'Scotch' wood oven! Barossa bakeries are great year round, but Easter is special. To learn more about Nipper and the Apex Bakery, check out our talk with Nipper on our Barossa Talking Tours disc#1 - you'll be glad you did!
For some superior vineyards, the cooling weather has provided great relief for those whose grapes are best picked by hand -- those vineyards which mostly produce small yields, from some of the oldest vines in the world - or those vineyards producing premium wines from select vines where machine picking, as good as it is these days, just can't operate.
Here we take a look at Wolf Blass, where select vineyards are still picked in the traditional way - and we spoke with Senior Site Winemaker Matt O'Leary about his expectations for the 2014 vintage. While there might still be a hot 'kick in the tail' of summer, cooler but still sunny days are rolling over the Barossa Valley, making it an ideal time to visit! The cooler weather is not only bringing out the visitors, but it's also stirring the locals - none more so than this mob just outside of Williamstown, which we mention in our Barossa Talking Tours disc. These are to be found on the rise to the right of the Kersbrook to Williamstown Road, about 3-5 kilometres from Williamstown - and it's no small mob - several scores of roos graze happily only metres from the road. So if you're coming up to the Valley (on its most scenic route), drive carefully - and enjoy the locals! As Autumn creeps in on the Barossa after a brutal summer of blistering heat and then drenching rains, Nature is finally being kind to the Valley! This pic of a fine sunset over Williamstown, the south-eastern gateway to the Barossa. No matter when you visit the Barossa, there's great vistas just crying out for a photo! Hello and welcome to Barossa Talking Tours! The Barossa Valley is Australia's premier wine, food and tourist region, and if you're visiting the Valley, our Talking Tour will give you insights that no other tour of the Valley can offer! Check out our website: www.barossatalkingtours.com for further details! |
AuthorBarossa Talking Tours provides an entertaining and informative look at the Barossa Valley as an audio tour - perfect for car or caravan! Archives
December 2014
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