It’s Pie Time in the Southern Highlands

Pie is what happens when pastry meets filling. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first use of the word “pie” as it relates to food to 1303, noting the word was well-known and popular by 1362. My discovery of pies was much, much later than that when my father use to buy pies for my brother and me to eat after school. Pass the tomato sauce please! Potato and beef pies were and still my favourite. I will travel for a good pie. I was in luck! For the month June, you can eat pies, pies alone, pies by the fire place, pies in high tea style, pies with pinot, rabbit pie, venison pie, ordinary meat pie or my favourite mashed potato meat pies in the Southern Highlands region of NSW, about an hour and half drive from Sydney. The Southern Highlands is the place to escape the urban crush, where the serenity of life in the country calls. But you can also go pie hopping and eat pies at over 100 outlets in the Southern Highlands during the Pie Time Festival …yes there is a month long festival dedicated to only pies in the region. Now with 100 outlets and limited time, I popped in the Southern Highlands Welcome Centre for concierge service, who have a wealth of local knowledge of where to go to eat pies, and in fact they have a map to guide you on your pie crawl in the region.

I was hungry when I stopped by the Welcome Centre and didn’t want to go too far. “Try Gumnut Patisserie, they have pies and pastries too” the lady at the Visitors Centre advised me. And pies and pastries Gumnut Patisserie indeed had and just as many award winning accolades as choices to eat of pies and pastries. Filling in my meat pie was piping hot and pastries were crispy and fresh. Coffee is great too there as well as their lamingtons to go!

As a Sydney metropolitan local, I am fortunate a long weekend getaway to the lush green forests and country landscapes was only an hour and 15 minutes’ drive away from where I live. A visit to the Southern Highlands is a very accessible trip for the weekend that will leave you relaxed, refreshed and your belly full from all the good pies and pastries you can eat down there, not to mention excellent wines from the local vineyards in the region, some of which have people behind them for over 20 years. There is a lot to see, taste and do in the Southern Highlands, or not do if you wish and just enjoy the velvet cloak of silence, amongst the rolling country side, with the sound of only birds chirping, munching of pies and drinking of pinot. Despite the region being much colder than Sydney, the crackling fireplaces was heaven sent. As evening falls, I’m like my cat where curling up on the couch in front of the fireplace in the Milton Park Country House in Bowral became my favourite place in the late in the evening before bed.

Pie Time Festival 2019 in the Southern Highlands runs for the entire month of June and here are some ideas on what to see, taste and do for a weekend away in the region this month:

See

Fairground Follies

I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at Fairground Follies. It is located on a street that looked industrial but as I entered, it was like a fairground museum. Fairground Follies is all about featuring the most exciting and unique collection of fairground, mechanical music and 100 year old steam carousel. Fairground Follies runs a special tour on selected dates for the Pie Time Festival and it’s called Past Time and Pies at Fairground Follies and the tickets purchased supports Meals on Wheels.

I enjoyed a delicious apple pie, a hot cup of tea and was taken by the owner operator of Fairground Follies, Craig on tour to learn and listen to the sounds of yesteryear. It was truly a fascinating experience to learn how music on a carousel works or where the saying “with all the bells and whistles came from” and here some old classics like the ‘Chicken Dance’, the ‘Can Can’ and ‘In the Mood’.

Taste.

Cuttaway Hill Wines

I visited Cuttaway Hill Wines in the beautiful town of Exeter in the Southern Highlands where I learnt from the owner Mark Bourne how raw champagne and sparkling wine are made by hand. I love the taste of raw sparkling wine – crisp and fresh. For lunch we enjoyed the Pinot and Pies lunch special on offer for the entire Pie Festival for the month of June overlooking the vineyards with Heatherbrae’s Pies exclusively available at Cuttaway Hill Wines cellar door.

Southern Highland Winery

Rabbit ragu pie served with caramelised onion, eschalot and spinach with a glass of pinot is the speciality for this month for the Pie Time Festival at the Southern Highland Winery. Before you say “What are the other options” because you normally don’t eat rabbit (and as a Sydneysider, it is rare to see rabbit on a restaurant menu, well certainly the places I go to), give it a go because it “doesn’t taste like rabbit” but just a delicious meat pie!

Milton Park Country House Pie Tea

If you would like indulge in an elegant pie tea experience overlooking the beautiful gardens at Milton Park and champagne, try the Pie Tea with tiers of delicious food of rosemary wrapped beef brisket pie with pumpkin, wrap with chicken fillet, assorted sandwiches, assorted macaroons, orange almond cake, almond choco crosses, brownie, homemade scones double cream and homemade jam and petite fours.

The country style buffet breakfast is also a treat in the morning overlooking the Milton Park Gardens with a good variety of fresh hot and cold selections to get you started for the day.

Do.

Stay at Milton Park Country House

You can just do a day trip down to the Southern Highlands as it is an easy drive but you won’t regret an overnight stay at the Milton Park Country House a luxury boutique hotel and spa. The Milton Park Country House is the quintessential image of a luxury mansion in the country. And many bride and grooms seem to think so too as its historical buildings and landscaped gardens make it ideal for beautiful photography. The five star luxurious hotel is set apart in its own secluded hilltop woodland east of Bowral in the Southern Highlands. The story goes in the heart of the hotel is a grand mansion, built at the turn of the 20th century by the Hordern Family of retail and pastoral fame. The estate offers breathtaking views to the horizon in every direction over gardens that are arguably Australia’s finest and that have inspired painters and writers since the early 1800’s. There was once a Golden Era, when Sydney’s wealthy and successful fled the heat of the city to the privacy, comfort and invigorating climate of their Southern Highlands retreats. There, behind imposing gates, up tree-lined driveways, they enjoyed a lifestyle of gentle, relaxed pleasure, eating and drinking well, playing tennis and croquet, watching a season pass in splendid gardens, taking the occasional bracing walk, and returning to the comfort of an open hearth and attentive, discreet service. At Milton Park that Golden Era still glows warm and inviting, the perfect escape from the stresses and pressures of life in the city.

The rooms are divine and during winter (and don’t underestimate) how cold it can get in the evenings in the Southern Highlands. My favourite spots in the room was on the couch in front of the fireplace and also the hot shower with great water pressure. The room I was in overlooked the Garden Courtyard on the ground floor and the bronze chiming fountain. Being on the ground floor means getting to and from your car was easy and the whole hotel was heated so you were always warm. Truly a remarkable stay in the Southern Highlands and I would definitely go back again and make time to try the spa facilities next time.

Dirty Jane

If you love eclectic vintage and antique items, then Dirty Jane is your dream shop! If you haven’t been to the Southern Highlands before and pies isn’t enough to get you down there then this store or warehouse, Dirty Jane will be all the reason you need to make the trip. There is a beautiful collection of vintage, upcycled and new homewares, sourced from Australia and abroad, is a decorator’s, collector’s and stylist’s delight (sorry I didn’t take many photos as I was too excited). I ended making a few purchases like a 1950s vintage coat with faux fur in a beautiful olive colour, an old wooden stool (a styling prop or a hardy stool to sit on for my husband when he does his gardening) and some food photography styling props. A visit there makes you feel like you’re in another era. Dirty Jane was an Irish orphan who arrived in Australia on a convict ship. She turned her fate around and went on to run a prosperous emporium selling second hand goods. A very fitting story indeed.