great plating: we share the secrets to a superb holiday feast CONSCIOUS LIVING Laura Dalrymple, one half of the pair behind

bread and heirloom tomato salad with summer herb dressing and burrata

SERVES 4—6

1 sourdough baguette, halved lengthwise 1 clove garlic ¼ cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush ¼ cup (60ml) sherry vinegar 2 tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp flaked salt 1kg heirloom tomatoes, small halved and large sliced ¼ cup mint, chopped ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped ¼ cup tarragon, chopped ½ cup baby rocket leaves, chopped 1 bunch red salad onions, thinly sliced 125g burrata Baby lemon verbena leaves*, to serve

1 Preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue over a high heat. Brush each side of bread with oil and rub generously with the garlic. Grill the bread for 1 minute on each side or until charred. Placed on a large platter and set aside. 2 Whisk the sherry vinegar, sugar and salt together. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the bread and spoon over the vinegar. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so the tomatoes can marinate and the bread can soak up the vinegar. 3 Combine the mint, parsley, tarragon, rocket and oil in a small bowl. Just before the meal, spoon the herb dressing over the tomatoes and serve topped with onions, burrata and lemon verbena. *Available in small punnets from greengrocers. If you can’t find them, you can use mint as a substitute.

pepperberry pavlova, whipped mascarpone cream, hibiscus syrup and raspberries

SERVES 10—12

225ml egg white (approximately 6 eggs), at room temperature 1½ cups (330g) caster sugar 1½ tsp white vinegar, plus ½ tsp extra ½ tsp pepperberries, crushed 250g mascarpone cream 300ml thickened cream 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 x 125g punnets raspberries ½ cup (125ml) hibiscus flowers in syrup

1 Preheat oven to 150°C (120°C fan forced). Place the egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking for 30 seconds before adding more. Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and whisk for a further 6 minutes or until the mixture is stiff and glossy. 2 Add the vinegar and whisk for 1 minute on low speed until combined. Fold through half the pepperberries. Spoon the meringue onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper, shaping it into a rough 22cm round. Add the remaining vinegar to the remaining pepperberries and scatter over the meringue. 3 Place in the oven, reduce the temperature to 120°C (100°C fan forced) and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool, with the door closed, for 1 hour. 4 Whisk the mascarpone, cream and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Spoon over the pavlova. Top with raspberries and hibiscus flowers in syrup, which you can buy from selected delis and liquor stores. TIME-SAVING TIP You can bake the pavlova a day in advance as long as you store it in an airtight container.

OUT | SUSTAINABLE

FROM LEFT Ben and Reagan’s beef short ribs with pickled carrots and noodles, a recipe from The Ethical Omnivore. Feather and Bone owners Grant Hilliard and Laura Dalrymple. A Texel flock at Moorlands Biodynamic Lamb in NSW.

CONSCIOUS LIVING

laura dalrymple

One half of Feather and Bone pastured products, this biodiversity advocate and educator is leading the charge for a sustainable future

How did Feather and Bone begin? About 15 years at slaughter, whether the retailer ago, my [life and business] partner Grant Hilliard has visited the farm, and what they was working as a sommelier and manager while know about the way it’s managed? he also tried to get a filmmaking career off the What will sustainable biodiversity ground. It occurred to him that there was look like in 2021? Diversity is at something peculiar about the way that wines are fussed over for the heart of a sustainable planet. IMAGES FROM their pedigree and provenance but meat was largely generic, with The more diversity, the healthier THE ETHICAL OMNIVORE no info about breed, production method or place. Propelled by and more robust the system. This by Laura Dalrymple and a burgeoning interest in sustainable agriculture, a passion for applies to the soil, plants, insects, Grant Hilliard (Murdoch artisan culture and a courage born of ignorance, he found some animals, people, and even the Books, $39.99), available farmers growing rare breeds of sheep, some chefs willing to buy microbial communities in our own online and from good them and, lo and behold, Feather and Bone was born. guts. We’re optimistic and hopeful bookstores nationally. Why is nose-to-tail education so important when it comes to that this message is starting to break how we consume meat? We’re increasingly disconnected from through, but we have a climate crisis on our hands and can’t the sources of our food and we are losing knowledge at an wait for policy makers and legislation. We all need to be doing alarming rate. For example, the beef cuts that are commonly more to promote greater biodiversity. available in butcheries or supermarkets are only a fraction of the What do you wish more people knew about sustainable farming possible variety of cuts available from a whole carcass. But the practices? When farmers step out of the commodity paradigm commodification and intensification of livestock production that seeks to subjugate nature and instead embrace a cooperative have narrowed and we’ve gradually lost the skills that allow us relationship with it, you see the most inspiring results. Our book to utilise the whole animal. If consumers don’t request varied is full of examples of farmers who are regenerating their farms cuts, butchers won’t offer them. This is regrettable for so many and providing thriving habitats for all the living creatures, from reasons. It’s a serious thing to take a life to feed yourself and microscopic soil microbes to humans. As well as welcoming we should respect that by celebrating every part of the animal. the return of birds that haven’t been seen for decades, they’re What are the biggest questions we should be asking when growing nutrient-dense, premium-quality meat and poultry buying meat and produce? And why? Every time we buy that is carefully managed so that it improves the landscape. something, we are voting for the system that produced it. These farmers, working in this holistic way, offer a message of Consumers are active agents in the food landscape and an hope. We can restore and revitalise our natural landscapes and ‘ethical omnivore’ is someone who is doing their best to take hold the tide of climate change and species decline. But urban responsibility for their choices – making a decision to seek out Australians need to see ourselves as intimately connected to this and support food-production systems that align with their value work. This is our planet and we are all in this together. systems. Ask your retailer about the breed of the animal, the age featherandbone.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAN BENSON

LAST WORD

burn for you This raw-yet-refined candlelit bowl does double duty in style It would be an understatement to say that Christmas 2020 marks the end of a year of living very differently indeed. A piece like Ferm Living’s new Bowl candle holder just feels right for this festive season – it’s stripped back and simple in style yet elegant and decorative enough to become a gorgeous centrepiece on any table. Deep holders for four dinner candles are shaped into the unglazed ceramic bowl. When they’re lit, the flickering flames cast a lovely light over the bowl to create a sense of calm, balance and quiet beauty – just what we need this year. Order online for about $105. fermliving.com

WORDS: SARAH PICKETTE