Hop, hop, hop to the fruit and veggie shop!

Not long until Easter, so I am planning some time out and some special treats for my friends and family.

I think we’ll head west to Essington Park. It really is so beautiful there at this time of the year. Winding our way through the Blue Mountains is magical, with the leaves on the trees turning to tones of a tequila sunrise…remember those? The reds, brilliant oranges and yellows of that classic eighties cocktail are overwhelming.

I just can’t help but pull up the car as we drive through Blackheath, my favourite mountain town, and run through the leaves for that wonderful crunch you get underfoot.

A stop at the Veggie patch for some organic fruit and veg and next door to the famous Blackheath bakery for a couple of days worth of their famous sourdough, and a tea cake for when we get there is all in the plan too. Leaving the big smoke behind, and all that it represents is always so liberating. We will, as we always do, wind the windows down to take in the scent of the pines and that unmistakable unique smell of pure mountain air.

What to cook? So many ideas, so I decided to consult the market. The produce that's in season is always the best, shining out, and full of colour and flavour. Autumn is such a terrific time to gather mushrooms in the forest too, so I’m hoping that there’s been sufficient rain followed by a nice sunny day to promote their growth.

We love to go to the forest traditionally at Easter time as a day excursion to collect the Pine Forest mushrooms, also known as the saffron milkcap. It’s such a romantic experience, and the forest is super spooky and so incredibly quiet, with a carpet of pine needles cushioning your boots as you stroll through.

I don’t know why but I always feel I might be being followed by a little gnome or maybe being watched by a forest fairy. If the day is good and we come home with our prize find, a mushroom risotto with lots of fresh herbs from the garden will be made on the Sunday night and eaten beside a roaring fire with a spectacular bottle of red. If we get a lot I like to freeze them down for use at a later time. The texture is never quite as good but the flavour will still enhance a soup or lovely braised beef dish.

What’s in Season in April?

• Quince

• Pears

• Chestnuts

• Parsnip

• Apples

• Fennel

• Persimmons

• Pomegranate

• Potato

• Turnips

• Oranges

So the plan is to shop at the market on the Thursday and design the menu for the weekend around the availability of the seasonal produce. I will cross my fingers that the mushies will be plentiful in the forest for our proposed risotto and all should be good.