There are a few modes of conversation that abound when the thought of winter hits. Most commonly tongues turn to temperature, and how to best avoid the winter chills. Another favourite is darkness, and how to stay perky when the sun seems to start setting by the time you've finished your lunch. But the one that gets less conversational air time when waxing winter is speed.



Modern life is fast and is only getting faster, and though winter tends to get less favourable reviews than it's sunnier counterparts, the central message of the season to slow down is often overlooked and undervalued. Beauty only reveals its fullness when we have time to soak it in, rather than it flashing and jumping up and down and shouting in our face.

That's all fine for the summer months when our investment in hibernation has matured and our desire for excitement is nothing if not palpable, but winter urges us to drive our lives at a slower pace so we can truly make out it's form in full focus.



And that is our recommendation to you this season. Cherish the fading light. Revel in the sartorial options layering demands. Enjoy the goodness of hearty, lovingly prepared meals. And most of all, warm your heart, body and minds by inviting friends and family to join you around the table for a meal where time, ideally, should never be of the essence.




A light winter cocktail with aromas of rosemary and berries.

Ingredients
Chambord
Chilled champagne
A few sprigs of Rosemary

Preparation
Add 10ml of Chambord to a champagne flute, top with the chilled champagne and let the rosemary sprig sit in the mixture for about a minute, letting the flavours of the herb infuse.

Serve with prosciutto, gorgonzola and fig hor d'oeuvres.






This recipe was passed on to me from my friend Allison Appleby. The apple and fennel combo is given a twist with the hints of cinnamon and cloves. A classic winter warmer.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1.5 to 2kg boneless pork belly
2 bottles of dry apple cider
3 green apples sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb sliced
1 brown onion, thinly sliced into rounds
1 bulb of garlic, sliced halfway
10-15 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
Olive oil
Salt flakes

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Pour the cider into the bottom of a roasting tray and arrange the apples, fennel, onion and garlic on the base. Scatter over the cloves and cinnamon sticks. Place the pork belly skin side down on top of the mixture and cook in the oven for an hour and a half.

Turn the pork over and coat the skin in olive oil, adding a generous amount of salt flakes to encourage the skin to crackle. Bump the heat up to 200 degrees Celcius and cook for another hour. If you want the skin to crisp up even more, throw the pork skin side up under the grill for just a few minutes, but be careful as it can easily burn.

Remove the pork from the pan and serve with your favourite winter veggies, with the apple and fennel mixture as a sauce on the side.






This easy dessert tastes delicious and sweet and looks even better when it's a bit 'rustic'. The ginger adds a little extra kick to cut through the sweetness.

Serves 8

Ingredients
Dough
Packet of shortcrust pastry
500 g plain flour
100 g icing sugar
Pinch of salt
250 g butter, chilled
2 eggs, beaten
Splash of milk

Filling
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
500 g strawberries (2 punnets), hulled and quartered
8 stalks of rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
1 cup of sugar
1 tbsp tapioca flour
Zest of one lemon
Juice of half a lemon

Egg wash
One egg yolk
Milk

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour and icing sugar together and add a pinch of salt. Cut the chilled butter into cubes and using your fingers mix in well to the mixture. You want to keep pinching at the butter and flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the eggs and just a tiny splash of milk, and mix with your hands until you form a dough. Flour your kitchen bench and knead the dough until it's combined and smooth. Be sure not to over-knead though, or the pastry will become too tough when cooked. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, put your cut strawberries, rhubarb and ginger into a bowl and mix well with the sugar, tapioca flour (for thickening), lemon zest and juice. Allow that to sit and marinate for about 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface into a big circle, about 40cm wide and 5mm thick. If you have leftover dough, wrap it in cling wrap and freeze it to use later.

Spoon the strawberry mixture into the centre of the dough circle, leaving 10cm of dough as a border. Fold the edges of the dough towards the middle all around. The dough shouldn't meet to completely cover the mix - you should have a view of the mixture inside.

Lightly beat the egg yolk and milk until combined and brush over the exposed dough with a pastry brush - this will create a lovely golden colour.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Serve with a nice dollop of cream or ice cream.





Credits
Photography by Denise Braki. Interior styling by Jessica Bellef. Recipes and food styling by Jonathan Fleming. Words and art direction by Chris Deal.

Shot on location at The Cottage Kangaroo Valley, boutique accommodation in the NSW Southern Highlands, enquiries here. With thanks to Lisa Madigan.