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Thorn Park Country House
Newsletter &
Calendar of Events
Seems we are always running late with our newsletter – summer is almost over and it’s still not at the printers, but better late than never! Here is our news update and offerings for the next twelve months. Our big and exciting news is the purchase of a new holiday house on Kangaroo Island. For many years we have owned a small shack on York Peninsular and have enjoyed our trips and short holidays there, but when we made a quick trip to Kangaroo Island we both fell in love with it and decided it was time for a change. To cut a long story short we are now the proud owners of a great little house over-looking Penneshaw Harbour. It has a stunning view and whilst it was nearly new, David could not help but have an ‘extreme makeover’ done on it – having windows and doors filled in, new ones installed in other places, the deck extended, kitchen altered (including new stove hot plate and dishwasher) the laundry ripped out, book cases and wardrobes installed and then repainted and decorated, all in about two weeks. It was worthy of any reality television show. We now try and spend four day a month there, and have made a new circle of friends on the island who David just loves to cook for. For any one who has never visited Kangaroo Island… just do it!!! We have called it Thorn Park on the Island and it is available for limited rental during school holidays and other times that we are not using it. For more information on renting the holiday house, contact us or see www.thornpark.com.au We have planned some special events and cooking schools for the next twelve months. This year we welcome our dear friend Ann Oliver to the guest chefs cooking schools. There will be several ways to enjoy her wonderful cooking and her knowledge of good food and wine; Ann will conduct a demonstration class in June followed by a luncheon. Also on offer is a weekend package with Ann as guest chef, and all of this is to be washed down with Stephanie Toole’s Mount Horrocks wines. To learn more about Ann's cooking school, click here, or to download an application form click here. For Our regular guest ‘foodies’ Rosa Matto and Connie Rotolo also return to teach and entertain, and of course David will do his bit with various classes throughout the year. The thespians will not be forgotten, as our neighbours, Sevenhill Cellars, are again hosting Shakespeare On The Lawns in February. The Essential Theatre Company will perform Twelfth Night, and due to such popular demand, they will be performing again on Friday and Saturday nights. With all of these performances we are offing special packages including accommodation, tickets and meals. The Bundaleer Forest Weekend is on again in March and A Day on the Green returns to Annie’s Lane in January 2008. The drought and lack of rain means that the gardens are certainly not looking their best!! For the first time in many years we decided not to have a vegetable garden and have tried to keep most plants alive. We only have rain water, the dam and thankfully a very reliable bore, but whilst everything still looks green, it is not as lush as normal. The gardens are now tended by Heather. She joined us in July after our long time Dave Quick left to work full-time at the local high school. We all wish him well and miss his laid-back manner and wonderful Aussie ‘she’ll be right’ attitude! Heather is doing a great job under very trying circumstances and spent a lot of time during spring pruning and reorganizing the garden beds. She also planted another 100 roses in the old herb garden and in another year that area should look very colourful. Liz and Marie continue to help in the kitchen, front of house and the never ending house keeping!! They also lovingly tend to the guests in our absence. They are helped by Cecilia, Kathy and Cynthia. Young Louise Prior returned from Darwin for a few weeks and stayed six months but has now moved to Perth. We just hope she gets itchy feet again and returns to the Clare Valley! Finally the ‘big news item’, probably the one most people do not want to read, but it is that we have finally set our ‘use-by-date’ and have started planning our lives beyond Thorn Park! Never an easy decision, but it’s one that we needed to make. We have decided that we will put the property on the market for sale later this year. Our dream, our hope, is that someone will purchase the property some time in the following year. We have decided to sell the property only, not the name or the business, and the sale will be subject to us leasing it back until early 2009 so that we can close with a party to end all parties on New Year’s Eve 2008! We hope who ever purchases the property will love it as much as we have, will re-invent it, re-name it, re-launch it and have the fun we have had over the past 22 years. It is probably a very big ask for a dream to finish our time here in this way, but we think it is time, considering we only ever meant to stay here for ten years! What will we do next? Sleep in for a few days! We might even get to ‘do’ lunch. Build a new house on land we have purchased at Watervale, have a long holiday, possibly finally write that cook book everyone keeps asking for and then do something else, but at this stage we are not sure what that is. Whether or not our dream goes to plan or not, hopefully we are here for nearly another two years, and as they say a week is a long time in politics, so anything can happen and we may still be here in twenty years on our walking frames……! The Thorn Park team always look forward to welcoming you back and doing all we can to make your stay enjoyable. We hope you may be tempted to return and enjoy one of our special events or cooking schools or just come and stay for a relaxing few days! Calendar of Events March 2007 – March 2008 March 23rd – 25th Bundaleer Music Weekend This will be the forth Bundaleer weekend and promises to be even more exciting than the last three (if that’s possible). Set in Australia’s oldest plantation forest, the weekend’s highlight is the Saturday twilight concert with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Tenors Teddy Rhodes and Simon O’Neil. More information on the weekend is available on www.bunderleerweekend.com.au Cost $595.00 per person (double/twin share) including two nights accommodation & weekend tickets to all events April 27th – 29th Weekend Cooking school Vietnam revisited with David Hay Since travelling there in 2002, David can’t get enough of the flavours, textures and colours of this exciting and lesser-known cuisine. Related to Chinese cuisine, but using Fish Sauce (nuoc mam) instead of the more heavy Soya sauce, Vietnamese food is also influenced by Laos, Thailand and the French Cost $575.00 per person (double/twin share) May 4th – 6th Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend & Burra Antique Fair The Clare Gourmet weekend is now in its 23rd year – it’s truly ‘come of age’! Try all the new wines on Saturday or sip and eat your way around most of the valley’s wineries on Sunday. Our Gourmet weekend package includes two nights accommodation with dinner and breakfast daily. Cost $525.00 per person (double/twin share) May 29th – 31st Mid Week Cooking School Contemporary Mediterranean food with David Hay Having spent time on the islands off the coast of Sicily and also some of the Greek islands, as well as mainland Italy and Greece, David has developed menus that utilise traditional recipes in a more contemporary way. Cost $550.00 per person (double/twin share) June 8th – 11th Queen’s Birthday long weekend Come and spend three nights in the Clare Valley and curl up by the fire with a good book, hire a bike and ride the Riesling trail or visit the wineries and see how the vintage is progressing Cost $675.00 per person (double/twin share – three nights) June 22nd – 24th Guest Chef Cooking School Weekend Connie Rotolo from Bottega RotoloMaking her annual pilgrimage to Clare, Connie (and Fonz) returns again to Thorn Park to pass on her favourite recipes. From Adelaide’s leading purveyor of Italian produce, Bottega Rotolo, on Osmond Terrace, Norwood, Connie is a national treasure! David just loves to cook with her and her knowledge of ingredients can only be described as awe-inspiring. Cost: $595.00 per person, double/twin share June 29th – July 1st Ann Oliver and Mt Horrocks Wines at Thorn Park Undoubtedly South Australia’s Queen of the kitchen, Ann Oliver needs no introduction. This weekend will be the highlight of this year’s calendar. Join us for a weekend of extraordinary food and wine. David will cook Friday evening and this will be followed by Ann’s dinner on Saturday night matched with current and older vintage wines from Stephanie Toole’s Mount Horrocks wines. On Sunday Ann will conduct a cooking class in the Barn using local produce, and the day will end with a luncheon washed down with more Mount Horrocks wines. You are able to join us for some or all of the weekend. The options: (all prices per person, double/twin share)
All meals include wines & bookings are limited. July 20th – 22nd Cooking School Weekend Winter Menus with David Hay Food with for Winter; some slow cooked dishes, some quick and easy numbers too! This will be a very eclectic class with lots of great dishes and wonderful flavours. There will be some outstanding regional produce to showcase as well. Cost $575.00 per person (double/twin share) August 17th – 19th Weekend Cooking School Sicily and the Aeolian Islands – David Hay After their holiday in Sicily, the Aeolian Islands and Southern Italy, David has returned with even greater love for the wonderful flavours and simplicity of this part of the Mediterranean’s cuisine. He met with cooks and chefs and has collected a lot of recipes that have inspired him to develop his own version of some of the dishes he sampled. Cost $575.00 per person (double/twin share) September 14th – 16th Guest Chef Cooking School Weekend Rosa Matto’s Italian Cuisine Rosa is an enthusiastic exponent of her Italian heritage and cuisine on both radio and television. Her joyful love of Italian food and sharing of her knowledge with others has led to her own very successful cooking school in Adelaide. Rosa is a caterer extraordinaire and her blending of Australian produce with traditional Italian recipes has produced many outstanding meals. Cost $595.00 per person, double/twin share September 28th – October 1st Labour Day long weekend The last chance to have a luxurious rest before the on set of the silly season - spend three nights in the Clare Valley, dine on Thorn Park’s great food and try some of the new released wines. Cost $675.00 per person (double/twin share – three nights) October 2nd – 4th mid Week Cooking School Great flavours for Spring with David Hay Time to come out of Winter hibernation, rattle the pans, and celebrate Spring in the kitchen. Lighter food styles and new seasons produce, simple recipes and lots of wine! Cost $550.00 per person (double/twin share) November 23rd – 25th Weekend Cooking School Summer! with David Hay … Well a couple of days short but it’s nearly Summer! Fresh flavours, interesting recipes and no stress, it’s just the thing for Summer entertaining. Cost $575.00 per person (double/twin share) December 24th – 26th Christmas at Thorn Park Thorn Park has created a tradition for a Christmas of peace and tranquility. Memorable food, gentle companionship and a feeling of goodwill prevail. Our Christmas package includes two nights accommodation, traditional Christmas Eve dinner; superb luncheon Christmas Day followed by a casual evening meal and breakfast the next morning. Cost $595.00 per person, double/twin share. December 31st – January 2nd New Year at Thorn Park Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Thorn Park and be ready for a night of fun, food and frivolity. Party hats and glamour clothes! Our New Year package includes two nights accommodation, sensational New Year’s Eve Dinner; followed by a casual meal on New Year’s Night and brunch next morning. Cost: $550.00 per person, double/twin share. January 18th – 20th A Day on the Green at Annie’s Lane Quelltaler vineyards at Watervale Following on the sell out success in 2005 & 2006, ‘A Day on the Green’ returns to Annie’s Lane at Quelltaler for another afternoon and evening of music. Package includes two night’s accommodation, dinner on Friday night & breakfast both mornings Cost $450.00 per person (double/twin share) January 29th – 31st Mid week Cooking School Casual and Alfresco Dining with David Hay
Our hectic lifestyles often mean that we have very little time for formal entertaining or cooking. Food that is easy to prepare, looks great and does not require hours in the kitchen is what many people are looking for. With Summer in the air, dining under the stars, by the pool or in the garden, is suited to simpler food styles. All washed down with great Clare Valley wines. Cost $550.00 per person (double/twin share) February 21st - 23rd Shakespeare on the Lawns (Thursday & Friday nights) February 23rd – 25th Shakespeare on the Lawns (Saturday & Sunday Nights) The Lawns at Sevenhill Cellars Join us for the Essential Theatre Company’s sunset performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on the lawns at Sevenhill Cellars. We have arranged for our guests to join in the fun, with tickets to the performance with refreshments and supper back at Thorn Park after the performance. The package includes two nights accommodation, dinner both nights & breakfast both mornings. Please note that the first package is Thursday & Friday nights and the Second package is Saturday & Sunday nights Cost $550.00 per person, double/twin share February 29th - March 2nGuest Chef Cooking School Weekend Rosa Matto’s Summer Italian Cuisine Rosa’s Summer classes are always a sell out, mainly because most students received the cooking class as a Christmas present! The food will be fresh colourful and simple. We dine outside, cook a lot, eat a lot, drink a lot and best of all, laugh a lot. Cost $575.00 per person, double/twin share March 28th – 30th Mid week Cooking School Contemporary Mediterranean food with David Hay Having spent time on the islands off the coast of Sicily and also some of the Greek islands, as well as mainland Italy and Greece, David has developed menus that utilise traditional recipes in a more contemporary way. Cost $550.00 per person (double/twin share) All Year Round Would you like to have your own cooking school with a group of friends? Well why not try David’s “A La Carte” Cooking Schools? If you have a small group of friends, and would like to do a cooking course, we are often able to arrange a “special” school just for you. All we need is a minimum of four guests, and if we are able to fit one in, we will develop a program to suit you and your friends. Approximate cost is $550.00 per person, double/twin share. Phone David on 08 8843 4304 Cooking
Schools include: Sole
occupancy
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