Marieke's Art of Living

Celebrating the harvest and abundance from local organic gardens, fields and the sea, with matched wines.

Residing at one of the Peninsula’s most exclusive private properties, Tussie Mussie Vineyard Retreat at Merricks North.
Tussie Mussie, an hour’s drive from Melbourne, is set in 30 picturesque acres with 7 acres planted to Pinot and Pinot Gris grapes. Six luxury ensuite rooms have beautifully appointed King beds, spacious bathrooms and private mudbrick courtyards. Public spaces include sumptuous courtyards, a theatre room, a tennis court and a semi commercial vineyard kitchen that also boasts a wood-fired pizza oven. There are also lovely areas for al fresco dining.

26 - 29 October 2012

PROGRAM

After 30 years of cooking and teaching Marieke’s philosophy has arrived at perfect simplicity, where the inspiration is the produce, the context, the place coupled with an innate skill and intuition for cooking well and giving pleasure. With a legion of followers, Marieke always enthuses cooks with her innovative, accessible and achievable dishes that abound in flavours inspired by her garden and her extensive world travels.
“Anyone passionate about food is of course already cooking seasonally. Even more apt is to source local and organic produce. Autumn is a time of 'mists and mellow fruitfulness' producing an inspirational abundance of foods that lend themselves to ‘real’ and slower cooking. Ayurveda and TCM share the view that our diet prepares us for the upcoming season and at this time we need to eat warmer, spicier, sweet and sour foods and make a gentle transition to cooler, shorter days”.

The inspiration for dishes will come from the produce freshly harvested from my own + friends organic gardens, from local fisherman and local regional artisanal producers.

Friday
Arrive from Melbourne at Main Ridge at 1.00pm
Main Ridge Dairy is a wonderful farmhouse cheese factory and goat farm owned by Damien and Bess Knoxon who pride themselves in producing a milk of the highest quality that is then handmade into a range of awarding winning cheeses.
Here you will meet the 200 “girls” and enjoy a hands-on workshop and demonstration of cheese making and a tasting under direction from Christine Lamin from Gippsland. You will have the opportunity to make your own camembert or feta to take home and observe how haloumi and ricotta are made.
We will provide a light lunch.
At 5.30 proceed to your luxury accommodation for the weekend and take time to explore this gorgeous property.
Early evening, a Tutored wine tasting with renowned Mornington Peninsula winemaker, Kathleen Quealy, founder of T’Gallant, “Aussie Queen of Pinot Gris” who now manages 2 labels as well as the Merricks Store. Quealy wines are new styles of wine, employing winemaking and viticulture techniques developed after her many years of successful winemaking. In 2004 she and partner McCarthy purchased Balnarring Vineyards that has some of the oldest premium pinot noir on the Mornington Peninsula, and the vines are exclusively used for Quealy Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir. The vineyard also grows the POBBLEBONK blend; Pinot Grigio, Friulano, Chardonnay, Riesling & Muscat Giallo.
Marieke will prepare a regional supper to follow.
Saturday
Breakfast at Tussie Mussie
Mid morning, an excursion to “Heronswood”, one of Victoria’s most significant gardens owned by the pioneering Clive and Penny Blazey and home of The Digger's Club: so a living catalogue of all the evergreen fruits and vegetables described in their catalogues and books with over 50 sub-tropical fruits integrated within flower borders.
Heronswood has five separate vegetable gardens within which they have rescued the best heirloom vegetables. The garden has extensive plantings of flowers, including perennial borders, dry climate and cottage, annual gardens. Subtropical camellias have been replaced with avocados as edible hedges. A feature of the garden is the integration of vegetables and flowers, with fruit and herbs. This interplanting prevents the build up of pest problems, and sprays and fertilizers are eschewed for compost and mulching and plant diversity. Also the gardens are water efficient in that water use has been cut by 60% in the last 3 years.
Later proceed to a Vineyard lunch with matched wines, Port Phillip Estate with wonderful views. Surrounded by mounds of native grasses and indigenous spotted gums, the new Port Phillip Estate winery, designed by Wood Marsh Architecture, emerges from the landscape as a dramatic curved sculpture made of rammed-earth. Inside, a large cellar door and tasting room, and a light-filled restaurant open out on to an expansive outdoor deck. Simon West’s menus have a contemporary edge, a modern take on the classics celebrating cool climate seasonal produce at its best – showcasing tastes and textures without losing the integrity of the key ingredients.
After lunch return to Tussie Mussie for the afternoon cooking class held in the Vineyard kitchen with Marieke that will segue into a wonderful season-based Menu Degustation matched with Peninsula wines.
After 30 years of cooking and teaching Marieke’s philosophy has arrived at perfect simplicity, where the inspiration is the produce, the context, the place coupled with an innate skill and intuition for cooking well and giving pleasure. With a legion of followers, Marieke always enthuses cooks with her innovative, accessible and achievable dishes that abound in flavours inspired by her garden and her extensive world travels.

Sunday
Rise to a light breakfast that is followed by a morning class that segues into an al fresco lunch: plattered dishes perfect for entertaining.
Later enjoy a delightful walk, to the historic Seawinds Garden within Arthurs Seat State Park, McCrae Homestead or a walk along the pristine ocean beach.
Dinner this evening is at the Long Table at Red Hill South.

Monday morning.
Adieus after breakfast and return to Melbourne.
The weekend is available to 10 privileged guests on double/twin-share basis only in King/Queen bed rooms.

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