In Canowindra we are very lucky to have our own tourist office located in the Age of Fishes Museum. You can find out all the local accommodation options, things to do and see and discover some extremely old and rare fossils. However, the inside information is usually best found by asking a local. My favourite shop in Canowindra is not shockingly enough Bendy Street but the craft shop. It is a wonderful co-operative of local ladies and gents who grow, bake, knit, make, preserve and weave all manner of delights. The inside tip is to get there right on 9am everyday to have the pick of the baking table. Real lamingtons, sponge cakes worthy of any Royal Easter Show and lemon butter to die for. On the next table are set out cartons of beautifully brown eggs, pumpkins, lemons, squash, whatever is in season. All this is just down the road and easily accessible.

Earlier in the month I took part in the Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org.au) along with fellow minded foodies & retailers Katie Baddock of The Farm Gate, Lisa Lovick from A Slice of Orange and Julia Andrews from Hamilton's Bluff vineyard and a host of other people who signed on for the challenge. For one week we could cook a meal a day or an entire eating plan as long as the produce was sourced from within 100miles. At first glance this could have been a bit of an ask. But after a chat to the butcher, a delivery from Katie, Lisa and Julia I was set for my week.

The beauty of this project is that instead of getting to the end of a busy day and throwing a collection of nutrients on a plate that should meet the world health standards for a developed country, I stopped and looked at all of the produce available to me and actually enjoyed the process again.

Our menu included:

Poached organic free range eggs with slow roasted tomatoes and basil with a sprinkling of rosemary salt. Rainbow Chard pie made with a delicious olive oil pastry. Pork belly Left over pork belly was blended with homemade mayo, thinly sliced fennel and pear for sandwiches the next day. Corn was cooked simply in its own natural covering so the full flavour and juicyness could be enjoyed. Tuesday night was a simple basil pesto with pasta washed down by a very nice Pinot Grigio (the new release from Hamilton's Bluff)

All family members loved the week. The kids were eager to take recipes in turn and Mr "Meat and three veg, no onion, in fact no flavour" went back for seconds for all meals - even those with onion carefully hidden. We slowed down, lit candles, turned on the music and the week stretched on without the sense that we were in a grind.

After the week I am more determined than ever to shop locally and if not within 100 miles of Canowindra at least within our own country. Next time you are in Canowindra make sure you pop in for the latest information on what is growing, playing, baking, selling etc we might surprise you with our inside knowledge. I can't guarantee any lamingtons though, I am an early riser.

At the shop this month we are welcoming back Rachel Uys from Lavande Designs for another floral design workshop. As I write it is already nearly sold out as word spread about how good the last one was. We also hosted an Interior Design 101 Workshop presented by the very talented Kim Knox-Thurn which gave us all plenty of food for thought when styling our homes.

We are getting new stock in daily from favourites such as Bonnie and Neil and a new line to Bendy Street By Joost which brings a beautiful earthy range of ceramics to the table.

"I want to bring our food back to the beginning. The pot acts as reminder that this food has been harvested, planted and grown." -- JOOST BAKKER

We also have a wonderful range of cushions in a range of textures and prints and an eclectic range of lighting options.

We are constantly loading product onto the website as it arrives and we will keep you posted on our Facebook page too.

Have a great Autumn everyone and we will see you at Bendy Street.

Kate

I spent the majority of my childhood growing up just outside of Canberra so had the benefit of four very distinct seasons. Every Autumn my best friend and I would spend an entire weekend making enormous leaf mounds so that each of us had our own nest of a size even Big Bird would find comfortable. We would share our deepest darkest secrets from these nests and plan our entire lives. We knew who we would marry, where we would live, how old we would be when we had children and that no matter what we would be friends for life.

Autumn is full of all of the romantic notions that made up those childhood memories for me. There is the promise of vivid colour, woodsmoke, ruddy cheeks and delicious smells coming from the oven as we are able to enjoy the heat of the kitchen rather than dread it. It is the perfect blend of outside time and inside time. The garden becomes a haven full of new plans that will come to fruition in Spring. We look at changing our rooms around to make the best of the coming colder months. The throws come out, the kindling bucket gets filled and the gumboots breed on the back verandah.

Bendy Street is nestling in with new throws in stock, garden kits for the kids, thorn proof gloves and candles galore to create that cosy feeling as the nights cool off.

We are also turning two this month and I can't believe how quickly it has gone and how much we have done in that time. We have lots to look forward to as well. Our workshop with Kim Knox-Thurn has been postponed to Saturday April 21st as the floodwaters play havoc with our social lives. After much deliberation and discussion with Kim we thought it would be better to move the workshop to April during the Balloon festival and Orange Food Week so that when you make the trip to Canowindra you can make a whole week of it if you wanted to. Apologies to those of you not trapped by flood and who were looking forward to the workshop being held on the 17th and 18th of March. If you can't make the new date we will refund your money in full.

We are also looking forward to the 100 mile dinner to be held on Monday 16th of April. The past two years we have been open for the entire night and we are really excited about doing it all again this year. It is a fantastic night and if you get the chance to be a part of it make sure you come in and say hi.

I am now off to get into the garden and enjoy that first tinge of coolness in the air. To all our friends in flood affected areas take care and we will see you soon at Bendy Street.

Kate

Just recently a very dear friend of mine sent me a very irreverent piece taking aim at the interior design industry. Without going into specifics (a bit rude for the delicate ears of Bendy St), it took all the recent trends that had been beautifully styled and showed them in a more light weight light so to speak. The worst offender was the Keep Calm and Carry On phenomenon. I loved a lot of the pieces that were lampooned but I could see that the intention had been lost in over styling and cliche. I love my Keep Calm and Carry on T-Towel. It was given to me by a friend who could see that in the midst of setting up a new business and looking after three kids etc etc I was slightly frazzled. It takes pride of place on my laundry door as a reminder to obviously keep calm but also that my friend was thinking of me and I smile every single time I pass it. It hasn't dried a dish in its' lifetime which also makes the anti housewife in me smile too.

Bendy Street has given me the opportunity to visit some beautiful homes, our products have been featured in gorgeous magazines and I love hearing how every piece that we sell will take its' place in someone's home rather than their display house. My two favourite houses belong to very creative passionate people and not a single item has come out of a styling catalogue but rather as a result of an adventure or wanderings both near and far. Everything in those homes meshes together perfectly because there is a story behind each piece. Just like Bendy Street, there is a reason behind every product on the shelves and I hope that those products relate to you in some way too.

The photo is of our latest window and it was the cliches I was thinking of when I put it together. One of them was wall art phrases. So, up went "La Dolce Vita". But it goes proudly above a collection of postcards I took around Canowindra. They are not postcards of the usual Canowindra landmarks but essences of what I love about this area. I found an old glass bottle in a paddock that had been made here and it was in mint condition - snap, a vast open paddock under a pristine blue sky - snap, drunkenly stacked haystacks, a result of our beautiful rich fertile soil along the river - snap. I am still snapping with the camera as there is so much in this area that does in fact create La dolce vita. Mixed with this is the latest trend for the industrial, up-cycled reclaimed look which I love. Surrounding us, are winemakers and fruit growers who regularly use fruit crates and industrial machinery to create the magic that they do. These are all "trends" that we live with and enjoy which made it easy to create a space in my beloved window that was not so much about being on-trend but giving a nod to the beauty around us and bringing a bit of it home.

I was recently asked to describe the shop. I was slightly medicated due to a handy dose of night time formula cold and flu so I am not sure I made much sense. But I said that Bendy Street is kind of Melbourne, but not, kind of daggy, but not, a bit of Sydney, quietly stylish and a little bit country, but not. It is about the experience rather than the product (I can hear professional retailers gasping at me now!) and, we take this to our online store too so that you get an in-store experience online, which as an online shopper myself I find missing at other sites.

So if like me, you like fashions, trends and new products but still want to keep your personality in your home maybe a wander through Bendy Street is in order so we can be a bit slightly off - trend together and love every minute of it.

Enjoy Kate

P.S. Don't forget our upcoming workshop with Kim Knox Thurn of The Style Project Saturday 17th or Sunday 18th March. She will put what I have just said into much more order and show you exactly what I mean with her own pieces she has created. I am really looking forward to the prizes and giveaways! You can buy your tickets online too or give us a call in the shop and we will look after you.

My Christmas was pretty ordinary to be honest. We had the mother of all Griswald Christmases actually. But that is ok, we survived and are laughing about it now. The prognosis was that the family members concerned were a touch overloaded and that by the end of 2011 the work/ life balance was way out of wack.

I recently dug out my journal to show a friend and we both fell about laughing when I read out loud what I had intended for myself back in 2010. (see picture)

I genuinely intended with a 2yr old at my heels, two older children and my husband's new business to develop to:

Go to the gym three times a week.

Create a garden and 50 acres of paddocks that would cause envy among the classical Italians.

I would conquer my fear of bookwork.

Become a photographer of world renown after a brief educational trip to New Zealand.

I would find the time and the money for a weekend of indulgence at The Four Seasons with my husband.

I would provide many commissions to a rich variety of magazines that would be blown away by my natural photographic talent after one NZ photography course.

I would single handedly paint the outside of my house.

I would bask in the glory of my three children and husband at a coastal local for two weeks.

I would limit my time on Facebook to once a week weaning down to never. (This is where we really laughed)

And I would nurture my friendships by attending a girls weekend away.

Not too much to ask I thought?

So the reality for 2010.

None of the above!

Instead I did open a shop which I love in the heart of a retail meltdown, I did become obsessed with it to the point of waking up at 3am with crazy ideas then crouching over the computer till the household woke up. I did actually get to the gym but rewarded myself with cake and coffee so that kind of didn't work so well for me.

I had a rich and fulfilling year despite missing the mark on all my intentions.

But now as we start 2012 I finally feel ready and organised enough to achieve at least one of the dreams on my list. It is not an indulgence but a necessity to do so. Just one, not all!

So after much laughter at my expense, my friend and I opened a bottle of something soothing and toasted each other and our resolutions.

One of which is to update this poor neglected blog more often. And the other is to just stop every now and then and pause...

Happy New Year everyone.

We are looking forward to meeting you in the store or online via our Facebook page www.facebook.com/Bendy-Street-Emporium which even has it's own little shopping facility and lots of information which is updated on a much more regular basis than this blog. We are also getting as much instore stock loaded onto this website as possible so you can get the full Bendy Street experience. Keep an eye on our FB page though for information on our instore events too.

Enjoy Kate

Ok Winter, we have had a lovely time. Slow cooked meals, log fires, snuggling under doonas and lots of excuses for hot chocolates. But my friend it is time to move on.

As pretty as the frost is in the morning I am busting to see what the bulbs I planted earlier will look like and where I actually put them. With only four weeks left of Winter I am really getting ready for Spring. I am off to Melbourne next Friday to source lots of lovely new products to freshen up your home once the weather permits windows to be flung open again. I am looking at some wonderful florals, linens, candles, soaps, storage ideas, kitchen utensils and must haves. I am also going to be on the hunt for some fantastic one off vintage pieces that we can put the Bendy stamp on. We have two of these great finds in store at the moment. A pair of ottomans that I rescued and upcycled with some vintage French burlap I got in mixed with gorgeous florals and leather handles. I have some other great fabrics that I have collected along the way that are just waiting for the right piece of furniture.

With the warmer weather comes exciting in-store events. First event is the very exciting Floral Design Workshop to be held on Saturday 10th September. This will be hosted by Rachel Uys of Lavande Designs in Sydney. Here is a bit about Rachel, she is amazing...

Profile Rachel Uys - Lavande Designs

Lavande Designs is a boutique floral design company that creates lush, sophisticated floral compositions that are luxurious and undeniably chic. Floral designer and owner Rachel Uys began her career in New York City before returning to Sydney to establish Lavande Designs. Its philosophy of Stylish, Seasonal Beauty is reflective of Rachel's design style which blends elegance and modernity – using only the finest quality seasonal blooms available. During her time working at Chestnuts in the Tuileries and Studio Sweet Pea, two of New York's most distinguished floral design and event companies, Rachel designed flowers for Vera Wang, Beyonce, Anna Wintour, Kate Winslet, Mariah Carey, Martha Stewart and Renee Zellweger amongst others. Join us for a floral design workshop at Bendy Street Emporium and explore creative combinations of colour and texture to create a gorgeous spring flower arrangement for your home. Rachel will discuss the latest trends in wedding, event and party flowers and design styles. You will learn tips for dressing tables with beautiful blossoms, designing bouquets and ideas for using flowers in unexpected, yet memorable ways.

We will of course be closing the shop for this VIP event and dressing it up with lots of flowers and plenty of room for everyone to take part in this workshop. Champagne is a must and will be pink and included in the cost as well as dedicated driver friendly beveridges. We started taking bookings on Friday and as of today (Sunday) we are already half way to a full house so if you want to be a part of this fabulous day I would book early. Either email, phone or visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bendystreetemporium) to save your place.

The cost for the day is $100 which includes the following: 2 hours of tuition, an information pack, use of equipment and includes all materials. Each participant will take home a beautiful arrangement of spring blooms in a classic glass vase, which they themselves have designed under Rachel's instruction – plus many wedding trend ideas.

This will be a great girls day out.

We have also teamed up with the very clever girls from Park Life children's clothes. We will be officially launching Bendy Street as a stockist on the 22nd of October as part of the Wine Week celebrations which will include the Twilight Markets. The plan is to close off the street and allow everyone to enjoy the festive feel of a great food and craft market. We will be showcasing the Parklife Range and putting on a bit of a high tea to celebrate. We have a few pieces of their range in store and will be carrying more sizes as we get closer to October. Park Life clothes are all designed and made in Australia and celebrate classic yet functional kids styles. Beautiful florals, sturdy denims and quality trims make this perfect for any style of wardrobe.

And last but not least, some new products to share:

Floor rugs in natural and striped coirs, hall runners and large room size rugs.

Vegie crates. White timber stackable vegie or fruit crates. Perfect for keeping potatoes and onions fresh in the pantry.

Iron wall sconce. A beautiful provincial style iron wall sconce. Simply place a simple pillar candle in the glass holder and enjoy a glass of wine on the verandah by candle light.

For the upcoming racing season, designer headbands with a contemporary twist.

I have a huge shopping list for Melbourne and I will keep you posted when I get back as to what is coming to Bendy Street.

In the meantime, enjoy the last chilly days of Winter and we will see you in Spring.

Come and escape the chill on Saturday 25th June and learn the art of a great coffee. Master roaster Adrian Capra of Art of Espresso fame will be showing us the do's and don'ts when selecting, grinding and making coffee.

Adrian has worked in the food industry for many years and provided his coffee to all the top foodies. Here is just a sample of those who love Art of Espresso:

William Inglis & Son Thoroughbred Donna Hay Fly Emirates Macquarie Bank Landcare Sony Music Jack Morton World Wide Events Delicious Magazine Sydney University CASE International Lexus Mercedes Australian Fashion Week

"He was born with espresso in his blood through his Italian heritage and the help of "Nonna" who used to top his morning cereal with espresso coffee."

As part of your afternoon at Bendy Street you will be able to take away a bag of certified organic Art of Espresso coffee. The other thing we are really excited about is the launch of our own Bendy Street Blend. Adrian is working on a coffee blend designed specifically for Bendy Street Customers which we will have available in store for you to enjoy.

To go with the coffee we are very excited to welcome Chesney and Green Cupcakes to Bendy Street. We met Gemma at a Girls Night In Fundraising Shopping night in Orange and fell in love with her amazing cupcakes. With flavours such as sticky date, almond and orange, pistacchio and rose water and the perennial favourite, chocolate mud it was evident that we needed them on a weekly basis at Bendy Street. We will be stocking mini and full size varieties from the June long weekend on available on Fridays. Gluten free available also.

For our coffee day Chesney and Green will be doing some special baking with lemon meringe varieties and cheese cake options for you to sample. We will have packs for sale too so you can take your whole experience home with you at the end of the day.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Kate

I have a confession to make, beneath the Bendy Street veneer of beautiful domesticity there is a crazy woman rushing from dishevelled house to daycare to school, work and back to bombsite that is otherwise called home. The pace of life in the country as being laid back and slower than that of our city cousins is a myth. Yes, we have less traffic, but our commute is longer. With the technology available to us we work alongside our city workmates and have to meet the same deadlines and compete on the same platforms but with slower freight etc. This is not a complaint but I am leading up to why our Passata cooking school on the 27th of February was so important and so much fun.

February in Canowindra is hot, very hot and we all tend to retreat to the airconditioning. We are all busy getting back into the swing of school and work so we mean to catch up but often miss each other. I was discussing these thoughts with Caddy who had come into the shop towards the end of last year, heavily pregnant with twins. I was telling her how I would love to spend an afternoon bottling tomatoes, drinking wine and finishing off with a great pasta while being surrounded by great people all enjoying the last lazy days of summer. As it happened Caddy's partner Anthony was the man for the job. Italian by descent and winemaker by trade Anthony was the perfect teacher. Everything was in place all we had to do was get organised.

I had spent January and February backwards and forwards from Sydney at trade shows, meetings etc so was ready to hit the go slow button and wasn't sure if I had it in me to pull off a cooking school. Thankfully I am surrounded by very clever people. Anthony and Caddy had it all under control and provided me with running sheets and recipes while V in the midst of preparing for her upcoming exhibition still managed to pull off murals for the walls to create a sense of fun for the day. I have the Vespa and Leaning Tower of Pisa tacked to my office wall in memory of the day. On the day the weather was perfect and we set about transforming the shop. Pots, stoves, mixing bowls, spoons, knives, tea towels and boxes of lovely tomatoes from Gaskill Greens were all laid out. By 2.30pm everyone started to arrive and before long there was the smooth sound of Dean Martin interupted by shrieks of laughter and bubbling pots of tomatoes. This was what I needed! Laughter, mess, chaos, fresh produce and friendship. I forgot my horendous house and the endless battle with toys versus floor and dishes versus sink. I was in someone's house bottling tomatoes and I couldn't care less about the time, we were having too much fun.

After many refills of boiling water from the makeshift kitchen out the back we managed to bottle all the tomatoes. (I have had reports of exploding jars post school as a result of not quite enough time or attention paid to the task - blame the wine) We cleared the decks and lined up for a plate of the most amazing pasta made from the Passata and a glass of Windowrie Sangiovese. Perfect end to a pretty perfect day, but then the point is to be imperfect as that is where the fun is.

Here is the much anticipated recipe for the pasta sauce served on the day:

Ingredients 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. 3 Sliced garlic cloves. 1 Bay Leaf 1/4 Cup chopped parsley 2 Tablespoons dried oregano 2 Chopped chillies (optional--but highly recommended) 400grams pork rib bones (soup bones not spare ribs) 2 Beef shin (Osso Bucco) Salt and Pepper 1/2 Cup Shiraz 2 Litres Passata

1. Lightly fry off garlic and remove from pan when it begins to change colour. 2. Add remaining herbs to oil and cook over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes. 3. Add meats, salt and pepper and sear. Meat will immediately exude juices. Keep cooking and stirring frequently until the meat juices have evaporated. This should take 5 minutes. 4. Return garlic to pan. 5. Add wine and continue to cook, stirring frequently until wine evaporates. The meat should be much darker now. 6. Add Passata to cover meat and stir. Add salt to taste, general rule would be 1 teaspoon per litre of Passata. Simmer gently for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir every 15 minutes or so. Remember to stir down any sauce that will have condensed on the side of the pot just above its surface. When done the ragu will have a dark colour and thick consistency. 7. Let the sauce cool slightly, but strain out or pick our the meat while it is still warm. Check for salt and pepper by spooning a sample on a slice of crusty white bread. Add salt and pepper accordingly. 8. Serve the sauce on very hot pasta, freshly grated parmesan/basil/sliced chilli are a must. The meat can be served as a separate course with salad. The sauce will keep refrigerated for a week and can be frozen.

I would like to thank Anthony and Caddy for bringing a little bit of of Italy to Bendy Street. If you are in the district I highly recommend you pop into the Mill at Cowra to try the Windowrie Wines made by Anthony and the O'Dea family. You can visit them at www.windowrie.com.au

On the day we used some great products in store now. Moulies, paring knives, chopping boards, mixing spoons and preserving jars are all part of our ever growing kitchen department.

So if you are in need of some down time, grab some end of season produce, jars, music and friends and spend the afternoon preserving. You might even preserve your sanity.

Ciao

It is nearly the end of summer and time to bottle the last of the wonderful seasonal produce.

To do this we thought it would be a perfect time for a bit of Italian joy in store.

Luckily our district is full of wonderful producers, cooks and winemakers.

Putting this all together for us will be Anthony D'Onise (pictured), local winemaker from Windowrie Wines at Cowra. The plan for the day is to relax, get together and produce a traditional Passata that you can then use as a straight pasta sauce or take further in dishes as a base.

We only have 20 places available so we can all get the most out of the day. To finish we will enjoy a plate of fresh pasta and the fruits of our labours, and a glass of wine of course.

Book in early to avoid disappointment.

Ciao!

After a long pause over the crazy Christmas season, I am finally back up to date with the Blog.

Canowindra is enjoying a very tropical, mellow summer at the moment and we have dried out after our Christmas floods. The shop is full of sale items to make way for the new treasures I have been digging up. Our sale will last until the last week of January and there is 25% off on selected items.

February is going to be very busy. I am heading off to two trade shows to see what is what and we will be hosting two in store events.

The first will be a Tea Tasting with tea expert David Thompson of Larsen and Thompson Teas on Sunday 13th of Feb. David will be in store to give us the inside story on teas for all tastes, ranging from the classics such as English Breakfast to the more exotic chais and aromatic blends. We will be stocking a range of these teas plus the very beautiful accessories to complete your tea party.

On the last weekend of Feb we will be thinking of Rome and the rolling hills of Tuscany as we enjoy an authentic cooking class using local produce and inherited cooking techniques to make a classic tomato pasta sauce. Once we have made our sauces it will be time to sit down and enjoy the fruits of our labour with a glass of wine.

Only 20 places available and two of those have been snapped up before I had even finished organising it so be quick. Cost will be $50 inclusive and I will have more details soon. So keep that weekend free and get a group together for an afternoon of cooking, conversation and wine.

Enjoy the summer and we will see you in store soon. Our opening hours have changed as we are now open Wed - Sun or online anytime of course.

See you soon at Bendy Street Kate