This year has seen an extraordinary growth of wattle. From our Mount Nelson garden in the outer suburbs of Hobart to our haven on Bruny Island, Tassie is awash with the golden glow of these blooms. These are just a few of the many different species……….
Common name, Prickly Moses or Acacia verticillata, the most predominant on our Bruny block…….
……one of the most commonly recognised Golden Wattle or Acacia pycnantha…..
……..as is the Mimosa or Acacia dealbata.
To celebrate early sun rise and later sunsets that herald Spring and the oncoming of Summer, Brunyfire purchased a leg of Murrayfield lamb from Kingston Town Meats on Maranoa Road in Kingston. Aboriginal owner and butcher at Kingston Town Meats, Andrew Cross, is proud that his family business derives part of its income from selling lamb produced on Murrayfield’s Bruny Island estate, which is Aboriginal land.
A family recipe passed on originally from a good friend, is simple and fabulously tasty. The key ingredients are garlic and rosemary……….
……..which are inserted into deep cuts into the lamb. The outside of the joint is then liberally smothered in a hot mustard – this creates a protective coating for the meat, and despite its heat, doesn’t overpower the flavour.
The prepared lamb was placed in one of my Pearson’s dishes, and cooked for about an hour and a half. Parsnips and spuds were par-boiled, and these with a quartered onion, were then put int the wood oven, that had been fired up a couple of hours earlier. 
The lamb was then covered with foil and allowed to cook for a further hour or so – sweet!
Using a wood oven generates a lot of accumulated heat so I bunged in a couple of Pearson pots with a lamb hot pot and an apple dessert.
brunyfire 