From the stove
The menu: dinner for a mountain evening
A kitchen that cooks for the weather. Pies, soups, roasts and puddings, with tea, coffee and lemonade poured all evening.
The kitchen
How Clayton Richards cooks
The kitchen at Wollemi Hall is small, and it is the most disciplined room in the building. Clayton Richards makes pastry at noon, soup stock at one and the evening's pudding at three. By half past four the board outside is chalked, and from then the stove does not rest until the last order at half past nine.
He buys from growers on the highway and from the orchards at Bilpin, and he builds the menu around what is good that week. Nothing is deep-fried for show. The pies are baked in a deck oven, the lamb is cooked for hours, and every plate leaves the kitchen hot, generous and plainly seasoned.
The drinks list is short and honest: tea, coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade, juice and sparkling water. Clayton is as particular about the tea as he is about the pastry, and a pot is always warming at the back of the stove.
Noon
Pastry is rolled and rested for the evening pies.
Four o'clock
Every pot is tasted and the board is chalked by hand.
Half past nine
The kitchen takes its final orders for the night.
Tonight's board
Soups, pies, roasts and puddings
To begin
Chocolate lamingtonsSquares of soft sponge dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, served at room temperature.
Chicken and mushroom fettuccineFettuccine with chicken, mushrooms, capsicum and tomato sauce, finished with grated cheese.- Leek and potato soupSlowly cooked, thin and peppery, finished with chives and a spoon of sour cream.
Pies and roasts
Tomato soupA smooth tomato soup served hot and finished with fresh herbs.
Mini custard tartsSmall pastry tarts filled with baked custard, individually plated and finished with delicate garnishes.
Strawberry pavlovaCrisp meringue with whipped cream, strawberries, berries and passionfruit, finished with icing sugar.- Rainbow troutPan-fried fillet with almond butter, lemon and boiled potatoes, from a farm over the range.
Puddings
Rocket and herb risottoCreamy risotto topped with fresh rocket and herbs, served with a light savoury sauce.
Grilled seafood platterGrilled lobster and oysters served with fresh lemon on a generous seafood platter.- PavlovaA crisp shell, soft centre, whipped cream and seasonal fruit from the markets.
Flat whiteFreshly brewed espresso with velvety steamed milk, finished with a simple leaf pattern.
Something small
- LamingtonsSponge squares dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, three to a plate.
- Anzac biscuitsOats, golden syrup and coconut, baked until chewy in the middle and crisp at the edge.
At the table
Questions about dinner
Can I eat without going to the casino room?
Certainly. Most dinner guests never climb the stairs. The dining room has its own booking, its own host and its own pace, and the kitchen closes its orders at half past nine, which is when the room upstairs is busiest.
Is the menu suitable for vegetarians?
Yes. The pumpkin soup, the leek and potato soup and the puddings contain no meat, and Clayton will prepare a mushroom pie on request. Please mention any dietary needs when you book so that the kitchen can plan.
What do you serve to drink?
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade, juice and sparkling water. Tea is served in a pot with a jug of hot water, and the lemonade is made in the kitchen with real lemons.
Do you cook for children?
Children are welcome in the dining room at any hour. Smaller portions of pie, soup and pudding can be arranged. The casino room, however, is strictly for guests aged 18 and over.
Does the menu change?
The board changes with the week. The pies, the soups and the roast stay; the vegetable, the trout and the second pudding move with the season, and Clayton chalks each change by hand at four o'clock.