Article: Three seasonal dishes to make now with Tess & Louis of Chauncy Heathcote
Three seasonal dishes to make now with Tess & Louis of Chauncy Heathcote
At Chauncy Heathcote, the garden sets the menu. What is growing, ripening or ready to harvest determines much of what arrives at the table, and the seasons are followed with an attentiveness that feels increasingly rare.
It's an approach that has earned this little country restaurant considerable admiration, most recently a glowing review in The Age Good Food Guide, scoring 17/20. The review celebrated Chauncy's intimate hospitality, thoughtful French cooking and the pleasures of a slower, more considered way of life.
But beyond the accolades, what we find particularly compelling is the garden.
Set within the grounds of an 1854 sandstone building, Chauncy is the creation of Tessa Jane Murray and French chef Louis Naepels, who have built their restaurant around an extraordinary connection to the land they tend. Much of their produce is grown on the property, with the remainder sourced from local growers and producers. The kitchen garden is central to daily life, supplying ingredients that find their way into Louis's cooking, often just a short distance from where they were picked.
There is a natural rhythm to it all. The menu follows the garden rather than the other way around. A vegetable at its peak might become the centre of a dish, while the abundance of one season is preserved to be enjoyed during another.
For Tessa, who tends the garden, growing and cooking are inseparable. It's a philosophy familiar to anyone who has spent time cultivating their own vegetables: learning to recognise when something is ready, making the most of a generous harvest and finding pleasure in the simplest ingredients.
We asked Tessa to share three seasonal starters from Chauncy's kitchen, each offering a little inspiration for bringing the garden to your own table.
Asparagus, nettle and goat’s curd
Few vegetables announce spring quite like asparagus. Its season is fleeting, which makes those first tender spears all the more eagerly anticipated.
At Chauncy, locally grown asparagus is paired with nettles gathered from patches nearby. The nettles are blanched and emulsified with soft eggs and olive oil to create a vivid green sauce.
A generous spoonful of tangy Dreaming Goat goat's curd accompanies the asparagus, with hazelnuts for texture and cornflowers gathered from the garden to finish.
The dish brings together the very best of what is available at that particular moment. Fresh asparagus from a local grower, foraged nettles, flowers from the garden and cheese made close to home.
There is little need for embellishment when the ingredients speak so clearly of the season.
Leeks, romesco and hazelnuts
Leeks are among the more dependable inhabitants of the kitchen garden, quietly growing through the colder months when other vegetables are less forthcoming.
Tessa grows them throughout the year, finding them particularly valuable during the lull between midwinter and the first real abundance of spring.
For this starter, the leeks are gently confited in olive oil with herbs and garlic, then lightly charred to bring out their sweetness.
They are served over romesco, a rich sauce made using red capsicums preserved from the previous summer, blended with almonds, garlic, spices and olive oil.
It's a fine example of how a garden can provide for the kitchen long after the harvest has passed.
The leeks belong to the cooler months, while the preserved capsicums carry something of summer with them. Two seasons meet on a single plate, with very little wasted and nothing hurried.
For those who grow their own food, it's a familiar pleasure: opening a jar of something preserved months earlier and remembering the abundance that filled the garden.
Radishes with butter and salt
Of all the vegetables to grow in spring, radishes must be among the most gratifying.
They are one of Tessa's favourites for their quick growth and the pleasure of harvesting something so soon after sowing. As the soil begins to warm, she plants small rows regularly, ensuring a steady supply of young radishes throughout the season.
Picked while still small, they are crisp, juicy and gently peppery.
At Chauncy, they are served in the traditional French way, with good butter and a little salt. The butter softens their peppery bite, allowing the freshness of the radish to take centre stage.
No elaborate preparation, no lengthy list of ingredients. Simply something grown well, harvested at the right moment and served with care.
Perhaps that is the greatest lesson in garden-to-table cooking. When you've tended something from seed to harvest, there is a particular satisfaction in enjoying it almost exactly as it came from the soil.
A little more from Chauncy's garden
What Tessa Jane and Louis have created at Chauncy is an inspiring reminder of how closely a garden and kitchen can work together.
Their approach is guided by the seasons, with produce grown and harvested according to nature's timetable. It is a way of cooking that encourages curiosity, resourcefulness and a deeper appreciation for the food on our plates.
And it's this connection that makes Chauncy such an appealing place to visit. As the recent Good Food review so warmly conveys, lunch here is about much more than the food. Guests are welcomed into the couple's world, with time to wander through the productive gardens, enjoy the changing afternoon light and settle in for a long, unhurried meal shaped by the land around them.
If you find yourself travelling through Heathcote, we couldn't think of a more fitting place to experience the pleasures of garden-to-table dining. Visit Chauncy's website to discover more or plan a long lunch, and follow @tessajanemurray and @chauncy_heathcote for a glimpse into their garden, kitchen and life in the country.
And there is more to come. Tessa Jane has shared another three tips with us, which we'll be bringing to the Le Sac journal soon. Join our Le Sac newsletter or follow along on social media for the next instalment, and a little more inspiration from a garden so wonderfully in tune with the seasons.
