Millamolong Polo Carnival 2014

Sorry for the delay on this post, our trip to Melbourne and now Orange F.O.O.D Week have kept me away from the blog. 

Anyway, without further ado, here is a recap of our fantastic day out at Millamolong Polo on March 15th.

We love this event so much that we now just book in a tent every year to avoid disappointment. 

Me setting up our Primrose Tent

The view from our tent

The 2014 Millamolong Polo Carnival didn't disappoint with the day including a mix of fast action polo, entertaining polo on bikes along with the race between horse and car.

Despite the fact we have attended the polo for three years in a row now, we still haven't got a firm grasp on the rules, but that doesn't seem to matter.

Everyone just cheers whenever goal is scored and gets into the spirit, especially when the horses fly past.

We had a blast stomping the divets, enjoying the gorgeous country setting and indulging in plenty of good food and wine.

The very trendy VIP area

Beautifully themed

Our friends  Sarah & Doug joined us from Sydney and Sarah took some of these fabulous photos.

Sarah & Doug

Mr L'Orange and I spent the evening before preparing food for the big day, we made Isaraeli couscous salads, one with lemon chicken, apricots & almonds and the other with pumpkin, zucchini and chorizo.

The noodle boxes were a big hit and tasted delish (lucky, considering we had never made the recipe before) and all the brownies got polished off in record time!

We only managed to leave one course in the oven, luckily some other friends joining us saved the day and picked them up en route. Big thanks to Debs and John!

Doug's favourite wine

The prizes 

If our tent looked like this no one would be able to get up!

Rustic barrels

Another fantastic polo carnival at Millamolong - who is coming to the next one with us?

Orange F.O.O.D Week in full swing

Orange F.O.O.D Week is in full swing this week. The night markets last Friday were huge with plenty of visitors from out of town and locals heading along. 

I'd love them to do the night markets once a month in summer - it would be an amazing drawcard for the region. Plus I wouldn't need to worry about dinner and could catch up with friends over delicious take away instead.

We are definitely going to try and see the balloon festival in Canowindra on Sat 20th April, where there will be yet more food and wine along with a whole heap of balloons taking to the night sky.

I'm working at Forage this year, where 750 keen foodies will be tramping through the vineyards whilst filling up on food and wine as they walk. To read about last year's fantastic forage event myself and Mr L'Orange attended read here. I'll be pouring Climbing Merlot at station two so definitely come and say 'hello' if you are one of the lucky ones with tickets!

There are still plenty of free events taking place between now and Sunday 21st April when F.O.O.D Week finishes. This is the perfect time to stock up on some red wine before the cold sets in and enjoy the colour city of Orange at its best.

Polo Carnival at Millamolong - 2013

We had an amazing day at Millamolong last week, we had heaps of food, a lovely marquee area and perfect viewing of the polo. 

Everyone embraced the whole country day out and I have to say there were some rather gorgeous outfits on show.

We were very lucky with the weather and only one couple got completely lost en route this year which was a pretty amazing result given the entire event is in the middle of nowhere.

Be warned, it is a bit of a drive to get there, nut so pretty when you come down the drive way into Millamolong.

The polo teams getting ready for another chukka.

We settled in with coffees, the weekend papers and gourmet sandwiches and patises Mr L'Orange and I had been busy making the night before. It was very exciting every time the horses galloped past and we all really got into the polo - it is certainly an all action sport.

Everyone enjoyed themselves, even the ids as the entire event is very kid friendly.

We brought along a bbq and had gourmet sausage sandwiches in the afternoon plus plates of cheeses, meats and nibbles during the day - we slightly over catered!

We finished up by watching the car versus horse race in which the horse seemed to do very well however the car, who also happened to be the major sponsor, won on the day! 

Make sure you book a tent for next year - we'll see you there.

Millamolong Polo Carnival 2013

My country style outfit is at the ready (jeans, boots and nice top!), we have a fabulous picnic menu planned, transport is organised and lots of friends are coming to stay because we are off to the Millamolong Polo Carnival this Saturday!

This year we have booked a marquee and are taking a bbq so we have delicious hot food cooked to order throughout the day - by one of the men! I have also made a few yummy platters to keep everyone sustained whilst beverages are consumed during polo play.

To get a feel for the polo, check out this video of the Millamolong Polo Carnival action.

I'm expecting pretty much the same level of horse and strapping men excitement as prior years just with more friends joining us for a great day out. If you are at a loose end this weekend then head out to Millamolong, there is a bar and food tents there so you can just turn up and enjoy.

Post polo everyone is headed back to our place for some curries and more drinks - roll on the weekend I say! Dog A L'Orange will be left home alone all day so we hope there won't be too much garden destruction upon return. 

Our cunning plan is to take him on a long exhausting walk in the morning and then leave him with some big frozen bones to chew. Will tell you all about it next week!

Flix in the Stix - Orange

We eagerly packed our picnic basket, aired out the rugs and headed along to Flix in the Stix held in the Orange Botanic Gardens. This was the first time we had attended this event and were really looking forward to an evening of short film, music and socialising with friends. Mr L'Orange and I had even had a nap in the afternoon to prepare ourselves for a late night! Dog A L'Orange still wakes at 6am every weekend and has not learnt the concept of a 'lie in' as yet.

There were free boxes of popcorn as you walked in, a licensed bar, wood fired pizzas and of course a giant screen. We settled into position with our friends and started nibbling on the mountain of food that everyone had brought along. 

The atmosphere was lovely and everyone was in an excellent mood and keen to enjoy the entertainment.

I had just got a Little Creatures beer in hand when I felt the first few heavy raindrops. The grey clouds loomed and suddenly there was absolute pandamonium as the heavens opened and lightening flashed across the sky.

Everyone rushed to grab free ponchos hoping it would just be a passing shower, but as the storm showed no signs of abating the organisers had to cancel the event as the lightning was too dangerous. Hundreds of wet people gathered all their belongings and trudged out of the Botanic Gardens to the bedlam of the carpark.

On a positive note, whilst waiting to get out on to the road we watched the most amazing lightning storm and heard huge rolls of thunder and then headed home to drink wine and finish off the feast. Nobody went to bed until 1am so a pretty good night despite the weather!

Good news is that the Flix in the Stix - Orange has been rescheduled for March 2nd - see you there!

Orange F.O.O.D Week 2013 - Programs Available

Foodies everywhere are beside themselves trying to nab as many tickets as possible to the best Orange F.O.O.D Week 2013 events - not for the faint hearted.

The official program isn't launched until Sat 9th Feb, but there was a flurry of excitement when the Forage tickets went on sale early this week with 450 tickets snapped up in record time. 

Clearly, many people had been following this fabulous little blog and read all about Forage 2012 which Mr L'Orange and I went on and loved. I can't blame you for being in awe and wanting to participate yourself, as these pictures go to show it is a rather special event.

My sources tell me, that some more Forage tickets have been kept aside for when the official program goes on sale tomorrow so fear not, you may still get some yet.

If you were planning a little meander up to Orange, then during F.O.O.D Week is an exceptional time to come. All the wineries are in the midst of vintage, the weather is good and there are plenty of delicious fresh foods in season.

Accommodation can be a bit thin on the ground, however use AirBnB and you are sure to find a bargain or one lucky couple can come and stay in our studio!

My top picks for Orange F.O.O.D Week 2013 include:

F.O.O.D Week Night Markets - Robertson's Park

April 12 from 6pm

My best advice is for you to go early, take plenty of change and order the food you want straight away.

Patina Fiesta in the Courtyard 

April 13 & 14 from 12pm - 5pm.

Victor Valdes and his Mexican band are authentic, very talented and well worth the money.

To book your tickets visit the Patina website.

Black Tie Ball at the Errowanbang Shearing Shed 

Saturday April 19

So nice to have a very cool venue for a function and it doesn't get more country than an old shearing shed. I am definitely getting a gang together to go to this one.

For more info contact Xanthie.

Visit Orange F.O.O.D Week to download the 2013 program for yourself, then get hold of your friends and head this way. 

Would love to hear what you are planning to do during Orange F.O.O.D Week - let me know!

Millthorpe Garden Ramble

Mr L’Orange and I headed to this annual event on Saturday with the idea of getting some garden ideas and inspiration, plus checking out some impressive houses and designer gardens at the same time. The concept is that you pay $15 to see 10 open gardens dotted around Millthorpe (you definitely need a car) as many of the gardens are quite spread out) or you can spend $5 per garden. The entire event is organised and run by volunteers and all the proceeds go back into improving Millthorpe village.

Millthorpe School - the prettiest school in the country?

We trotted off to our first garden in Millthorpe itself, which appeared to be a bloke trying to sell his potted fuchsias more than an inspiring garden. Things improved once we hit the road and got to some of the larger out of town gardens which were clearly a labour of love. Many of the gardens had stunning sculptures, established tress, beautiful views, great entertaining areas and unusual plantings.

There were refreshments sold at many of the gardens, however we broke for afternoon tea at the Old Mill Cafe, which was absolutely humming. We very easily got a table outside and I relaxed with the paper whilst Mr L’Orange dozed in his chair (recovering from his late night on Friday!).

Our tea, cake and chocolate malt shake came nice and quickly – this place certainly knows about service. My flourless orange cake was divine, especially delicious was the maple syrup icing with little rose bits scattered on top. I am generally not a big icing fan, however the maple syrup and orange combination worked so well that I managed to eat pretty much the whole thing whilst Mr L’Orange being a true gentleman, had a small mouthful as he could tell I was enjoying it so much.

The earl grey tea came in a pretty trendy pot and the chocolate shake was very good, especially as it was so a scorcher of a day.

Top marks to the Millthorpe Garden Ramble, we had a really good day out and hopefully lots of money was raised for the selected charities and Millthorpe Village. We saw a few people on bikes and thought that would be an excellent idea for next year, to pick gardens closer together so people can cycle in between.

Our favourite garden was 'Vermont' on Tallwood Rd, where the house had been built from bluestone in 1922 and was heritage listed. Everything about the garden was very well done and the plants, trees and shrubs were very well established creating lovely shady spots for relaxing.