For 30 years, the name Simmone Logue has meant Christmas. Ever since she sold her first fruit mince pie, back when she launched her catering business from the kitchen of her Sydney flat in 1990, she’s been spreading her love of homegrown Christmas baking to homes far and wide.
Simmone’s home, Essington Park, in Oberon, NSW, is always the setting for the family’s festive gatherings – and you only need to look at it in these pages to understand why. The grand house was built in 1860, and by the time Simmone and her twin sister, the artist Joanna Logue, bought it in the late 1990s, had fallen into disrepair. Over the next 15 years, the women lovingly restored it, and now the kitchen, with its vast, original fireplace, complete with swinging cast-iron arm to hang pots from, is the heart of the home; a bright, welcoming space that’s just perfect for hosting celebrations.
“Christmas is my favourite time of year with my favourite people in the world,” Simmone says. “My siblings, Andy and Joanna, are excellent cooks. We all moosh in and we’re like pigs in the proverbial. The kitchen is our happy place!”
It’s a busy time of year, of course, with those famed mince pies (whose recipe is a closely guarded secret) flying off the shelves. “Because it’s so busy, we usually keep Christmas simple,” says Simmone. “Freshly opened oysters, a beautiful piece of beef on our bush barbecue, my chat potato salad and a gorgeous salad from our garden. We always end with a pavlova and cheese… oh, how we love cheese!”
To keep the good cheer flowing, there’s a family special: “Gin and tonics with lemon and fresh mint from the garden,” reveals Simmone. The secret ingredient? “The standard Essington pour is three caps flowing over – like, really flowing over!”
To mop up the gin, there’s always a platter of fruit mince tarts on the go. “We make many thousands of dozen over December to sell, and there are always a few dozen left,” explains Simmone. “Our favourite way to eat them is with an Essington brew – a pot of tea – in the mid-afternoon.”
It sounds like the kind of Christmas your grandmother would recognise – and that’s very much by design. Simmone’s culinary ethos was instilled beside the kitchen tables of both her grandmothers, when she was growing up in the Hunter Valley. From them, she learned to create perfectly seasoned, simple recipes, and the value of using fresh produce; tenets she’s carried over into her ever-evolving business.
From baking cakes and pies in that tiny city kitchen, Simmone has expanded into supplying a whole variety of home-style foods, as well as other ventures, including a stint catering for Qantas’s business class. The warmth of her grandmother’s kitchen is still infused into every item she makes, including her most recent innovation, a range of premium ready-made meals for Woolworths.
Those craving a more up-close-and-personal experience will be overjoyed to hear that Essington Park will soon be home to a cooking school, where you can learn from Simmone herself in the historic surrounds of the old shearers’ quarters. Until then, enjoy her Christmas recipes.
POACHED TROUT AND FENNEL SALAD WITH DILL MAYONNAISE RECIPE
*Serves: approximately 6-8*
This poached trout recipe is great when you’re feeding a crowd, as it can all be prepared the day before and then just effortlessly popped onto the platter before your guests arrive. Ask your fishmonger for a large, clean trout, about 1.5kg – but leave the head and tail on. I plan for 100g or 200g of fish per person.
Serve trout with your choice of veg, such as asparagus and crisp greens.
INGREDIENTS
Water, for boiling
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick and leaves, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 lemon, sliced
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 whole trout, gutted and cleaned, with
head and tail left on
1 quantity of dill mayonnaise
SALAD
3 fennel bulbs, finely sliced
1 bunch continental parsley, leaves picked 1 bunch dill, leaves picked
2 lemons, peeled and segmented
1/2 preserved lemon, chopped
2 lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper
METHOD
For the poached trout, fill a large baking dish or fish kettle with the water about halfway up the sides. Add all of the vegies, lemon, wine and aromatics. This is called a court bouillon.
Place the dish or kettle on the stove and bring to the boil. Slide the trout fillet carefully into the court bouillon and gently simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover dish with baking paper and foil.
Cool the trout in the stock for an hour or two – or if you want to serve it cold, refrigerate it in the stock overnight.
When it’s time to serve the trout, slide your fillet onto a large platter and gently peel back the skin on the top side, all the way from the head to the tail.
To make the salad, toss together the fennel, picked herbs, fresh lemon segments and preserved lemon.
Dress the salad at the last minute and serve with the trout, along with wedges of lemon and dill mayonnaise.
TIP: If you have leftovers, the trout is delicious rolled up in rice paper rolls with avocado and wasabi mayo, or flaked through a salad with rocket, capers and steamed baby chat potato.
BABY CHAT POTATOES WITH SOUR CREAM AND SEEDED MUSTARD DRESSING
*Serves: 8-10*
INGREDIENTS
5kg baby chat potatoes, cut in half 150g salted butter
15 fresh sage leaves
125g sour cream
125g mayonnaise
2 tablespoons seeded mustard
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
METHOD
Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain potatoes, then set aside to cool.
Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the sage leaves and toss over medium heat until the butter is nut-brown and the sage is crisp.
Place the cooled potatoes in a bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest and juice, spring onions and parsley. Toss gently.
To serve, arrange the potatoes on a large platter and garnish with the butter and crispy sage leaves.
Visit simmonelogue.com.au
PhotographerBrigid Arnott
WriterHannah James
Hannah is a writer, editor and nature-lover who gets to enjoy all three pastimes as the deputy editor of Country Style. When not planning, commissioning and writing articles, she's out exploring country towns and remote regions, both for fun and for future stories. Or she's in a hammock somewhere, reading a book. Follow her on Instagram below.
StylistJodie Gibbons
