It’s been a couple of years since the first time I boarded a bus to head out to Nowhere Creek for a dinner with Settler and Sons. Each dinner experience has been different from the last, this one was further from the sunny days of the last two. The short days and chill weather meant it was dark when we arrived.
We walked through the field towards the light of a bonfire and string lights in the distance. The dinner was darker than any I’d been to so far, but that just meant your body focused on it’s senses for other things: the heat of the fire, the smell of woodsmoke, the taste of red wine or roasted apple, the smell of goose fat roasted potatoes, the soft pages of the cookbook at each table setting, the sound of acoustic guitar.
These events always feel so personal. It feels like a giant dinner with friends, even though you’ve probably not met the people beside you before. The world slows down and no one has anywhere to be but here, a plate full of food and a sky full of stars. This particular dinner felt even more connected because of the featuring of recipes and food from Sophie Hansen’s cookbook A Basket By The Door. A beautiful concept that reminded me of the time that while my family was grieving for my sister, people would arrive with food. Some even sat me down and instructed me to eat. We still have a collection of dishes from home-baked wholesome foods that people delivered and left. They’re now a collection of memories of times people did what they could to care. ‘
Food shared is community, so whether that is gifts during grief or a long table of laughter in a field somewhere by Nowhere Creek, it’s a tie that holds us together as humans. We finished the evening rotating ourselves in front of the fire, bellies full, hearts full. Craig from Grounded Pleasures toasted us marshmallows and passed them about. The sparks from the fire dance glowing from the ground and mingle with the stars.
If you really want to go to one of these events, they’re open to anyone. Follow them on Instagram if you want to get the news when the next one is happening.
Location: Settler and Sons
Cookbook: Sophie Hansen
Wine: Amherst Winery
Marshmallows: Grounded Pleasures
– L
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