Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm
Ever feel like a billy goat? I cant say that I have until now. Careful to heed the signs and waiting until the group of four who happily run across the bridge before us clear the planks, Mr NQN and I walk across the bridge to Lavandula Swiss Italian Lavender Farm. We were nearing the end of our lovely little sojourn to the Daylesford area of Victoria. Here at Lavandula they grow Italian and English lavender and hand harvest every batch slowly. As well as lavender, they also grow olives and grapes and these are used in the cafe.
The restaurant here is called “La Trattoria Cafe” and during summer months people can eat outside underneath the ash trees but since it’s a bit chilly from the sudden burst of snow, we take a seat inside. The menu has some lavender items but it’s not overkill and there are regular sorts of items too. We hone in on the local platter for two and the goat with polenta. It’s ferociously busy with people constantly coming into the back room and seeing their faces fall as they see the reserved signs-so Dear Readers, if you want a table here, I can definitely recommend booking! 
Lavender champagne on left and Lavender lemonade $5
First we start off with lavender lemonade. It’s soda water with lavender syrup and is refreshingly girly. Mr NQN finds it a bit to floral for him but I like it as I love lavender flavoured food. Mr NQN tries the lavender champagne “I think I like this better than regular champagne” he says. It has just the right amount with the lavender so that it doesn’t overwhelm the champagne.
Regional tasting platter for two $35
Our local tasting platter comes out. There is a hot and spicy salami, prosciutto and bull-boar sausages from Istra meats. The bull-boar with it’s star anise flavour is absolutely divine. The olives are from the farm and the frittata is fresh and warm and not rubbery as sometimes frittatas can be.
Goat from Spa venison braised in date and cinnamon with baked polenta $25
The slow cooked goat is wonderfully soft and I finish my half off of this. It’s scented with cinnamon and Thai basil and slightly sweet with dates. There is a square of slightly crunchy edged seasoned polenta.
Lavender Scones $8.50 for two
If only I had room for the lavender scones! OK we have a smidgen of room and we find ourselves sinking our teeth into an absolutely terrific scone. It’s enormous for starters and even though Mr NQN doesn’t usually eat scones as he finds them too dry he happily tucks into this and finishes more than half. The scone has just the right touch of lavender, never too much so that it becomes soap and it is served with a strawberry and lavender jam and whipped cream. The texture of the scones is very light and they’re beautifully warm. There is also lavender ice cream served in a waffle cone but we don’t quite have the stomach space for it. What a shame!
The kitchen of the original farmhouse
We then take a quick explore of the house which has been beautifully restored. Built in the Swiss Italian style by the original owner Aquilino Tinetti it gives us a real glimpse into the style of house of that day. The kitchen is particularly impressive as is the enormous fireplace. He excavated about 7 feet below and used the rocks from the excavation for the walls of the house. And because I love shopping, there’s also a store that sells not only things scented or flavoured by lavender but also other goodies for the home!
My what a twisty neck you have Emu!
“Who are you saying has a twisty neck?” Emu says.
Daylesford Organics
Oh dear. I haven’t brought any gum boots. But in my defence Your Honour, gum boots aren’t the usually kind of footwear that I pack and I didn’t expect such wet and cold conditions. Not to matter! Our hosts the lovely Brendan and Kate are Melbourne city dwellers that decided to make the change to become farmers once they had a child. They now produce almost 40 varieties of apples and specialise in organic produce, in particular heirloom breeds (which you know excites me!).
Brendan and precious organic garlic
They have about twenty varieties of heirloom apples as well as tourist pleasing varieties like the Isaac Newton apple and a 20 ounce apple. Along with these they also carry the popular granny smiths as well as English varieties like Cox’s, Pippin and Bramleys as well as the Australian Ballarat variety. Apart from apples they grow about 30 different types of vegetables with about 200 heirloom varieties. They grow four types of carrots, five types of beetroot including a chioggia beetroot which looks like a fuchsia shade from the outside but once slices, resembles a red onion. They’re one of Alla Wolf-Tasker’s suppliers for The Lake House restaurant.
Plus a rubber ducky 
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