stanthorpe

15 June, 2015

Frosty mornings, fireplaces, beautiful fresh produce, amazing orange hues of deciduous trees, gorgeous little wineries and farms… There is just something incredible about Stanthorpe. Having spent a fair bit of time there when I was younger with family friends who lived on the hospital grounds, I have the warmest memories of chilly days spent at Lavender and berry farms and cuddled up in front of the fire with friends.

In what seems to be the typical fashion of life, it wasn’t until I was asked out to Stanthorpe over the weekend with a group to help out at a service that it hit me how long it had actually been since I had been there.

The drive from Brisbane to Stanthorpe through Warwick takes about 3.5 hours which always seems so quick considering how removed Stanthorpe feels.

A few months ago, Mum went out to Stanthorpe with her friends from school. During this trip they did a food and wine tour of the region. Naturally, she was very keen to share her experience with the group. And so we visited a few wineries, the Stanthorpe cheese factory and Sutton’s Juice Factory Cidery and Cafe. As well as buying the most amazing apple cider vinegar I have ever had, Sutton’s is famous for their apple pies. They did not disappoint. I really have not had a better apple pie in my life, served with whipped cream and homemade ice cream.

We also enjoyed the utterly (or should I say udderly?) delicious Plowman’s lunch at the cheese factory and some fabulous puns, which were extremely cheesy at the Stanthorpe Cheese Factory.

On the Sunday morning, I ended up walking into the centre of town (some exercise to balance out the eating the day before) to the Markets in the Mountain. The markets were held in the civic centre and were utterly adorable; full of little crafts, jams, natural products and produce.

Although I was pleased for the slightly milder mornings when I was there, I am also looking forward to a few chillier days in front of the fire place next time. I can’t wait to going back sooner rather than later to explore the olive and berry farms as well as some of the gorgeous cafes and restaurants.