The Hamper Emporium 2022 Christmas Catalogue - Catalog - Page 33
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MAGGIE
BEER
A N AUST R AL IAN CO OK IN G I CON
The name Maggie Beer is
eponymous with Australian
gourmet food and wine.
She is a celebrated cook,
author, restaurateur, and
television host. But before
she captivated the nation
(and beyond) with her
farm-to-table style, she
moved to the Barossa
Valley with her husband
Colin to pursue a dream of
farming pheasants.
‘Together with Colin, we
started being producers
just under 50 years ago,’
she says.
Maggie never sought
professional training as a
chef. Instead, her lessons
came from personal
experience and the world
around her. This is most
apparent when she speaks
of the place she now calls
home.
The Barossa taught us
everything...I learned the
rhythm of the seasons, and
it’s all about how to grow
and when to pick ripe.’
This knowledge, gleaned
in scenic South Australia,
is now shared with a
community of heartfelt
food devotees. With
the help of Maggie‘s
cookbooks, newsletters,
and exceptional gourmet
products, generations of
Australians have been
inspired to live—and eat—
seasonally.
‘Waste not want not’ is an
old adage that Maggie has
embodied throughout her
career. One of her signature
products, Verjuice, is a
prime example of this.
Back in the early 80s,
Maggie read about
‘verjus’ in multiple
French cookbooks.
There happened to be
an oversupply of grapes
in the Barossa that year.
She utilised this leftover
fruit, and by doing so,
revolutionised how many
Australians cook.
With so much experience
in the industry, it hasn’t
always been smooth sailing.
The seasons sometimes
take their toll.
‘We’ve seen it all. We’ve
seen boom and bust, but
you have to adapt, and you
have to learn to go with the
flow of nature. You can’t
predict everything. You’d
like to.’
Even in the absence of
certainty, there is always
room to make do with
what’s in front of you. With
a little imagination, and
plenty of passion, anyone
can take on Maggie‘s
philosophy of cooking from
the heart.