For those of you who ordered the Sunset at Home hamper to get you through the coronavirus isolation, we hope you are enjoying it!

We've pulled together a few ideas of different ways to serve it so you get to enjoy it to it's full potential!! It is far more versatile than just a dollop on a cheese platter, although of course that is our favourite!

#1. The Classic - Served on your Cheese Platter
It would be remiss not to include this one. We recommend the pumpkin chutney with a classic aged cheddar or a creamy brie on a jatz or a wafer cracker.


#2. The Lunch - Delicious Ploughman's Lunch
A British classic:

• a chunk of crumbly aged cheddar,
• a hunk of ham (no thin slices on a ploughman's, please!),
• some pickled onions,
• a granny smith apple cut into pieces (no need to peel)
• Some delicious crusty bread and lashings of butter (maybe that's just me!),
• all served with homemade Pumpkin Chutney! Yum!

I love to make my own bread when doing a ploughman's lunch and see below for a recipe for a super-easy, no-knead wholemeal bread. (It doesn't keep for long so either freeze any you don't eat on the day and use it for toast)


#3. The Beer Snack 
Are you looking for some nibbles to serve with your beer?

Try some mini poppadoms with condiments such as lime pickle, a cucumber raita (see recipe below) and of course some pumpkin chutney

The poppadoms are super easy to make in the microwave. I do three at a time on the highest setting for 40 seconds. Perfecto!

#4. Scrummy Curry
Along a similar theme as the beer snack...but by jazzing up the pumpkin chutney it is the perfect condiment to a spicy curry. 

Fold the pumpkin chutney through some natural yogurt, add sliced dates or nuts like almonds, a pinch of cinnamon and season. To intensify the flavour add some hot chilli or dried chilli.


#5. Morning Tea - Treat yourself to a Savoury Scone
Serve a savoury scone with some butter, pumpkin chutney and a dollop of sour cream (or creme fraiche, my favourite!). See below for a delicious savoury scone recipe.


A big thank you to Jen & Dan from Saltwater for their suggestions.
​

We hope you've enjoyed these suggestions and please share any ideas you have in a comment below!!

How to Make the Perfect Cheese Platter "Pilgrim Style":

Our Pilgrim Sailing sunset cruises are one of our most popular things to do onboard. On every trip, we not only go sailing, but we serve unlimited Tamburlaine Organic Wines, and local beers and every group are served their own personal cheese platter. 



Although I certainly wouldn't call myself an expert, I have made a lot of cheese platters over the past ten years, and have enjoyed refining it as I go along! So, how do I do it?


Firstly, The Cheese:

I always select three kinds of cheese to go on my cheese board, unless catering for a large group of people when you may need to add a couple of extras.

My platter includes:
1. A hard cheese, generally a good quality cheddar which has some bite. 

2. A soft cheese, generally a brie, camembert or similar

3. An interesting cheese. Our absolute favourite is the Gallo Dairyland macadamia nut cheese. It is to die for. Alternatively, you could choose a washed rind or a blue cheese.

How much cheese per person?
As a rule of thumb, you're looking for 25-30 g per cheese per person assuming you have three kinds of cheese on the platter for an entree or dessert.

Secondly, is the crackers:

I also like to serve three types of crackers, but this may be over the top and two would be sufficient.

1. Jatz or Savoys - ok, controversial, I know. A little bit basic, but everyone loves them. Paul wouldn't let me put a cheese platter out at home without a Jatz featured, so I apply that principle on board too.

Side note: The importance of the Jatz cracker was confirmed by one of our regular guests onboard Pilgrim. Just before I brought out the cheese platter, he proudly announced that one of the favourite things about our sunset cruises was that we always served Jatz on the cheese platter. You can imagine how hard it was to tell him that due to an oversight on my part, we had run out on that day. Note, I have not run out again since!!!

2. Some plain crackers - water biscuits or wafers. If you're buying wafer crackers, make sure you don't buy a cheap brand as they go stale very quickly once exposed to the air.

Top tip: if you don't finish a whole packet keep them in a plastic container in the fridge. They'll last much longer.

3. Some interesting crackers. This could be a bark style cracker or OB Finest - Goji Berry and Coconut is my favourite. [OB Finest, is my go-to brand on Pilgrim]

Another alternative is Janet's sesame crispbread. Here's the recipe:

Next, on the perfect cheese platter is the Condiment:


This one is a no-brainer on Pilgrim: Clare's famous Pumpkin Chutney. This is now available for sale, or if you want to give it a go yourself, here's the recipe.


Then, comes the Fruit:

The most obvious being grapes, I like to use red and white for the colour. But out of season grapes are either terrible quality or very expensive! So my advice is to look for something in season, colourful and reasonably priced. Some of my favourites are passion fruit (picked straight off our vine at home), kiwi fruit, strawberries or figs. 


Now, the olives:

Olives can be a personal thing - black, green, whole, pitted, stuffed etc. My personal favourite is the almond stuffed olives from Stubborn Olives (a Sydney based company).

I'm currently searching for a Queensland olive producer, ideally from North Queensland, but so far my research has not delivered. Please get in touch with any recommendations!


Finally, the sprinkle or the gap filler:

I use nuts or blueberries to fill up the cheese platter and make sure it looks pretty and there are no gaps, that is until someone takes the first bite.

To conclude on my take of the perfect cheese platter:

By no means is this the only formula for a delicious cheese platter but it's one which has helped me over the years and takes the thinking out of it every time.

The three overarching principles I apply to every cheese platter, whether at home or on Pilgrim:

- Support local producers, wherever possible
- Choose seasonal ingredients - they taste better and are generally cheaper
- Don't skimp on quality

I hope you enjoy serving you your next cheese platter!
Clare

Check out our favourite places to eat near Rose Bay.

Pilgrim Sailing has just arrived back in Sydney for our ninth year of operation on Sydney Harbour! You can jump on board for a range of activities, specialising in Twilight Racing, Sunset Cruises and Private Charters.

Generally, we pick up and drop off guests from Rose Bay and often get asked for recommendations of places to eat in the area either before or after a charter or while they are visiting the area.

Here are our favourites:

Our number one recommendation is the Empire Lounge at the Sydney Seaplanes Terminal. 

Why? 

• You will find it conveniently located a one minute walk from the Rose Bay Public Wharf.
• There are stunning views of Rose Bay and Sydney Harbour
• There is an exciting contemporary menu, with a good range of options which would suit most tastes
• It is excellent quality, reasonably priced food in a lovely setting

​
​You can check out the food and beverage menu here.

Because we love it so much, we have arranged a dinner package for our Sip&Sail Twilight Cruise guests after the twilight cruise. For an additional $56 per person, you'll be able to select one main dish, one side dish to share, a dessert and one glass of house wine or beer. Just book it as an extra when you book your Sip&Sail Twilight Cruise!

OPENING HOURS: 
THURSDAY – SUNDAY OPEN FROM 12:00 PM TILL LATE | SERVING LUNCH AND DINNER

Launching our first ever Sip & Sail with Tamburlaine Organic Wines

A couple of wonderful evenings sailing around Sydney Harbour enjoying the sights while sipping a range of Tamburlaine's wines and enjoying Woombye Cheeses....

• Vintage Blanc de Blanc
• Scarlett Bubbles
• Wine Lovers Sauvignon Blanc
• Wine Lovers Chardonnay
• Wine Lovers Petit Fleur