Colin Fassnidge Poached Pork Fillet with Pearl Barley and Wilted Greens recipe

Along with her loving family, Alla Wolf-Tasker transformed a downtrodden country town into a thriving culinary community. Alla Wolf-Tasker’s Lake House story is the stuff of legend and has been told many times. And while the Lake House is recognised around the world as one of this country’s great restaurants, the impact Alla, and the venue, have had on creating a culinary community will be seen as perhaps her greatest legacy. It is a true pleasure speaking with Alla. She’s friendly and knowledgeable, eloquent and assured, and so very passionate about all things food. The reason for our chat is to discuss the release of her latest book, Three Decades On – Lake House and Daylesford. Like everything Alla does, it is beautifully presented with gorgeous lush photography, delicious recipes and engaging editorial that updates the Lake House story. At its heart is a strong sense of community. Dream A Little Dream As a young chef, Alla travelled to France, spending her time working in some of its iconic provincial restaurants. When she returned, Alla dreamed of creating one of her own in Australia. She instinctively chose Daylesford, a small village about 90 minutes north-west of Melbourne. It was where she had spent time as a child, as her Russian-immigrant parents owned a small summer house there, a place where they grew their own produce. In 1979, Alla and her husband Allan, bought what she describes as a ‘blackberry-covered car-wreck-strewn paddock’ and set about building the country restaurant of her dreams. “I came back from France with stars in my eyes and with this notion that the restaurants that really resonated for me were regional restaurants because they had this growing sense of place around them,” recounts Alla. “They actually grew a community around them. A community of growers and suppliers and producers and also a community of doers, people that would fix things and were part of the business. Someone like the florist who supplies the flowers, the carpenter builds the chairs and tables – that sort of real community enterprise that I saw overseas. That’s what I fell in love with.” For the full story and recipes from Alla, pickup a copy of Selector from all good newsagents,  subscribe  or look inside your next Wine Selectors delivery.  

The chicken would be excellent with a fruit-forward Rosé . Choose one with subtly sweet fruit flavours and juicy acidity rather than a super-austere style for a perfect pairing. 

Rick Stein recalls his first trip to Mexico as a ‘life changing’ experience. He travelled there as a wide-eyed young man back in the late 60s and, for the first time, dined on dishes like tacos, huevos rancheros and enchiladas. He was immediately besotted. “Apart from having the odd Indian or Chinese meal back in the UK, I had no idea about how exotic food could be, and to arrive at age 21 with no concept of what the food was like, it was a real blast.  “I think it sort of set me on the course that I’m still on, spending a lot of time travelling around the world just looking for great food experiences.” Rick’s been a regular visitor to Mexico in the decades since, but just for short visits, so he was somewhat apprehensive when he embarked on his latest foodie adventure that would become the book and BBC TV series, The Road to Mexico. Get Rick Stein's sardines in tortillas with spicy tomato sauce recipe here . For more recipes and the full story with Rick, pickup a copy of  Selector   from all good newsagents,  subscribe  or look inside your next Wine Selectors delivery.  OUT NOW: Road to Mexico by Rick Stein (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99).