Maggie’s Orchard

Looking down from my attic window at two magnificent pear trees, older than the house and as tall and sturdy, I can also see the dam at the bottom of the garden full to overflowing after wonderful spring rains and surrounded by old, old willows just coming into leaf… life doesn’t get much better.

What pleasure there is in walking into an orchard and picking fruit that is ripe and ready to eat! Maggie Beer’s Pheasant Farm orchard is in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, a region rich in food – from its famous vines to its olive groves, almond trees and wild mushrooms. Maggie and her husband Colin first established their pheasant-farming venture, then planted vines and an orchard. Prone to romantic illusions, Maggie fantasised about letting her pheasants and geese wander and feed among the quince and fig trees, imagining how good those birds would taste! In this book, the author of the highly successful Maggie’s Farm again shares her delightful recipes and stories with her many readers. Choosing her favourite produce from the orchard and vegetable garden, as well as game and seafood, she offers tips on selecting, growing and preparing the food, quick cooking ideas and a host of effortless recipes and hearty flavours. It is a book as fresh and bounteous as Maggie’s orchard itself.