Good Life From Paris to a leafy corner in Bruns The
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here are not many things more romantic than meeting your life partner in the ‘city of love’ and that’s exactly what happened for husband-and-wife team Anna Mortimer and Aymeric Albores when they met in Paris, where Anna trained and worked as a chef and Aymeric was managing restaurants. Anna and Aymeric’s Honour is a celebration of their time in Europe. It’s a relaxed eatery, with a market-based menu in Brunswick Heads. The ever-changing menu is inspired by both Anna’s French training and the abundant produce available in the Northern Rivers. More than 90 per cent of Honour’s fresh produce comes directly from either the Mullum or Byron Farmers Market. ‘My time in France has undoubtedly coloured my approach to food. It’s produce driven, stripped back, and usually requires bread for mopping. I learnt very quickly that you don’t need to do much when the
Left: Aymeric and Anna love their little slice of Europe in the Byron Shire. Above: beetroot, stracciatella and candied walnuts. Right: chicken espelette lemon and herb terrine.
produce is this good.’ Brisbane-born Anna worked at famed fine diners Septime and Verjus in Paris, before taking to butchery in Melbourne at Andrew McConnell’s Meatsmith. Honour serves a bounty of housemade goods that Anna makes by hand from capicola ham. French-born Aymeric runs the front of house and
The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure. — Tibetan Proverb
sources interesting and hardto-find wines. ‘All our wines tell a story of people and place,’ he says. ‘We support small family producers that make great wines, which are natural, biodynamic, or organic. We have a solid wine list of mainly Australian, French, and Italian wines and a blackboard by the glass that rotates weekly. We offer a lot of wines that you
Anna says when they moved to the region four years ago it was because they wanted to have a restaurant that was part of a community. ‘I think we’ve found that on our leafy corner here in Bruns. Our customers tell us they feel like they are back in Europe when they dine with us and really we couldn’t hope for anything more.’
Honour is open for dinner and drinks Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 5pm with bar snacks from 3pm. Bookings are recommend and walk-ins are welcome. Honour has a special ticketed event July 14 for Bastille Day. It’s a traditional three-course set menu to celebrate France’s national day.
A touch of Heart and Halo from Tusta Das Lisa Maych Fair citizens of the Byron Shire… there is good news afoot. And it’s tasty! The much-loved Heart and Halo – hearty, nutritious, made-with-love food – will now be at the Mullum Farmers Markets on a fortnightly basis, and what they’re serving up will warm you from your heart to your bones. Owner Tusta Das, who ran Heart and Halo as a shop in Byron Bay for many years, now creates the delicious food from his home in Murwillumbah. He distributes these to local shops and health-food stalls as frozen meals, and will now be selling them at your local farmers market. The meals are the perfect choice when you want something easy on a Friday, but aren’t willing to compromise on nutrition or flavour for the sake of convenience. ‘To me they’re medicine,’ says Tusta. ‘And the farmers markets in our region are a way to live intentionally and connect with that nourishment in your life. ‘Food isn’t just food – it’s
18 The Byron Shire Echo `ƖōƷ Ǯǽ ǩǧǩǨ
won’t find anywhere else in the region. I feel like we have something for everyone.’ Anna loves having access to wonderful produce and the ability to change her menu weekly based on what is at its peak. ‘Visiting the Mullum Farmers market each week is such a joy. I think what we have here in the Northern Rivers is really unique.’
also our community. It’s not a commodity only. It’s energy and plants and caring for land and nourishing ourselves and therefore our relationships and communities.’ Heart and Halo have two lasagnes and four types of bean dishes on offer in their frozen meals: vegan glutenfree lasagne; Middle Eastern lentil and bean; Indian mixed lentil dahl; Thai coconut lentil; Indian chickpea chole; spinach ricotta lasagne. All cooked in the ancient Aruvedic style, which embodies holistic wholebody healing of mind, spirit, and body, Tusta says his food nourishes all aspects of a person. ‘We use a lot of roots, seeds, bark, and leaves and whole spices rather than pastes or sauces – cinnamon bark, bay leaves, turmeric and ginger roots, star anise, cloves… these are the things that we use when we cook holistically,’ he says. ‘I have a garden here in Murwillumbah and am discovering more plants and flavours, and exploring some of the native Australian plants too.’ Be warned, however, as Tusta reports that addiction
Tusta Das from Heart and Halo with some of the delicious food he brings to the markets. Photo Allie Godfrey.
to his lasagne is likely. It has big chunks of ricotta in a spinach, buttermilk sour-cream sauce with layers of cheddar cheese with a rich mustard-seed tomato sauce. It’s creamy and has cinnamon and nutmeg – it’s creamy and rich and pleasurable. ‘We all need a treat. To me health is not just about always being healthy. When you are too militant, you are uptight and end up getting
sick. Food should be healthy but also have some treats and pleasure every now and then. ‘Lentils are not just about the flavour; they are about putting you back in your body. They are grounding; to me they are a medicine.’ You can purchase the highprotein frozen meals from Heart and Halo fortnightly at the Mullum Farmers Markets (held Fridays), from 9 July. www.echo.net.au