FOOD + FLAME = DELICIOUS As the weather cools and open fires beckon, do more than just warm your toes beside the coals. Try cooking on them instead. STORY: GIANNI FRANCIS. Chef Richard Hayes cooking up an outdoor storm.
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here is a resourcefulness that one employs when cooking over an open fire and, while challenging, chef Richard Hayes says the experience is incredibly rewarding. Richard earned his stripes working in European Michelin-starred restaurants Wild Honey and The Ledbury. After meeting his fiancée in Paris, he moved back to his home town of Euroa and now works at the Butter Factory Restaurant. He developed a passion for outdoor cooking after spending time with his fiancée’s family in southern France, where her grandfather had a strong connection with open fire cooking. Richard and his fiancée keep alive her family’s cultural tradition by often cooking together over an open fire. “The smoky fire taste in meat when it’s cooked directly on the coals is just fantastic,” Richard said. “The sky is the limit with outdoor cooking.” Richard says the introduction of the gas barbecue has deprived Australian culture of a cooking method steeped in history. And while fire restrictions make open fire cooking difficult during summer, the cooler winter and autumn seasons are perfect to enjoy the ambience of outdoor cooking. “In my friendship circle we all enjoy cooking and eating and hanging out together,” Richard said. “We get excited when this autumn weather comes through, and there’s a change in the weather and you can have … the first fire of the season, where we can sit around and share some good food and wine and friendship.” Richard has prepared some easy recipes for open fire cooking that are simple to execute, using ingredients sourced form your local butcher and supermarket.
34 // OUR HOME // WINTER 2022
