Hobart Mornings: Pollen Tea Room

We took a stroll through the quaint little suburb of Battery Point, where the Georgian-style houses, flourishing gardens and bakeries lie.

Nestled within this gorgeous suburb is The Pollen Tea Room. With its petit charm and delightful atmosphere,  the earthy tones of the Tea Room's interior match perfectly with the display of their very own range of teas and crockery. Their menu is boasting in wholesome, seasonal, but most of all delicious food and beverages. Most of which are gluten and dairy free; all of which are made in their very own kitchen. 

Sit by the window with a warm cup of chocolate chai, a pot of house-made tea, or an almond milk latte- sipping as you watch the happenings of Hampden Road go by. 

Alternatively, order yourself a deliciously wholesome breakfast or one of the treats on display... I have to say, their "power balls" look like they contain the ability within them to make you conquer the world. It would be hard to go wrong with one of them.

This was my breakfast of banana bread granola, activated buckwheat, and house-made coconut yoghurt, alongside Robbie's breakfast of baked eggs with avocado, dukkah, fresh coriander, and sourdough. What better way to start a sunny Saturday in Hobart?

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Rhubarb and Custard Tea Cake

With a healthy looking bunch of rhubarb growing in our garden and the memories of myself as a little girl chopping it into chunks for my dad's stewed rhubarb and ice cream, I was inspired to make this cake.

For the Cake:                                                           For the Custard:

200 grams of butter                                                Two tbsp of custard powder

110 grams of brown sugar                                                  1/4 cup of caster sugar

Two eggs                                                                 1 cup of milk

1 1/4 cups of Plain Flour                                             1 tablespoon of butter

Two teaspoons of baking powder                           Two teaspoons of vanilla extract

                                1/3 cup of custard powder

                                Two fresh rhubarb stalks

                                  Sugar, for sprinkling

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

For the custard, mix the custard powder and sugar with a small amount of the milk to make a smooth paste. Ensuring there are no lumps, add the paste and the rest of the milk to a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until thickened. Removing the saucepan from the heat, mix in the butter and vanilla extract.

For the cake, cream the butter and sugar until light- both in colour and in texture. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and add the flour and custard powder. The batter will be quite thick. 

To assemble the cake, put half the cake mixture into a round, greased cake tin; pour on the custard, and then place the rest of the mixture on top. Cut the fresh rhubarb stalks into roughly four centimetre lengths, and then cut in half lengthways. Arrange the rhubarb onto the cake as shown in the above picture, and sprinkle the brown sugar on top. 

Place into the oven and cook for roughly an hour, or until golden and cooked through. 

Enjoy! 

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A Trip to Mount Field

Only at a place like Mount Field can you wake up warm and cosy in your sleeping bag before stepping out onto the cold, wooden floor and quickly covering yourself in as many layers as you can find. All before looking out a tiny, fogged-up window to see that overnight, a layer of crisp, white snow covered the frozen lake and trees.

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Sometimes it is very nice to know that today, your only responsibilities include breathing in the fresh air, exploring the lakes and the mountains, and ensuring that fire keeps on burning.

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