We’re super stoked to be opening up a Your Food Collective Hub in Redhead and have got the amazing Thea at the helm. Passionate about all things, beach, plastic free and Hot Cross Hearts, she is a real asset to the team!
We nailed Thea down and had a chat about what she's doing this Easter and what keeps her smiling every day.
Make sure you place an order this week and drop in to the Redhead Hub on Wednesday afternoons at the Bowling Club and you can pick up the conversation where we leave it…
Tell us your story, what brought you to Newcastle?
True love. My mother was born in Sydney so I think I was destined to live here! After I met my hubby in my small mountain town in BC Canada, we decided to give it a go and be together in Australia. 9 years later, a house and 2 kids and I'm loving it! We first rented in Redhead and I was so happy to hang out at the beach with the kids. Coming from Vancouver, we didn't really swim at the beaches.
My sister also moved over from Canada and I have 2 awesome sisters and brothers in law so lots of yummy big family dinners! The kids; 5 boys and my 1 girl, eat almost as much as us adults do!
What inspires you day to day?
My children and being so close to the ocean and the bush.
Our beaches here are incredibly beautiful so we participate in beach cleans and are always on the lookout for trash to pick up.
Children learn so much by just observing so I try to set a good example for what we put into our bodies and how we treat Mother Earth.
And having constantly hungry mouths to feed..I'm always thinking about the next meal, but dreading the dishes!
Do you have a food philosophy?
Eat real fresh food (avoid packaged foods filled with nasties)
I love getting the kidlets involved in the garden, at the markets and in the kitchen.
With the Australian seasons being so mild compared to British Colombia, I feel we are so lucky to have fresh produce available for most of the year!
What do you love about YFC?
I love that it's local, fresh, seasonal, plastic free and the farmers get a fair pay.
I love the website where I can read up on all the fantastic producers.
What's your go to in the kitchen at the moment?
apples- my kids eat them like they're going out of style!
frozen bananas- great to have on hand for smoothies and I love baking banana bread;)
What are you looking forward to?
I look forward to the day my kids cook dinner for ME!
What are you baking up this Easter and how are you celebrating?
The kids and I have a little tradition of making Hot Heart Buns, I love baking these because they fill my house with their amazing smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves-all very warming.
It reminds me of springtime in the northern hemisphere and that summer is on the way.
The kids get involved and they love doing their own design on top of the buns.
They get that satisfaction of seeing & eating their work;)
Once we've finished in the kitchen we usually spend the rest of the weekend at the beach holding onto summer for a little longer.
Hot Heart Buns
4 cups spelt flour
2 X 7g sachets dried yeast
¼ caster sugar
1 ½ tsp mixed spice (cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice)
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cup currants
40g Hunter Belle Butter
300ml Udder Farm Milk
2 Golden Egg Farm eggs, slightly beaten
Flour Paste
½ cup flour
4-5 TBSP water
Glaze
⅓ cup water
2 TBSP caster sugar
Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt and currents in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk. Heat until lukewarm.
Add warm milk and eggs to flour mixture. Mix until dough comes together
Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead 10 minutes or until dough is smooth
Place into a lightly oiled bowl.
Cover & set aside 1- 1 1/2 hours or until dough doubles in size
Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone mat.
Punch dough down to original size. Knead for 30 seconds on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
Divide into 12-16 even portions. Shape each portion into a ball. Place balls onto a baking tray, about 1 cm apart.
Cover & let double in size, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190c or 170c fan forced.
Flour paste; mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if the paste is too thick. Spoon into a small piping bag or zip lock. Snip off 1 corner of bag. Pip flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses, hearts or stars.
Bake 20 minutes or until buns are cooked through.
Glaze; place water and sugar into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes.
Brush warm glaze over warm buns.
Serve warm;)
