Winter warming: self-catering on holiday

What could be better on a cold, wintry evening than a big pot of hearty comfort food bubbling away on the stove, a glass of red in hand and the wood fire crackling away?

Organise a cosy night in and indulge in some home cooking during your next South-West escape.

Cook up a storm in these spectacular kitchens

All of our Private Properties homes have well-stocked and exquisitely-crafted kitchens. Some also come equipped with a pizza oven, Thermomix, outdoor BBQ, coffee machine, or even an entire alfresco kitchen. Homes cooks, take a sneak peek:

Mibremilla, Eagle Bay

Warm and cosy, a retreat set on 2.5 acres of natural bushland.

Visit Mibremilla

Flinders Bay House, Augusta

A lavish Hamptons-style home in Cape Leeuwin.

Visit Flinders Bay House

Sublime, Yallingup

Snuggle up by the fire with a glass of red and watch the storms rolls in across the valley as the chef cooks up a storm in the kitchen.

Visit Sublime

Use local, seasonal produce

Visit a market such as the Margaret River Farmer’s Market to stock up on locally grown produce. You’re guaranteed to find quality goods here, such as fresh bread, homemade jams, loose-leaf tea, and a variety of condiments. You can also buy homemade cakes, authentic Italian biscuits from Claudio Biscotti, dessert delights from French patisserie Maison Laissiaille or to-die-for French-style nougat from Bettenay’s Margaret River Nougat for dessert.

Load up your basket with seasonal winter goodies like pears, custard apples and crunchy apples, plus citrus fruits such as grapefruit, lemons and limes. For vegetables, look for asparagus, fennel, parsnips, swedes and turnips.

Try this: Slow-cooked Jindong Pork Belly

This mouth-watering recipe has been provided courtesy of Hamish McLeay, chef at The River Hotel in Margaret River.

Ingredients:

1kg of Jindong pork belly, skin off

2 lemons – zest and juice

100g white miso

50ml honey

1tsp sesame oil

4 to 5 carrots

100ml mirin

100ml rice vinegar

1 cucumber

1 spring onion

Sesame seeds

Rice (optional)

Vegetables, steamed (optional)

Method:

• Marinate pork belly in juice of one lemon, miso, most of the honey and sesame oil. Leave for two hours.
• Steam pork belly in bamboo steamer for one hour. Wipe marinade off the pork belly after the hour.
• Peel and cut carrots in half. Lay on a baking tray.
• Place pork on top, add mirin and rice vinegar and cover tray tightly with foil. Cook at 160C for 45 minutes.
• Uncover and turn temperature up to 200C for 10 to 15 minutes to colour the pork.
• Prepare a salad of sliced cucumber, spring onions, sesame seeds and lemon zest.
• Carve pork belly and carrots. Mix a little honey with pan juices and drizzle over.
• Accompany with rice and steamed vegetables.

The next step? Pour yourself a glass of wine, sit by the warm fire and tuck into your delicious home-cooked meal. Tempted? Browse our homes list to book your dream holiday now.

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