A Table in the Orchard

by Michelle Crawford

I dreamed of a rambling old farmhouse where I could grow my own food, learn how to bake cakes and make jam. I wanted to wear gumboots. Every day.

Organizing cocktail parties at the Sydney Opera House sounds perfectly glamorous, and for a while it was for Michelle Crawford. But once she became a mother, the yearning to find her own little slice of heaven in the country could no longer be ignored. For years she had been daydreaming of a little farmhouse, with smoke curling out of the chimney, where she could slow down and grow her own food. Last but not least, she was hungry for a new adventure. An old farmhouse nestled in Tasmania’s lush Huon Valley offered the chance to make that a dream come true—and adventure in spades, from her first doomed attempts at planting a veggie garden to raising a bunch of chickens with attitude, discovering the joys of a wood stove and foraging for treasure to make sloe gin, jam, and bake cakes. Lots of cakes. Warm, down to earth, and inspiring, and lushly illustrated with lip-smacking images and recipes, A Table in the Orchard is breathtaking proof of how seductive a taste of slow living in one of the most beautiful valleys in Tasmania might be. Like Michelle, you might be tempted to make your own crumpets—or run away to the Apple Isle.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Cookbooks

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2015

Reviews

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little twee but nice enough.

[Christina Baehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Denita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the books of this genre are becoming more popular but I just never tire of reading them. I feel so inspired by the different journey each book takes whether its doing up an old rundown house or setting up a self sufficient life. I just loved this one especially because the photographs are just so beautiful and of course there must be recipes!

[Thom Gibney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Crawford lives an enviable life of solitude and rustic blissfulness in the Tasmanian heartland. Everything from her little home she has more or less built up from the humble state she found it in to the micromanaging of her kitchen and garden are an inspiration. She lives a life us urban-dwellers can only dream of and now inspired I look forward to a similar escape in my later life.

[Amy Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful snapshot of Tasmanian life

Michelle's book is a dreamy, enthralling account of Tasmanian life. Cooks, gardeners and doe eyed mainlanders dreaming of a change will all enjoy this. My new favourite read.

[Sherry Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's about Tasmania - tick. It's about food- tick. It's about food and blogging - tick. It's about starting a new life - tick. It's about great recipes - tick. It has wonderful photos of tassie - big tick. Loved it.

[Lisa Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking back on my reading over the first half of 2015, it was interesting to see a theme reveal itself - running away, solitude, coast and country. This book is gorgeous and combines tales of starting a new life in rural Tasmania. Recipes, photos, stories....all enjoyable.

[Jacq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and delicious, a gorgeous book with a real story behind it.
Knowing that it can be a real hard slog, it will still make you want to pack up and move to the Huon!

[Pauline Carrafa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle Crawford has simply captured the lifestyle of my dreams. Glorious!

[Sharon Vandervelde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous book with beautiful photos and delicious recipes all intertwined with farm living in the Huon valley, Tasmania. I particularly enjoyed this book as I live in Tasmania and have visited and holidayed in the Huon valley often, in fact if I could I would live there! I grew up in a country town in Tasmania so many of the stories I could relate to. Although we weren’t quite as self sufficient as the author and her family, there were many parallels to my own childhood. Oh and the weather descriptions, unless you live here you can only imagine how much the weather influences our decisions in regards to our gardens and day to day living in general. Never plant your tomatoes before show week, knowing when the mushrooms and wild foods are ready to go foraging for and going for that last summer swim. I tried to purchase my own copy of this book but it is sadly out of print so borrowed a copy from my local library. I hope to find a copy hiding on an op shop bookshelf or in someone’s garage sale one day as it is definitely a book I would love to own.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasant and charming garden to table book. More about eating than growing, but I'm happy to read about either.

[Wendyjune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great motivator to get out there and celebrate your own garden. A good read and it is inspiring.