Greener pastures
The green pastures of Frida’s Field have been 10 years in the making, the fruits of owners Jeanie and Edward Rawlings’ labour. The bucolic Byron Bay hinterland restaurant, farm and farmstay is home to Angus-Wagyu cows, rows of perennial greens and blossoming orchard trees.
“It was back in 2011 that we left our city jobs to give country living a go,” explains co-owner Jeanie Rawlings. First they road-tested farm living on the outskirts of Ipswich in Queensland, raising rare breed Tamworth pigs and building a market garden. One of their first pigs was named Frida. “She represents taking that leap and following a dream into making a living by growing food,” says Rawlings.
In 2015 the pair found their forever farm in Nashua, located 25 minutes from Byron Bay. A slow and steady integration into the community saw them open their restaurant a year ago, swinging open the doors for long lunches that hero produce plucked from the surrounding farm.
“Our work life at Frida’s reflects the property itself,” says chef Alastair Waddell. “There is a real sense of openness, freedom and honesty, and that is not an easy thing to find.”
The Frida’s Field team are working towards an end goal of growing 50 to 60 per cent of its produce on the property, while continuing to work closely with other hinterland producers.
For this menu, Waddell shares dishes that celebrate the first signs of spring and the local growers in the Byron region.
76 Booyong Rd, Nashua, NSW, fridasfield.com
Pipis, carrots and coriander
SERVES 2 AS A LIGHT MEAL // PREP
