PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Heidi Castleden picks fruit from her own trees and from the lemon tree at Rosewood Cottage.
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The Shady Baker shares treats from the luxury walking retreat, including recipes for grown-up muffins, a date and oat slice, and prune and walnut paste.
Words and photography Jane Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Heidi Castleden picks fruit from her own trees and from the lemon tree at Rosewood Cottage.
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Rosewood Cottage serves as base camp for Rove Numby guests.
I’d just arrived at Numby station, a sheep and cattle property that flanks the Lachlan River at Reids Flat, about 70 kilometres south-east of Cowra, in New South Wales.
Heidi, 47, quickly got behind the wheel again and skilfully negotiated the vehicle over a narrow bridge and then along a muddy track, through creek crossings and over steep hills — all while managing to hold a conversation. After stopping for a few gates, we spotted our destination in the valley below.
Rosewood Cottage, a stone house that dates back to 1900, serves as the luxurious base camp for guided walking tour company Rove Numby. Heidi is the cook and base camp host, and her friend Louise Crawford is co-host and walking guide.
Creative pursuits have always been part of Heidi’s life. Before taking up her current role at Rove Numby, she spent seven years running her clothing label Castleden Co, filling all positions from designing and sewing to marketing, sales and accounts. The increasing demands of the business eventually became too much so she made the decision to close it in 2022.
By that time, Heidi and Louise, 41, had been friends for several years. Louise was in the final stages of renovating a deteriorating stone cottage on her family property and she was talking about starting a walking tour company. Heidi began working alongside her, patching the old walls of the cottage.
Heidi, who lives nearby at Hovells Creek with her husband James, 50, and their daughter Polly, six, had inherited an established orchard of plum, fig, feijoa, cumquat, lemon, orange and pomegranate trees when the family bought Grasmere House in 2014. Today, she puts this harvest to good use, producing a generous array of jams, marmalades and preserves to sell locally and for the table at Rove Numby.
When guests are in residence, the days start early and finish late: there are two-course breakfasts to serve, plus four-course dinners and dishes to be done. With a small kitchen, limited electricity and only one rough road into the isolated property, a weekend of wholesome food requires careful planning. Nearly everything is made from scratch, including the house-cured bacon.
Heidi and Louise love being in the kitchen and hearing the happy chatter of a table full of guests. While some walking groups include people who don’t know each other, Heidi says this only adds to the experience. “Seeing conversations flow and friendships blossom between strangers is a beautiful thing,” she adds.
It seems things have come full circle for Heidi, who grew up in the Wagga Wagga area of New South Wales. One of her favourite childhood memories is lingering at the breakfast table for hours at the weekend, enjoying pancakes topped with stewed fruit. She fondly recalls the regular guests who’d arrive at the family dinner table, and she still loves to share a meal with others.
And luckily for us, Heidi and Louise have agreed to part with some of their well-tested and much loved recipes from the Rove Numby kitchen. Enjoy!
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Spiced golden syrup cake.
Louise makes this family recipe to serve, often with thick cream, to guests at the end of long day of walking.
Serves 16
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
2/3 cup (140g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
185g butter, softened
¾ cup (260g) golden syrup
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
Thick cream (optional), to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon and salt into the large bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and stir to combine. 3. In a separate small bowl or jug, add the bicarb soda to ¾ cup (185ml) of cold water and stir until the bicarb is dissolved.
4. Pour the bicarb mixture into the dry ingredients and add the butter, golden syrup and eggs. Use the stand mixer to beat everything together until smooth.
5. Scoop the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin. The cake will sink slightly in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.
The whole family will enjoy this moist and moreish chocolate cake.
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Date and oat slice.
Elizabeth Spencer was a no-nonsense dedicated CWA member who was still chipping burrs on horseback at her property, Lincoln, in NSW’s Delungra until she was well into her seventies. She was James’s aunt, and this is her recipe. It is a tradition for brides in the family to receive the recipe and a container of slice as an engagement gift. Heidi makes it for guests to enjoy for morning tea.
Makes about 18 pieces
450g pitted dates, chopped
¾ cup (165g) brown sugar
1 lemon, juice and zest finely chopped
180g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
1 cup (90g) rolled oats
3 cups (450g) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup (125ml) warm water
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm x 30cm slice tin with baking paper.
2. Put the dates, 165g sugar and 3/4 cup (180ml) of water in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and the consistency of a thick paste. Add the lemon juice and zest. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, put the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and use a stand mixer or handheld beaters to beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add the rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, ginger and warm water to the butter mixture and stir until well combined.
5. Firmly press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the slice tin. Spread the cooled date mixture evenly over the base. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top of the date paste, so that some of the paste shows through.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until the crumble is lightly browned. Cool in the tin on a wire rack. Cut into bars to serve.
This recipe makes 21 bars with just a few pantry ingredients.
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Almond cumquat cakes.
These muffins are a grown-up lunch box favourite, topped with a zesty spoonful of Heidi’s preserved brandied cumquats.
Makes 12 muffins
200g butter
1½ cups (180g) almond meal
¾ cup (60g) desiccated coconut
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
½ cup brandied cumquats (substitute jam or marmalade if you like)
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, put the almond meal, coconut, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
4. Put the eggs and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the cooled butter and stir until smooth.
5. Gently pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
6. Scoop ¼ cup of batter into each muffin case. Gently drop a teaspoon of brandied cumquats into the centre of each muffin.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Remove the muffins from the tin and place them on a wire rack. Top with an extra teaspoon of cumquats, if desired. Allow to cool completely.
This recipe makes 21 bars with just a few pantry ingredients.
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Pastilla is delicious served with cheese.
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Numby station, about 70 kilometres south-east of Cowra, New South Wales.
This recipe was originally passed on to Louise by her mother. At Rosewood Cottage, pastilla is enjoyed by guests as part of a cheese platter with welcome drinks during their first walk. Serve it in thin slices with cheese or as a sweet with coffee or liqueur.
Makes about 700g
2 cups (400g) pitted prunes
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups (200g) walnuts
1. Spray four 150ml silicone moulds or ramekins with cooking spray.
2. Put the prunes, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a large heavy-based saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick.
3. Add the honey and lemon juice and cook for 10-15 minutes until the mixture resembles a thick jam that sticks to the side of the pan. Test if it is ready by putting a teaspoon of the mixture on a saucer and place it in the fridge: it should be firm after a few minutes.
4. Add the walnuts and cook for a further 5–10 minutes, stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly.
5. When it is just cool enough to handle, press the mixture firmly into the prepared moulds or ramekins.
6. Cool completely and store in the fridge, either in the mould or wrapped in baking paper, for 2 weeks. It is also suitable to freeze for up to 2 months.
It's lovely served with sausage rolls, lamb chops, sandwiches or a chunk of cheddar cheese.
PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
Salted chocolate tart.
Heidi likes to serve this impressive tart to guests as a dessert, sometimes accompanied with ice cream.
Serves 12
250g Arnott’s Butternut Snap biscuits
100g Arnott’s Scotch Finger biscuits
125g butter, melted
25g cornflour
60ml milk
100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
2 cups (500ml) pouring cream
50g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 teaspoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt flakes, plus extra for serving
1. Spray a 25cm diameter loose-bottomed tart tin with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, crush the biscuits. With the motor running, add the melted butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse, damp sand.
3. Spread the biscuit mixture in the prepared tin and press down firmly and evenly with a flat-bottomed object such as a glass or small container. Refrigerate until firm.
4. Whisk the cornflour and milk in a small bowl until smooth.
5. Put the chocolate, cream, cocoa powder, coffee, sugar, vanilla paste, olive oil and salt into a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until smooth; don’t let the mixture boil.
6. Take the saucepan off the heat and add the cornflour mixture. Return to the stove over low heat and whisk continuously for 6-10 minutes until the mixture is glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil. Pour the chocolate mixture into a heatproof jug or bowl.
7. Cover the surface of the chocolate mixture with plastic film to prevent a skin forming, and cool in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
8. Pour the cooled mixture evenly into the chilled tart shell.
9. Place the tart in the refrigerator overnight to set, and keep it in the fridge until 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with extra salt flakes and slice it into wedges to serve.
Jane was a guest of Stay in the Bush @stayinthebush. Find Heidi on Instagram @homestead_traders or @rovenumby; for bookings and information visit rovenumby.com.au
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