One of the most unique properties I have ever had the great fortune to find myself in is Hutton Vale Cellar Door. It was jaw-dropping for me.
Literally, I walked in and almost fell over. It was the type of property I would only hope to find myself in a dream from a photographer-perspective. I totally adored it.. so much so that I managed to once in my life somehow totally switch off from the reality I was probably being followed around the property as I took photos by 100's of sets of eyes belonging most perhaps to a load of mutant Australian spiders, who no doubt took residence in the massive, vast ceiling beams and nooks and crannies of this wonderfully old, dusty, visually arresting, beautiful property.
Initially, I thought it was a house, but discovered it is, in fact, a cellar door and the owners; Jan and John, live in a property a minute or two from Hutton Vale across the fields.
Run by one of the most hospitable couples I have met, Jan and John are 6th generation owners of Hutton Vale in the beautiful Eden Valley. Initially founded in 1843, many years later, John and his wife Jan continue to run Hutton Vale with passion and a nurturing approach, all for the pleasures of premium produce. Their children, Suzi, Cait and Stuart, are the adult 7th generation, turning their hands to different tasks to shore up a positive future for Hutton Vale.
Not only do Jan and John run a cellar door from this location, but they also rear homegrown lamb. In the last decade, they have begun to share their grazing pursuits with local restaurants and visitors to the Barossa Farmer's Market.
Hutton Vale's lambs are born on the farm and grazed on natural pasture. It is a small-scale operation in an endeavour to keep high quality. Keeping a no-stress philosophy in livestock is of the most significant importance, which means low stocking rates, careful handling and respect for every action from a living animal to portioned lamb. In addition to their lamb, Hutton Vale also produces a range of chutneys and preserves, all sourced from their own grown vegetables at the farm. They are handmade in small batches and available at selected retailers and cellar doors.
My shoot at Hutton Vale took place in the mid-late afternoon. When I had taken the shots I needed. Jan invited me to enjoy the fantastic lamb she had cooked for the shoot and her superb chutneys, local cheeses and bread. John had a brilliant knack for magically producing bottle after bottle of his excellent Hutton Vale Shiraz and Grenache Mataro.
A cosy outside fire was lit. We all sat outside a big table under a vine canopy. We spent 2 or 3 hours chatting, laughing, and generally mopping up Jan and John's warm, inviting, and wonderfully unexpected, random hospitality. It's an evening I'll remember for some time and have had the good fortune to experience now a few times since I first met Jan and John when this blog post was originally penned.
I also decided to shoot a section for my second book, what katie ate ate the weekend at Huttonvale. I went down, gathered all my wonderful friends together, and we enjoyed another day of cooking and dining and experienced more of John's surprise-wine-bottle-producing skills as the evening rambled on and we chatted until the wee hours.
you can check out huttonvale’s website here.
they now offer beautiful accommodation too. a very special place to stay in the barossa for a weekend away.