'I'm not quite sure what possessed me to start a kitchen garden, but there is no doubt that my cooking has developed a real spring in its step since then...' Annie Smithers is a great believer in using fresh organic produce with minimal food miles. In most cases, this means just a few steps, for Annie has an acre of garden from which she sources the majority of the produce for her highly successful restaurant in Kyneton, Victoria. Writing in a diary format, Annie shares the ups and downs of setting up her garden, interspersed with simple, seasonal recipes that allow her star crops to shine.

Author Biography

Annie Smithers began her culinary career by serving an apprenticeship with Stephanie Alexander. After working in many of Melbourne and regional Victoria's top restaurants, Annie opened her own restaurant, Annie Smithers Bistrot, in the historic town of Kyneton, Victoria, in 2005. The bulk of the produce for Annie's French bistro-style food is sourced from her own garden, and the menu is shaped daily according to which ingredients are at their seasonal best. To showcase a more casual style of dining and her passion for preserving, Annie recently opened a cafe and foodstore called Du Fermier (literally, from the farmhouse) in the nearby township of Trentham. Annie's Garden to Table is her first cookbook.