Kingsford Homestead – Five-star luxury in the Barossa Valley of South Australia
At Kingsford Homestead in the Barossa Valley, high-tech appliances bring a touch of the extraordinary to breakfast.
BY JOHN CORBETT. Breakfasts at Kingsford Homestead in the Barossa Valley of South Australia are a relaxed affair. Of course there is table service befitting a luxury country retreat, where the chef will enquire as to the exact degree of browning – or not – you prefer on your cheese omelette. Guests are also free to help themselves to tea, coffee, toast and conserves from a well-stocked chiffonier – a nice touch of informality in a grand dining space that was once the entrance hall of the Georgian-style mansion. (When a track from the Sturt Highway became the preferred access to the house in the 19th century, a turreted Victorian-Gothic entrance porch, complete with battlements, was added to the western façade.)
Kingsford Homestead’s seven suites tastefully blend 19th-century elegance with 21st-century amenities
Built in 1856 for the pioneering pastoralist and entrepreneur, Stephen King, State- and National Heritage-listed Kingsford has a chequered past. In its early life the homestead was “bailed up” by the notorious bushrangers Fox, Curran and Hughes, who occupied the cellar (now a wine vault and private dining room) for two days. In 1861, John McDouall Stuart, the Australian explorer, set off from here on a successful bid to cross the continent from south to north.
A succession of later owners, including the son of the founding father of South Australia, George Fife Angas, raised livestock and crops on the 91-hectare property, which is still a working sheep station. Other chapters in Kingsford’s past include serving as a government agricultural research facility and notably, between 2001 and 2008, as the central location of the award-winning Nine-network TV series, McLeod’s Daughters. A steady stream of guests from Europe, where the show was hugely popular, comes to stay.
Appliance science: a Breville Smart Toaster
Kingsford’s latest and most luxe incarnation is as a five-star country retreat. In the sympathetic hands of the Ahrens family, the substantial two-storey sandstone building has been carefully restored to offer a maximum of 14 guests in seven suites an all-inclusive ambience of 19th-century luxury that subtly incorporates 21st-century amenities. The latter include free Wi-Fi, music stations with iPod and USB connectivity, digital flat-screen and LCD TVs – and in the dining room, high-tech Breville appliances that bring a touch of the extraordinary to breakfast.
Breville says that its Smart Toast range of toasters is a response to the diversity of breads available today. Finished in die-cast brushed steel (Kingsford’s choice) and a range of colours, the toasters take the guesswork out of toasting times. A panel of one-touch buttons controls a nifty repertoire of functions: Lift & Look activates the toaster’s motorised carriage to gently raise the bread just long enough to check if it’s done. Press the A Bit More button and the carriage lowers again to give it just that. On some models, LEDs count down the toasting progress (brilliant!), and spring-loaded self-centring slots centre the bread relative to the toasting elements for an even result. There is even a Crumpet (and bagel) Setting which recognises that these items need higher heat on the top than on the bottom; if you face the crumpets inwards, the outside element of the toaster switches to low heat to prevent burning.
Breville Smart Kettle
Further along the chiffonier at Kingsford, the Breville 1.7-litre-capacity Smart Kettle is no less impressive. Its designers recognise (who knew?) that different tea varieties require different water temperatures to allow their unique flavour and aroma to develop while brewing. Accordingly, there are no less than five temperature settings on the kettle’s control panel, including Green Teas – 80°, White Teas – 85°, Oolong Teas – 90°, Coffee – 95°, and Boil/ Black Teas – 100°. An online guidance chart also lists optimum water temperatures for different types and blends of coffees. And it doesn’t end there: if you happen to like a leisurely breakfast with a second cup of what you fancy a bit later on, simply press the kettle’s Keep Warm function and it will maintain the desired setting for 20 minutes.
A perfect cheese omelette
Kingsford Homestead Co-manager Kathy O’Shea says that many of her guests go and buy Breville Smart range toasters and kettles after their stay – and Alimentary is one of them. At around NZ$250-$270 each the appliances are a snip for the creature comforts involved. In life, as the saying goes, you can’t always get what you want – but at breakfast time now you surely can. #RestaurantAustralia
John Corbett stayed at Kingsford Homestead (www.kingsfordhomestead.com.au) courtesy of South Australia Tourism and Tourism Australia.
Photos: John Corbett; Kingsford Homestead