Summer at Potager: Ripeness, Warmth & the Joy of Long Days
Read Time: 3 mins
Summer in the Northern Rivers settles differently - slower, fuller, a little wilder around the edges. By midday, the kitchen garden hums with bees and heat; by dusk, the air softens and the hills around Carool glow gold. This is when Potager feels most alive - when the season offers ingredients at their boldest, and the menu follows suit.
A Season That Fills the Table
From the richness of the garden to the brightness of the sea, summer flavours unfold in layers. Summer food isn’t shy. It’s sun-ripened, colourful, and best enjoyed with people you love - the kind of dishes that arrive with a sense of generosity.
At Potager, the menu follows the rhythm of the garden and the generosity of local growers - each dish a reflection of the season’s abundance. Our pickings capture this mood beautifully: warm sourdough with house butters, bright bowls of garden olives scented with citrus, and crisp sweet potato chips dipped into smoky chorizo aioli set the tone for an afternoon that stretches on.
The garden comes forward in the crudités with smoked macadamia dip, while the pâté truffles trio - beef & lemon myrtle, tuna & paprika, macadamia & mushroom - is a sunlit expression of both coastline and hinterland. And for those who love something savoury and unexpected, the braised Speckle Park tongue with its truffled croquette and rosemary curd is a small plate that makes a big impression.
Where Coast Meets Heat
Summer seafood carries its own kind of brightness. Oysters arrive ice-cold, dressed in flavours that mirror the season: chamomile–ginger, smoked Davidson plum, or simply natural with a squeeze of citrus. The raw fish dish changes with the tides - clean, fresh, lifted with finger lime and cucumber foam.
One of the season’s highlights is the Australian Bay Lobster, brushed with miso butter and finished with lemon verbena vinegar. It’s generous, fragrant, and made for warm evenings.
Plates With Heart and Warmth
The heat doesn’t keep us from cooking with depth. Instead, it changes how we do it. Speckle Park beef - raised on our sister property, Bellingdale Farm - takes on flavours that feel right for the season: fermented chilli in the beef tartare, corn in three ways for the short rib, and a bright roasted tomato espuma for the prime cut.
And when the table is full, our shared-plate dishes are made to keep the conversation going: roasted mushrooms with seaweed foam, line-caught fish with garden chimichurri, and Speckle Park chuck roast for those celebrating something big.
Desserts That Feel Like Sundown
Summer desserts shouldn’t weigh you down - they should lift, cool, and linger. This season’s desserts blend fruit, spice, and just a touch of indulgence:
Macadamia Gingerbread Crumble with burnt Wild Vanilla and Jaboticaba sorbet
Zeta’s Coffee & Dark Chocolate Mousse layered with ginger caramel and fermented orange
Blue Cheese Panna Cotta with candied almonds and Davidson plum
Or the simplest pleasure: an affogato with Wild Vanilla ice cream
Children get their own joy - ice cream crowned with flowers they choose themselves.
A Summer Made for Long Meals
Whether it’s a five-course tasting menu at sunset or a leisurely lunch among the gardens, summer at Potager is designed to be unhurried. Our tasting menus move through the season’s flavours with intention, from native herbs and stone fruits to the richness of our Speckle Park beef.
Join us this summer at Potager - where every plate, pour, and sunset celebrates the art of Northern Rivers dining. Bookings are essential.