This Girl found Jam & Bread one afternoon while doing a search for High Tea on the Internet. Their Facebook page had me hooked and I quickly contacted a friend to come try it with me.
When we arrived we knew immediately we were in for an experience, Jam & Bread is absolutely beautiful. The decor pays respect to the 1920s cottage that is its home; with pressed metal ceilings and fireplaces with the most beautiful mantle pieces. They have managed to mix the old, the re-purposed, and the new, with style. We were not surprised to find out that Peisha, one half of Jam & Bread, grew up in Sydney with her fashion designer mum.
I guess aesthetics have always been important to me. I worked for many years as an event manager. Creating and theming an event experience is similar, I guess in some way to interior design. It's all about impact and creating a mood or feeling.
The light fittings are re-purposed old soft drink bottles. The glasses you drink from are all bottles of some sort. These were created by Tim, the chef and other half of Jam & Bread. You can see Tim's other work on Facebook at Found by Drystore.
They also sell his glassware at Jam & Bread!
Tim has returned to Tassie after being away for over ten years. He is really excited about using the beautiful local produce that Tassie has on offer. His menu is a reflection of his desire to create simple home-style cooked dishes that showcase the local produce. They make pretty much everything they serve on the premises and use free-range, organic, cruelty free ingredients whenever available.
My dining partner and I couldn't resist their slider option - 3 different sliders: beef; pork and duck - all on a house-made brioche bun and served with a fennel side salad.
Had we not started the meal off with an Iced Chocolate each ... we may not have struggled so much to finish all three of our sliders. Now when I say Iced Chocolate, I actually mean we started with dessert first. This is not your everyday Iced Chocolate. They make their own syrups and they come in one of Tim’s glass creations filled with chocolate syrup, low fat milk, ice cream, cream and chocolate brownie pieces!
The Two Girls are heading back soon to experience their High Tea. We have been enticed by the pictures on their Facebook page. Peisha says the feedback received on their High Tea has been very positive and gave us an idea of what to expect with this sample menu:
Savory: chicken liver pate + brioche toast points; roasted pumpkin, feta and pine nut tart; smoked salmon and dill quiche; and ribbon sandwiches.
Sweet: buttered popcorn panna cotta + honeycomb; vanilla shortbread star + chocolate mousse; scones, jam and rose Chantilly cream; lemon curd tart + citrus salad; and chocolate brownie.
If you too want to experience their High Tea, you need to make a booking at least 48 hours before, check out their Facebook page for more details.
So why Margate? Tim and Peisha were staying with Tim's folks at Sandfly on their return to Tassie. When they saw the 1920s cottage, they knew straight away they wanted to transform it into a tea-house.
Margate has a great community feel, with a growing population, plus it's right on the tourist trail while being still only 20 mins from Hobart.
The Two Girls reckon they are on to a winner. Get a taste for their menu below. An addition to the Jam & Bread Family: Tim and Peisha are expecting a baby any day now and will be closed for a week after the birth. If you are planning to try them in the next couple of weeks, we recommend you check out their Facebook page before you head on down, to make sure they're open!
