Cafe "Nancy" at the Robert Gordon Pottery factory outlet in Pakenham

For a long time, we’ve been keen to visit the Robert Gordon Pottery factory outlet in Pakenham. It seems such a long way from the Melbourne suburbs, but for us, it was about a 50 minute drive, mostly along the M1 Monash Freeway.

Robert Gordon has been making world class pottery since 1945 and makes some of their range right here in Victoria. The outlet has a very large selection of pottery on display and they also hold pottery classes.

Read more on their site: https://www.robertgordonaustralia.com/

We knew that the outlet has a cafe but knew little about it.

We were expecting pottery but not vegan, gluten & dairy free food!

How wrong we were!

The outlet cafe is called “Nancy” and has both inside and outside tables.

“Nancy” is the sister cafe to “Lorna” in Ferntree Gully and “Maria” in Upwey. Each cafe is named after one of the owners grandmothers; Nancy was Josh's nana, an accomplished Tasmanian cook who also happened to be a potter. The sister cafes also have vegan and gluten free options on their menus.

When planning your trip to Robert Gordon, you must do the following:

1. Book a table at “Nancy”.  We didn’t but were very lucky as we were able to peruse the pottery while we waited for one to become available.
2. Before you sit down, visit the cake display, where we found some beautiful looking cakes including some vegan & gluten free options, as these are not shown on the menu.

We were very surprised to find many suitable brunch options for us on the menu.

I had a tofu scramble on some very nice gluten & dairy free bread, avocado and some of the home made hash brown.

The rest of the family shared a platter ( designed for Valentines Day) that had eggs your way on toast; mushrooms, Korean Fried Chicken Bao buns; arancini balls and chocolate waffles. Easily fed two, but not all gluten free.

Share Platter

We couldn’t fit in cake during the visit, but took a piece of the vegan & GF pistachio cake home for later.

It looks very dense but was surprisingly light with an extravagant berry cream icing. Delicious!

Vegan Pistachio Cake

The staff were very friendly and helpful even though this is a very busy venue.

If you are passing anywhere near Pakenham, definitely visit the Robert Gordon factory outlet. (Book at table first)

Links:

• "Nancy" at Robert Gordon, Pakenham: https://www.nancyeatery.com.au/
• "Lorna" in Fertree Gully: https://www.lornamelbourne.com.au/
• "Maria" in Upwey: https://www.mariamelbourne.com.au/

Breakfast - Gluten & Dairy Free

Gluten & Dairy Free Breakfast

Nearly everyone likes a cooked breakfast occasionally. And it can be really good, even if you cook it yourself, at home, and you can be confident about everything on the plate.

Here is a breakfast that I made recently. There is no dairy or gluten involved.

Grilled tomatoes.

The little truss tomatoes work well but otherwise, cut larger tomatoes in half. Place in a small frypan on low to medium heat. (They can burn easily). Drizzle with oil. Salt & pepper and a sprinkle of dried Oregano. Let them slowly cook while you get on with the rest.

Bacon.

This was some very nice gluten free bacon from a local deli. Place in another fry pan with a tiny amount of oil, if any, on low to medium heat.

Avocado.

Halve & slice up an avocado and place on your plate.  Some Rocket is also a nice addition.

Poached Eggs.

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. (We kickstart this with boiling water from the kettle)
Add a decent splash of White Vinegar as this helps the egg whites to set.
Crack your fresh egg into a cup.
Reduce the heat to a slow simmer. (Not too many bubbles)
With a large spoon, spin the water in the saucepan. Not too much.
Pour your egg into the middle of the whirlpool. The spinning action helps to keep the egg white in a tight ball.
This is now your chance to pour a second egg into the saucepan next to the other one. I find that they rarely stick together.
Set your timer for 3 minutes (soft yolk). Don't let the water get back to a boil.

Toast.

The best gluten free & dairy free bread I've found in Melbourne, so far, is Soy & Linseed bread from Lichtenstiens Bakehouse in Balaclava.
This bread toasts very well and has a great texture & taste.
I buy mine from a local Coles supermarket and keep it in the freezer. Defrosting a few slices when needed. Not many Coles in Melbourne stock this bread. Another option is Sunnybrook Health Store in Ormond.

Ingredients: Rice flour 62%, water, eggs, salt, vegetable oil(canola), sugar, yeast, vegetable gum (guar or 412) vinegar. Made in the same premises as products containing nuts.

Now you just need to plate everything up and enjoy your home cooked, gluten & dairy free breakfast!

Would you rather go out for breakfast?

In Melbourne, especially, there are countless places that have excellent breakfasts.
Many of them offer gluten free bread, but my experience is that the bread is rarely also dairy free. Ask your waiter, but worst case is that you have to go without toast.

Also be wary of other menu items that often get cooked in butter. eg mushrooms, hash browns (gluten also)

Links

Lichtensteins Bakehouse
287 Carlisle St, Balaclava VIC 3183
http://www.lichtensteinsbakehouse.com.au/


Gluten Free Shop- Sunnybrook Health Store
553A North Road, Ormond, VIC, 3204, Australia
Melway Reference: 68 F8
Email: sales@glutenfreeshop.com.au
Telephone: (03) 9578 6400
http://www.glutenfreeshop.com.au/