I’m born and bred in Captains Flat, a village South East of Canberra on the other side of the mountains from Braidwood. When I was a kid you could get a coffee in Captains Flat that was pretty much on par with a coffee in Braidwood. Granted, Braidwood had a hardware store and the Flat didn’t so we’d occasionally make the trip over the mountain in my dad’s ancient yellow land cruiser to pick something up, and while we were there we’d get cauliflower with white sauce and a hot chocolate for lunch. This was about as fancy as it got back then. Time passed and in the intervening years Braidwood got fancy on coast traffic while Captains Flat just got a few (hundred) more potholes in the road, with the result that these days you can’t get a coffee most days in the Flat unless you’re content with instant, but somehow over the mountain in Braidwood you can get mushroom powder in your oat milk latte.
If I sound a little jealous you’re not wrong. Jealousy aside, Braidwood has an amazing food scene and I am happy enough to live in its (literal) shadow if it means I get to partake. So a couple of weekends ago a friend and I went for a drive over the mountain in my beaten up old Hilux and had the most delicious and memorable Pide from SHA producer member Braidwood Food Company. It was a freezing day and it warmed our souls sitting out the front and digging in with our fingers. It was such a treat to see the pasta being made behind the counter and drying on wooden racks in the toasty warm kitchen alongside sacks of stoneground flour. All the ingredients are locally sourced (for real) and not just ‘Locally Sourced’ as many joints are claiming these days.
If you happen to be passing through Braidwood on your way to the coast this Summer, do yourself a favour and get yourself a Pide from these excellent folks. It’ll change your life and you’ll get incurable Braidwood envy. You can also buy their pasta through the SHA community stall at the Saturday markets in Bungendore or through the SHA online store if you’re a produce box subscriber.