Long Track Pantry

On the banks of the Murrumbidgee River in Southern NSW, just off the Hume Highway, the small country town of Jugiong is characterised by one long, main street and most noteably for visitors and locals; the the Long Track Pantry.

When my friend Prue, the multi-talented lady behind online store Olive & Clover, mentioned that she was heading to her favourite local cafe for a coffee, I said - how nice, and would you please pack your camera and take some pics for the blog?

Here are the results. Thank you Prue for capturing your local hang so beautifully.



Juliet Robb, pictured above, runs the Long Track Pantry with great style and skill. Aside from the cafe itself, which for over 10 years has been a local favourite and busy meeting place, Juliet also runs a program of cooking classes from the store, sells a range of preserves and also organises regular markets for the Jugiong main street. Oh, and she's also published a cook book, 'Farm Cafe' which is full of favourite recipes from the cafe.

So next time you are driving south on the Hume Highway, take a little detour to Jugiong and stop for lunch and/or a coffee at this fantastic institution. In the meantime though, Juliet has given us permission to publish the recipe for her renowned white chocolate and berry muffins, below. So at least those of us who live a little too far for casual pop-ins, can have a taste of the Long Track at home.

Long Track Pantry Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins 

Makes 10-11 muffins
3 cups plain flour 

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder  (this is correct – tablespoon not teaspoon)
1 cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs lightly beaten
200g white choc roughly chopped
250g raspberries

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line Texas muffin pans with small squares of paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the sugar and stir to combine.  Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add oil, milk and beaten eggs.  Mix very gently until just combined (if you over mix the muffins, they will become tough and rubbery) and then carefully fold in chopped white chocolate.

Spoon some of the muffin mixture into each muffin case and then spread 2/3 of the raspberries amongst all of the muffins.  You may need to press some of the raspberries in.  Cover raspberries with the remaining muffin mixture and then place into the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove the muffins from the oven and place the remaining raspberries on top of each muffin and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked in the middle.

We serve these straight from the oven on Saturday & Sunday mornings at the Long Track and on busy weekends, make and sell up to 50 each day!!

Photos by Prue Hufton of Olive & Clover.