The Italian Night In was so popular, we put it in the Larder

Turns out, you really like pasta.

Our Italian Night In started life as one of those useful little Extras. The idea was simple: everything you needed for an easy Italian-inspired dinner in the cabin, without having to make another reservation, another stop, or another decision about what to eat.

It was popular.

Really popular.

So eventually we thought: why are we making this an Extra?

So, we put it in the Larder

The Italian Night In is no longer something you need to add separately to your stay. We’ve taken the bits guests loved and incorporated them into our Larder.

You’ll now find Island Pasta Company pasta, pasta sauce and a rather fabulous burrata waiting in the cabin, along with our little recipe card showing you how we put it all together.

Nothing particularly complicated is required.

Put the pasta on. Warm the sauce. Add the burrata, jazz up with a bit of fresh basil. Pour yourself something from the wine bar.

Dinner.

Because staying in should be a proper option

There are some very good places to eat in the Yarra Valley, and we will happily send you out to discover them.

But we also think there should be at least one point during a stay where you realise you don’t actually have to go anywhere.

No supermarket detour on the way up.

No dinner booking.

No getting back in the car after you’ve settled in.

The whole idea behind the Kangaroo Ridge Larder is that you can arrive with the useful bits already taken care of. Breakfast provisions, things to graze on, good local produce and now, thanks to the enduring popularity of the Italian Night In, an easy dinner as well.

In winter, that might mean pasta by the fire with the weather doing whatever it feels like outside.

In summer, it is more likely to involve the balcony, something cold in your glass and waiting for the last of the light to disappear before the stars take over.

Both seem perfectly reasonable to us.

A little bit of Italy, via the Yarra Valley

The original Italian Night In was inspired by the Italian influence woven through this part of the Yarra Valley and our own firm belief that holiday food should be very good without requiring an heroic amount of effort.

That bit hasn’t changed.

What has changed is where you find it.

Rather than sitting in the Extras menu waiting to be added, it is now simply part of the Larder for stays where the Signature Larder is included.

Which means one less thing to organise before you arrive.

And, apparently, considerably more pasta on the Ridge.

The Larder is included with selected Kangaroo Ridge Retreat stays. You can see exactly what is included with your stay when booking.