Why this beloved Australian cook wants to get back into the Ceres kitchen

There are the warm and intimate vibes that Ms Jeffery enjoyed, hosting a cooking masterclass as if chatting to friends in her own kitchen.

If making pastry, guests could go and prod the mixture while Ms Jeffrey worked.

The Better Homes and Gardens alumna will return to Ceres for a double masterclass on Sunday, May 5 in a change of gears from sharing her work at Sorrento Writers Festival.

"I love Jane and the Charles family...their kitchen is divine and to do a cooking class there is so special - I enjoy that enormously," Ms Jeffery said.

"It's always a challenge cooking in someone else's kitchen - it's not like a demonstration kitchen where everything is laid out and measured for you."

But this is part of the charm for Ms Jeffery, too.

Ceres, near Learmonth, is a 160-year-old homestead that is very much home to the Charles family who open their doors and invite people in to spend time with esteemed guests.

Retired tennis player Jelena Dokic spent an afternoon in conversation with Jane Charles and guests on March 3, speaking on her background as a refugee, a highly regarded sports commentator and coach, a survivor of family violence and a person who continues to be mercilessly trolled for her changed body image.

Ceres was built in 1864 as a country estate for Thomas Bath, the first licensee on the Ballarat goldfields.

The property hosted The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's son, when he visited the region in 1867, and continues to house a grape vine cutting from Hampton Court Palace.

"It allows for conversation," Ms Jeffery said.

"I also get to meet wonderful people and and have interested conversations about the property and meet local people and hear about their interests."

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Ms Jeffery will arrive later in the week, from Sorrento, and spend time doing a shop and preparation and exploring what produce Ceres can offer to recipes.

One feature dish will be an Autumn pie made with seasonal greens, cheese and leek and encased in an olive oil pastry that, while an alternative to buttered pastry, has what Ms Jeffery said was an amazing texture and stretches thin enough to see one's fingers through it.

Ms Jeffery said the relaxed nature of the masterclass sessions, following a morning or afternoon tea, fit well in the rustic and conversational style in which she loved to cook and write.

The storytelling in how Ms Jeffery writes her cookbooks has changed over time to best suit this style.

"Cookbooks went from being really prescribed when everyone wanted a recipe as short as possible...It's a lovely thing to be able to explain to people so they can know what's coming and what they might expect," Ms Jeffery said.

"I think it's been really lovely, more so now than ever, to tell stories and for authors to share their backgrounds and culture with food.

"...I try ti write recipes as if I'm talking to someone. I also want to be warm and friendly because that's what cooking is all about."

A masterclass with Belinda Jeffery is at Ceres Homestead on Sunday, May 5 for morning and afternoon sessions. Details: cereshomestead.com.au.