Journal

12 November, 2018

Edible Christmas Cooking Classes

What gift do you most treasure at Christmas?  For me, the most precious is the home-made present, the one which expresses something of the personality of the giver.  It doesn’t matter how wacky it is.  In fact, its very imperfection is  part of its charm and humour. Some of my most treasured possessions are those … Continue reading →
24 September, 2018

October School Holiday Kids Cooking Classes

Hurry, hurry: don’t forget to book the kids in to my Mini Chef kids cooking classes during the October school holidays: Wednesday October 3rd- 12th, 10.30am – 1.30pm. My kids’ cooking classes aim to teach children to prepare a wholesome, nutritious meal which they love to eat and can reproduce easily at home.  Menus and … Continue reading →
2 September, 2018

Dad Takes The Cake

What Dad doesn’t dote on cake? And what Dad doesn’t dote on a cake made specially for him by one of his children, even if it is a little lumpy? Some dads, needless to say, can get too much of a good thing.  When we were young, my three sisters and I spent many Sundays … Continue reading →
22 July, 2018

Wild about Schnapps

It’s 2pm on an overcast Thursday and the Wild Brumby is packed. Rain and wind on the alpine peaks mean poor ski conditions and many skiers  have fled the slopes to stay inside. What better way to warm up than in this cosy, funky Schnapps distillery which doubles as a cafe/restaurant? Set up a few … Continue reading →
8 July, 2018

Surprising Tashkent: the old and the new

It’s a warm sunny Spring morning in the thriving metropolis of Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, Central Asia.  As we drive along one of  the many busy multi-lane boulevards in the city, I can’t help but notice the amount of construction going on. A massive new skating rink is underway, a major presidential promise made by … Continue reading →
22 June, 2018

Osteria Francescana: Everything Old is New Again

I’m re-publishing this article after Osteria Francescana won world’s best restaurant in the San Pellegrino awards again this year: Congratulations to Massimo Bottura and his team! It would be easy to walk past the world’s Number 1 three Michelin star restaurant and not notice it’s there. Situated in a back lane of Modena, a small city in … Continue reading →
27 May, 2018

On the Silk Road: Divine Bukhara

It’s raining mulberries on our dinner table at the Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasa in Bukhara, an ancient city on the Silk Road in Uzbekistan, Central Asia. They’re white mulberries, also known as silkworm mulberries (Morus alba), not the black ones which stain your fingers and clothes. Their leaves feed silkworms, those voracious little spinners whose fibres … Continue reading →
29 October, 2017

Halloween

Halloween is looming. Mischief, witchcraft and magic are brewing.  The kids are carving out Jack O’Lanterns, dreaming up tricks for trick ‘n treating and donning black pointed hats and masks. Most of us today think of Halloween as an American custom, but did you know it’s actually the popular Scottish name for October 31st, the eve … Continue reading →
22 October, 2017

The Valley Cookbook

The sun is high in the sky by the time I arrive in Glenning Valley, a good hour’s drive north of Sydney near Tuggerah Lake on the Central Coast. I’ve come to visit cookbook author Loukie Werle and her husband Philip Gore to talk to them about their impressive self-published cookbook, The Valley. A majestic stand … Continue reading →
8 October, 2017

Meet Indian Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar

It’s not everyday I meet a famous Indian chef or run a recipe for a kebab which requires a silk thread wrapped around it before cooking. The recipe is for Dorra Kebab, a skewered, well-spiced minced lamb kebab  cocooned in a silk thread and cooked over coals, and is the signature dish of Ranveer Brar, one of India’s … Continue reading →
30 July, 2017

Winter Solstice in Hobart

Tasmania will always be the apple isle for me. No matter that these days it boasts all manner of fabulous gourmet foods: fresh truffles, wasabi, cheeses, saffron, wild abalone, rock lobsters and sea urchins. Nor is it because the shape of this pristine green isle summons up an apple image. It’s more personal than that. Tasmania, specifically … Continue reading →
2 July, 2017

Guringai Festival: Cordon True Blue?

NAIDOC Week is held in the first full week of July each year. I first published this story on July 9, 2014: The Aboriginal flag was flying high last Sunday on Bare Island, La Perouse, at the beginning of NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) week. A brisk westerly wind ensured it remained … Continue reading →
25 June, 2017

24/7 Kitchen Still Going Strong

The last thing I expected when I returned to the Martin Place homeless camp today was a free feed.  Despite the dismantling of the actual camp, the 24/7 Kitchen is still going strong and serving hot food, cups of tea, coffee and hearty soup to the homeless. Only now they’re doing it right outside the … Continue reading →