It was March 2013, we were in Melbourne, visiting for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, and we passed a little kiosk that made traditional fresh hot sugared jam donuts. You know the sort, the ones that you can smell from 100m down the road, and the jam oozes out all over your hands… Well, my [...]
For me Queenstown was a lot of firsts… First ski trip, first zipline, first hot air balloon ride, first helicopter flight, first white water raft, first (and only) proposal, and… first Fergburger. Well, considering that you can only get a Fergburger in Queenstown, the fact that it was always going to be a first is [...]
Truffles… such an odd and unlikely ingredient, yet it is one that is entirely intriguing. Who would have thought that an ugly little ball of fungus could stir such fervour and emotion and be such a prize possession in the gastronomic world? I admit… I used to wonder what the big deal was. I thought [...]
Excited at the prospect of having ample space for a herb garden, I could possibly have been a little over zealous when it came to planting my basil… two little basil bushes would have been ample, but they are so tiny as seedlings in their punnets... So, if one punnet of common basil wasn’t enough, [...]
I have been itching to indulge my taste buds for quite some time and every time a fellow foodie mentioned Sake and how wonderful / fantastic / sensational it was, I would squirm uncomfortably on my seat and make a mental note: Must. Visit. Soon. Finally the stars aligned and my evening was locked in [...]
Paddington has always been a favourite of mine, long before I ever started spending reasonable amounts of time there. There is an eclectic blend of old and new that makes this busy little precinct especially charming and unique. Art galleries, antique stores and their poorer cousins, bric-a-brac and second hand stores spill out on to [...]
I have spent a lot of time thinking about snails. More than I ever would have expected since I have never been a great fan. As a common garden variety, I thought they were pretty yuck and the main reaction they provoked was stomping. As an edible dish, well, the garlic coated snails I had [...]
There is nothing like a fantastic lunch to set the theme for what is set to be another great Real Food Festival. Launching the Official Program for this year’s event, festival director Julie Shelton, and Cameron Matthews, The Long Apron’s chef at Spicers Clovelly Montville Estate hosted a sumptuous lunch showcasing the incredibly diverse produce [...]
This salad was served as part of an elaborate lunch to showcase the Sunshine Coast’s fabulous produce for the Official Program Launch of the Real Food Festival at Spicer’s Clovelly Montville. While created by Cameron Matthews on the day, he did give credit for this recipe to another kitchen rock star Matt Wilkinson. To read story, [...]
I always thought making cheese was really complicated… and I guess, well yes it is, how I had it in my mind… My idea of cheese making was perhaps a little more romanticised than it should be… cows grazing peacefully in the back paddock, me wearing my Heidi kit-out and milking my cow in the [...]
