morh fish’s perfect hangover cure 

Today I’ve been living, or actually more like just ‘existing’ in a world of hurt. Now before you start sending sympathetic thoughts, I guess I need to come clean. You see gentle readers, it was all self induced, the result of some serious over indulgence last night. Yep. The granddaddy of all hangovers. Read the rest of this entry »

rosemary & marmalade glazed ham  

One of the things that I love about life is that no matter how bad things get, there are always little surprises that keep you going and help restore your faith. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been constantly amazed and uplifted by the kindness and thoughtfulness of everyone who has surrounded my family at this very sad time. Read the rest of this entry »

deconstructed cassoulet with a green salad 

When it comes to the national days of countries other than Oz, I’m afraid to say that I’m sadly ignorant. But there is one exception. Ever since I began my love affair with France, while studying their beautiful language in high school, I’ve had a soft spot for Bastille Day. For some reason, every year on July 14th I feel the urge to celebrate with the French in some way or other. Read the rest of this entry »

roast lamb shank & barley soup

It’s a well known fact that we eat with our eyes. From market shopping for fruit & veg to cruising the supermarket aisles for mass-marketed packaged goods our first judgments are based on appearance. And while this is generally a good practice to help guide us away from less-than-fresh food choices, there are times when there are great flavour rewards for taking a chance and tasting something not so good looking. Read the rest of this entry »

char grilled veg with walnut & white bean puree

It’s that time of year. Grey skies, impossibly endless showers, short short days, in a word……miserable. And while it does seem like every second person has the flu and that the sun is never going to shine again, hope is in sight. With the shortest day of the southern hemisphere year just around the corner, it’s time for rugging up. It’s time for tissues with eucalyptus. It’s time for vitamin packed veggies to help ward off the threat of the dreaded flu. Read the rest of this entry »

white bean & black cabbage soup

A few weeks ago I was talking with some friends about restaurant menus and the increasing trend for each dish to have an essay attached to it. Apart from the extra time required to actually read the menu, we concluded that it’s great that there’s more information being exchanged on the restaurant front. The more people know about what they are eating and where it comes from can only help to make us punters more discerning diners. And this in turn can only increase the standards we demand from our restaurants which can only be healthy for our food scene. Read the rest of this entry »

individual vegetarian moussaka

Recently, I was at a wedding of two dear friends who have been together since our university days. As expected, it was a truly memorable evening complete with endlessly flowing champagne, delicious food, candle light,  speeches - some touching others downright hilarious, twinkling views of Sydney harbour, and a chance to catch up with old friends both local and scattered around the globe. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last month or so it feels like I have barely been home. Which probably is because, well, I haven’t. Between trips to the family farm to visit my mum there has been a delightful country weekend with the girls in Orange and a trip to Melbourne to check out their eligible bachelors. All good fun but it did mean that it had been quite some time since I had made my usual weekend pilgrimage to my favourite fruit & veg joint. Read the rest of this entry »

salt baked chicken 

As I’ve admitted in these pages before, I very rarely cook the same recipe twice. It’s not so much that I have a short attention span, more of always being on the lookout for new flavours and techniques. After all life is short and I don’t want to miss out on any culinary marvels. Read the rest of this entry »

scallops with peanut nahm jim 

While I pretty much love all Asian food, the cuisine from the beautiful country formerly known as Siam holds a special place in my heart. Growing up in country NSW, the local Chinese and its deep fried icecream and Australianised menu was my first introduction to something resembling Asian food. And while it did have its own charms (still love a lazy Susan), you can imagine how surprised and thrilled my tastebuds were to discover Thai food when I moved to Sydney for university. Read the rest of this entry »