A Season for Slowing and Sharing
At this time of year, I think of everyone working in retail and hospitality. I was one of them for most of my life. The pressure to go the extra mile is real, especially when you are already stretched thin. This year feels different.
Palate Nudges and a Very Good Eggplant Dish
Our ideas of what is normal to eat begin at home. They stretch and shift as we venture further into the world, gathering influences from friends, cultures, travel, and the happenstance of what we’re offered.
Grounded: Notes From a Hands-On Cook
Some days, the kitchen feels like the only place that makes sense. A space where you actually touch the world instead of scrolling past it. Cooking feels so much better than watching cooking.
What We Pass On: A Story of Omelettes and Cookie Swaps
Traditions don’t enter into the world fully formed. They start as a good idea at the time. You gather a few people, raise a glass to something worth celebrating and somewhere between the food, the laughter and the decision to do it again next month/year/season, a tradition quietly slips into existence.
Saltwater Memories and Seafood Suppers
I never used to cook a lot of seafood at home. I didn’t need to; if I wanted a delicious seafood meal, I’d just visit my parents. It took until I was in my forties to really start cooking seafood at home on a regular basis. Pan-frying the odd fillet of Atlantic salmon doesn’t count.
Joy of the In-Between: Why Apéro Matters
Here’s to apéro hour — not a meal, not an afterthought, but a celebration of the small things done well. A drink that feels earned. A snack that sparks conversation. A reminder that joy often lives in the in-between.
The Spoon Test: Learning to Trust Your Palate
If I had to name one habit that makes the biggest difference in how I cook, it wouldn’t be knife skills, fancy equipment, or even the quality of the ingredients. It would be this: tasting as I go.
From Peas to Philosophy: The Art of the Tweak
There’s a school of thought that treats recipes as sacred texts — immutable, untouchable, to be followed exactly lest your dinner collapse in shame. I am not enrolled at that school. I transferred long ago to the far more chaotic (and frankly more fun) institution of Recipes as Templates.
Katsu, Curry, and Omurice: The Case for Fusion
Somewhere along the way, fusion became a bad word. It used to mean excitement, creativity on a plate, and borders blurred in the best way. When did fusion lose its charm?
Nigella, Delia, and Grease-Stained Pages
I’m revisiting my own well-loved cookbooks — Nigella’s for pure comfort, and Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course for nostalgia. There’s also a small-batch recipe for Oatmeal Parkin, the kind of sticky ginger cake that makes rainy days something to look forward to. Put the kettle on, and let’s talk about flour, memory, and finding joy in the bake.
Cabbage: The Humble Powerhouse of the Vegetable World
Unfortunately, cabbage has a reputation problem. Too many people first meet it boiled beyond recognition, limp and overtly sulfurous. But when prepared with a little care, cabbage delivers main character vibes in spades.
A Reluctant Eater’s Guide to Surviving Breakfast
I’ve always struggled with breakfast. Even now, as I sit down to write this, it’s 10:40am and the only reason I’m eating now is because we’re going out for a 1pm lunch. If I skip food until then, I will be very unpleasant to be around.
Dinner in a Hurry: Quick Fixes, Clever Shortcuts, and the Ingredient That Matters Most
From microwaved eggs exploding on the ceiling to lasagne that takes all day and leaves me too tired to eat it… I’ve been rethinking how we cook when we’re in a hurry. Spoiler: flavour doesn’t have to be sacrificed.
Small Touches, Big Impact: Quick Wins for Tired Cooks
Some days cooking feels like a slog and you need a little something extra to make your meal sing. The good news is you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen – or restaurant-grade equipment – to create that sense of “oof, that’s special.”
Fun Frugal Dinners: Retro Recipes Worth Reviving
The weekly grocery shop seems to creep higher every time, yet most of us still want dinners that feel comforting, nourishing, and satisfying. When budgets are tight, the temptation is to think of “cutting back” as a joyless exercise. But there’s another way to approach it.
Three Bottles of Worcestershire and No Noodles? Your Pantry Needs a Reset
If you’ve ever gone looking for one ingredient and instead uncovered culinary archaeology, it might be time to give your pantry a proper spring clean. Here’s how I tackled mine.
When the Market Whispers Spring
Winter’s hanging on with both hands, but the market is starting to tell a different story. Between the beetroot and borlotti, I’m spotting the first shy hints of spring – spears of asparagus, tropical perfume, and produce that whispers of warmer days ahead. Here’s what I’ve been finding (and cooking) while we wait for summer tomatoes to make their grand return.
DIY or buy?
Homemade vs. Store-Bought: What’s Worth the Effort? As a devoted foodie, I love cooking, but that doesn’t mean I make everything from scratch. There are some foods I always buy for convenience, while others I prefer to make because they taste better, suit my dietary needs, or help me reduce food waste.
Autumn Brings the Best Cheese Moments
As the crisp autumn air sets in, cheese lovers are rubbing together their hands – not to keep warm but in anticipation of all the cheese they’ll soon be enjoying.
Making a meal for the most important person
Eating solo means eating however I like and that includes licking the plate. I’ve never been one for breakfast in the morning, yet I’ll happily tuck into bacon and eggs at 3 p.m. And let’s be real—who hasn’t eaten cereal for dinner?
Good Enough Meals
Even after years in the food industry, I sometimes lose my mojo. What I have learned is to ditch the judgement—internal or external—and embrace food as something fluid, adaptable, and, above all, satisfying.
Easy Entertaining
After years in hospitality and catering, these are my best tips for helping everything run smooth, whatever the occasion. And most importantly, be present and enjoy yourself. It’s supposed to be fun after all.
Lasagne Love Letter
Generally, I’ll make the bechamel and the ragu ahead of time and assemble the whole thing whilst it’s cold. You choose what suits you. Chunking the workload is more achievable for me most days but if I’m in the mood, I can get it done in a day. Yes, it’s a project but then I never promised otherwise.
Respite
We’ve been travelling for less than two weeks and I feel the need for some breathing space from the festive dining and drinking but also from the continuous forward momentum that travel involves.
Cooking From Memory
The octopus legs I purchased were already fully cooked so they just needed some grilling or frying for colour and texture.
Maximum Impact Minimum Effort
I have many kitchen creeds: recipes are ideas not just a set of instructions; if you’re going to turn the oven on, cook more than just one thing; balance of textures is just as important as balance of flavours; eat something green with every meal; woo the eater with visuals first. You get the idea..
Bangin’ BBQs
I’ll often use my bbq on weeknights when I want to cook something quickly at a high heat without setting off the apartment’s smoke alarm. Yes, I speak from experience.
The Humble Mollusc
My best tips for cooking with mussels, why we should eat more and even a recipe for you to get started.
Mayonnaise lessons
What lessons can we learn from mayonnaise? TLDR – patience and perseverance.
St John Restaurant
So here we are, metres from a legend outside his original restaurant. It’s like seeing Father Christmas himself, albeit in a bright navy pinstripe suit, white shirt, red socks, brown…
Cheese and Booze Matching
A few meal ideas for using blue cheese in your kitchen. I love mild and creamy blue cheese as well as crumbly and sharp blues. I have a weakness for Stilton but also a strong loyalty to local Aussie blues.
How do you blue (cheese)?
A few meal ideas for using blue cheese in your kitchen. I love mild and creamy blue cheese as well as crumbly and sharp blues. I have a weakness for Stilton but also a strong loyalty to local Aussie blues.
The Fun-do that is Fondue
I’ve made cheese fondue a handful of times but I always have a few moments of panic when I wonder if it will come together or not.
Best Kept in the Dark
I think autumn might be my favourite season. Of course I love spring when the days start to get a little longer and a little warmer. Summer brings even more sun but also those heavy brooding storm days.
Serendipity
We began with prosciutto and melon that I declared possibly the most delicious version I’ve ever tasted. Is it something to do with the smaller, darker-fleshed melons? Or just the vacation phenomenon where food seems to taste the best iteration of itself?
The right vessel
You mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon – no special equipment required – and pop it in the oven to weave its magic.
The humble lemon
Never be dismissive of the humble lemon. Its fragrant oils are only the beginning.
Food as Alchemy
You mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon, no special equipment required, and pop it in the oven to weave its magic.
At summer’s end
I may not be actively preserving the last of the harvest for the coming winter period but my body senses the change of seasons nonetheless. I crave the deep flavours of well-cooked meats and comforting carb-laden accompaniments.
Cooking with Kids
Often my posts are directly inspired by my guest spots on ABC Radio Melbourne 774 on Sunday mornings with Lisa Leong. As the free-ranging foodie, I’m charged with commenting on anything food related.
What Makes a Great Sandwich?
Do you have a favourite sandwich or, conversely, something that should never be seen between two pieces of bread? From my childhood days, I recall my mother enjoying an apricot jam and cheddar cheese sandwich. No judgement here.
Celebrating Birthdays
Birthdays come around once a year and how you choose to celebrate is totally up to you. For my brother, when the use by date on the milk reads June 6th, he knows it’s any day now.
Dawn Train to Copenhagen
Jet trails scar the pale sky above. It’s before dawn and we’re onboard a train making our way towards Copenhagen from Amsterdam. It wasn’t as difficult to get out of bed at 5.30am as I thought I might be. There’s a certain child-like excitement about travelling to a new country.