Category — Reviews

Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is a food lover’s haven – the region is blessed with top quality produce and gourmet products grown and made with love by dedicated local farmers and artisans. The fine climate and fertile soil provides ideal growing conditions for a wide variety of produce and foods.      

The rolling hills of Maleny

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When following a recipe, a cup refers specifically to 250ml, not a coffee cup pulled out of the cupboard, and a tablespoon is 20ml, not a serving spoon! Although cooking is essentially an art, when following a recipe it pays to have a degree of accuracy, especially for beginner cooks and in particular when baking. [Read more →]

If you enjoy cooking and eating Thai food, Essentially Thai by Helen Briety and Annette Fear is a must for the home cook and chef alike. This is the third book from renowned Sunshine Coast restaurant The Spirit House, and like its predecessors it simplistically demystifies all the components of Thai food: fresh and dry ingredients, utensils and cooking techniques.  The easy to follow instructions and FAQ’s will ensure your Thai cooking experiences are a success. [Read more →]

Last weekend I attended the annual Noosa Food & Wine Festival, a first for me. This three day festival, which is in its seventh year, is considered Australia’s leading regional food and wine festival.  And as Noosa Heads is my new place of residence, I feel very fortunate that this amazing event takes place just around the corner from where I live. The beautiful Noosa River backdrop coupled with perfect weather brought the crowds, which came from all over Australia, out in full force. [Read more →]

With the warmer weather on its way, I am looking forward to plenty of alfresco dining and drinking some quality sauvignon blancs. I love a good sauvignon blanc, especially if it has come from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.

Awarded New Zealand winemaker Villa Maria Estate recently launched its 2009 Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc. I have been a big fan of Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc for a few years now, and their new vintage did not disappoint!

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Having the right tools makes any job easier, and this is certainly the case in the kitchen.  I have recently been fortunate enough to discover a relatively unknown brand of kitchenware products and I thought it was time I shared this secret with my readers!
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My husband and I recently spent 10 gorgeous days in the Maldives. We spent our honeymoon there 10 years ago and returned to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary.  It was just as beautiful as I remembered.

The view from our room

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It’s always exciting to try a new food, and last weekend I tasted for the first time a fruit called an Achacha.   What an amazing taste sensation!  A cousin of the mangosteen, Achachas are tangy and refreshing, the taste vaguely resembling that of a passionfruit although the texture is completely different. [Read more →]

Pomegranate juice is rapidly becoming a popular drink in Australia, thanks to the importation of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice from California. Now available in Woolworths, POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice is packed full of antioxidants and has no added sugar or additives. You can drink it straight up, use it in cooking or for making drinks and cocktails. [Read more →]

We all have our favourite kitchen utensils and gadgets – those that are just a joy to use and makes us wonder how we ever managed without them. They may not necessarily be expensive or fancy items – they could be something as simple as a balloon whisk or a vegetable peeler.
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