If Chin Chin is trying to captivate me and seduce me into a long term relationship, it’s going about it the right way.

A sweet little cafe with a fine selection of cakes, and some delicious sandwiches.

Quality noodles worth crossing the Yarra for.

  Shopping at my local farmers’ market is a joy – such a joy that sometimes I end up with waaaaayyy too much of a good thing.  I decided last year that the next step in my pursuing a more ethical lifestyle was to stop wasting food: to eat it all. Quite a challenge in […]

My philosophy of using all the food I buy has led me to seeking out some better ways to serve my old favourites.  There is nothing better than freshly picked corn on the cob. They say that corn is best eaten a few hours after picking, so if I buy it at the market, I’d […]

It started off as a cool and overcast day, followed by patches of sun and drips of water while I was catching up with friends and gossip and meeting new dogs at the Farmers’ Market this morning.  I think it’s settling on overcast and humid for the rest of the day … I’ve been unable […]

At the Collingwood Farmers’ Market yesterday I bought some duck, basically on a whim, from Milawa Chicken. I was remembering the gorgeous lightly smoked confit duck salad I’d had a Gerald’s a few weeks ago, and also I was looking for a filling for some dumplings to stock up the freezer.

Monday night (Season 2 Episode 4) on Channel 7’s reality cooking show, My Kitchen Rules,  something happened that quite literally shocked me.  Did you see it? Now I know that I and my foodie friends sometimes sit in the stratosphere pontificating about local, sustainable and ethical food.  We  don’t just blindly buy “organic” or “free […]

Like much of Australia. Victoria has been having bizarre weather lately; hot and dry, hot and humid, pouring rain, it’s difficult to keep up.  What in spring looked like it was going to be a promising season, has ended up being a wash-out for many producers. I’ve heard of entire crops being washed away, fruit […]

Sights, sounds and tastes from childhood can seem so ephemeral, but appear to be hard wired. Since my mother’s death some 9 months ago a few things have bubbled up to my heart and head and set me to thinking about how the past influences the past – and the future. If you grew up […]