June 18 2016
Dessert is my least favourite part of a meal, but when quinces are in season, all that changes! The thing to remember with quinces is that they require some forethought in timing their slow cooking to your meal. The effect of the long cooking is that the quinces change from bright yellow to a deep ruby red. They remain whole, but are so well cooked you can even eat the cores! Avoid super large or pineapple variety quinces for this kind of method though -MB. Read the rest...
June 11 2016
We have five mature Meyer Lemon trees in our garden, and although they are laden with fruit at the moment, I’ve often thought that even if they never offered up such an essential bounty, I’d still be happy to have them for their beauty alone. They really are very beautiful trees, but add to that the convenience of having a supply of lemons on hand, almost year round, and the Meyer Lemon very quickly becomes indispensable to any home-gardener’s kitchen -MB. Read the rest...
June 01 2016
On Saturday evening, Colin and I went and saw Highly Strung, the new documentary directed by Scott Hicks. This film was the amazing story of the Australian String Quartet and the instruments that Ulrike Klein purchased; two violins, a viola and a cello, all made by an Italian instrument maker in the 18th century; each worth several million dollars. It was really powerful and emotional as a documentary, and a must see for any music lover. Read the rest...
May 27 2016
For any keen homecook scouting out tonight’s dinner options online, an iPad has become a virtual essential for recipe browsing and space efficient reading in the kitchen. And where there’s an iPad amongst the ingredients and wooden spoons on your kitchen bench, it makes sense to have an iPad stand to further aid easy reference of your favourite recipe. Especially when said iPad stand is in the shape of a chopping board!- MB. Read the rest...
May 26 2016
As part of my "Favourite Things" tour for this year's Tasting Australia, I took a lovely group of guests to the Barossa Regional Gallery to see the incredible grand pipe organ that now graces it's hall. Amanda McInerney, who was part of the group, has written a blog post about the visit; a read I'm sure you'd all enjoy. Amanda was rightfully blown away by the organ, as I'm confident you would all be if you ever have the chance to visit!- MB. Read the rest...
