I zip up my OzHarvest jacket on this cold Friday afternoon and wait with anticipation until it's time to jump in the truck. Today, I am joining Tim as he drives around the city picking up and 'delivering goodness', experiencing first-hand how this wonderful charity works. OzHarvest touches the lives of thousands of Australians by rescuing excess food that would otherwise be thrown out, and redistributes it to local agencies that support the vulnerable. The national statistics are astounding with 35 tonnes of excess food collected each week and delivered to over 500 charities. OzHarvest operates across Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide - where it began operation two ...
On Travelling Light & the Gift of Chocolate
While in the process of looking for a new apartment, I have been living a rather vagabond existance, migrating between my daughter's apartment in the East End and my parent's place on the coast. Secretly, I am enjoying the freedom. There is something incredibly liberating about having 'no fixed address', no baggage to weigh you down and room to dream about all sorts of possibilities. Stripping oneself of material possessions brings a lightness of being, and some of my happiest times have been when I lived out of a suitcase.Another thing I am enjoying in this transient state is the stories around the dinner table with my parents. My father ...
On Crêpes & Carpe Diem
Le Carpe DiemThere are surprisingly few French cafés and restaurants in Adelaide so when my daughter Georgi excitedly told me that an authentic French crêperie had opened up in the East End, just a couple of streets from her apartment, I couldn’t wait to visit. Yesterday morning, I finally made it to Le Carpe Diem with my youngest daughter Anni, who has already made it her 'local'.We are greeted with a round of friendly bonjours and the sweet smell of French pastries: pains au chocolat, croissants and sticky pains aux raisins. The two storey crêperie is cosy and pretty with an ...
On Blue Swimmer Crabs & Drunken Prawns
One of the most popular addresses at the Adelaide Central Market is Angelakis Bros seafood. Whatever the time of day, you are likely to find a sea of customers peering into the long glass counter mulling over what to cook for dinner. There is an astounding variety of both wild-caught and aqua cultured seafood and among the sparkling fish and succulent shellfish are barramundi, King George whiting, pipis from Goolwa, yabbies, bugs and our renowned Coffin Bay oysters. In fact, for the visitor to South Australia, a cruise down the counter is a great introduction to the creatures found in our local ...
On St Peters Bakehouse & the Aussie Meat Pie
With just a few frenzied days until settlement date and the countdown on, I am beginning to realise how spoiled we have been all these years to have the St Peters Bakehouse & Coffee Shop just a dash across the dog park. This week, with boxes strewn across the house and the kitchen half-packed, the bakery is, in fact, dangerously convenient.Damian Obst took over the corner store 15 years ago and I have watched the bakehouse grow...and grow. Nowadays at midday, the queue stretches out the door and it can be difficult to find a park on Seventh Avenue. Even ...
On Bach & Bolognese
On the weekend I went to a wonderful recital by Konstantin Shamray at Elder Hall. The young Russian pianist began his studies at the Kemerovo Music School at the age of six, and and is currently studying at the Musikhochshule Frieburg in Germany. Konstantin made a splash on the international scene when he won the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2008, becoming the first in the history of the Competition to win both first place and the Peoples Choice Prize. Since then he has performed in concert halls around the world and appeared as a soloist with many international orchestras, ...
On Landscape and Latte Art
There's only a few days left to dash into the Art Gallery of South Australia to see Turner from the Tate: The Making of a Master. A key figure of the Romantic period, J.M.W. Turner stunned the world with his evocative and experimental use of light and colour and went on to become one of Britain's greatest artists. The 100 or so works are drawn from the Turner Bequest, held at the Tate Gallery in London, and consist of oil paintings and works on paper. It's the first major exhibition of Turner's work in Australia for almost two decades and ...
On Luxury Villas & Asian Spice
Set on the fringe of the pretty Adelaide Hills town of Stirling, the Sticky Rice Cooking School instantly tosses you into an exotic world of aromatic spices, hot woks and scented candles. The popular school, just 20 minutes from the centre of the city, was founded by passionate foodie Claire Fuller in 2008 and offers hands-on teaching in a variety of spicy cuisines from Thai and Indian to Vietnamese. Classes are taught by local chefs and masters of Asian cuisine (think David Thompson and Ty Bellingham) and conclude with a sumptuous banquet-style feast, accompanied by local wines.Those who love culinary ...
On Christmas Ham & Saucisson Sec
Anita at the Barossa Fine Foods stall in the marketThe sprawling Adelaide Central Market is a food Mecca for multicultural cuisine and fresh produce, and a much loved South Australian icon. On Friday evenings it's a wonderful, lively place to be. Families and friends fill their baskets for the weekend and meet up to slurp bowls of spicy laksa, but last Friday night my friend Anita and I had a different agenda.Away from the buzz, we climb the stairs to the Central Market Kitchen in eager anticipation of our Smallgoods Appreciation Class with Barossa Fine Foods. The family-owned company, ...
On Food Trucks & Fork on the Road
Food trucks are becoming enormously popular in Adelaide. Parked in temporary locations all over the city, the colourful, quirky fleet provides locals and visitors with an interesting array of high quality food and drink, and adds vibrancy to our streets. These mobile food vendors are part of Splash Adelaide, an initiative of the Adelaide City Council that 'aims to bring our laneways, unused spaces and city streets to life'. The campaign, currently in its second season, is experimenting with a number of exciting urban projects from night markets to pop-up entertainment and performances in public places.Every month, a collection of ...