Monthly Archives: June 2015

Barossa Valley visit: stunningly delicious lunch

Posted on June 29, 2015 by

The dining highlight of our three-day visit to the Barossa Valley was lunch at fermentAsian, a restaurant that specialises in the flavours of South East Asia, applied to local ingredients. The chef, Tuoi Do is Vietnamese and the sommelier and … Continue reading →

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French onion soup: a winter’s tale

Posted on June 29, 2015 by

French onion soup is a dish that is very appealing during winter – rich, thick and served piping hot – but its virtues find less favour in warm weather. In our home, it is made alternately with pea and ham … Continue reading →

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Barossa Valley visit: heart of the region

Posted on June 29, 2015 by

Although the morning wind was chilly, the forecast for our last full day in the Barossa Valley promised the mildest weather of our visit. On the first two days, we had explored all the outer districts of the region; on … Continue reading →

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Barossa Valley visit: Williamstown and Magill Estate

Posted on June 25, 2015 by

After a pleasant evening and a comfortable night’s sleep, we woke to the prospect of a warmer day, with less wind-chill factor. We took our breakfast in the resort’s restaurant, seated by the window with a grand view across the … Continue reading →

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Barossa Valley visit: from Henschke to Seppeltsfield

Posted on June 24, 2015 by

This is the first in a short series of posts about our recent visit to the Barossa Valley, Australia’s most famous wine region. We had identified the Barossa as somewhere we would like to explore together one day. Maggie had … Continue reading →

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Crazy for apple pudel

Posted on June 10, 2015 by

I don’t know what it’s like in other parts of the world but, here in Melbourne, there is a craze for owning a dog that is a poodle crossbreed. A large part of the appeal is the coat, which doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Duck braised with sherry, verjuice, quince paste & walnuts

Posted on June 10, 2015 by

This is one of two recipes we use to prepare a dish of braised duck (the other one was posted last year). It began as a recipe by leading Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell, but we have made several significant changes to … Continue reading →

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