It’s Plastic Free July, which is about raising awareness of single use plastics and asking everyone to make small changes in their relationship with plastic. If you follow Tiffin on Facebook (and please do, if you don’t already), you may have seen that I headed waaaayyyy over to the other side of town a couple… Read more
Product Review
You know I’m a sucker for social justice projects. I’m a strong advocate for human rights activities and supporter of not for profits and NGOs. The power of people can make a difference, whether that’s through the union movement or micro loans through organisations such as Kiva. You can make a difference. Crowd sourcing is another example… Read more
Hypothetically, what would you do if you came home from a week away and discovered that due to a horrible oversight, you were down to two scoops of coffee for your three scoop plunger? Would you make a smaller plunger or say… be tempted to make up the third scoop using your husband’s decaf coffee… Read more
The year is rushing by, as it always does. There’s always so much happening. So many small observations and half written posts that fly past without being captured and popped onto a digital page for posterity. The Project Manager in me needs to curate these thoughts. Get them organised. Document them. Here they are: Carina North Quality Meats… Read more
Slow cooked meats are very much in vogue at the moment. Pulled pork, beef carnitas, slow roasted shoulders and similar are on menus across the land. Some of this is inspired by the current rise of ‘American Diner Cuisine’ and its little brother Dude Food and some by the desire for cooks and chefs to… Read more
A pair of gyoza bars this time round. One in Fortitude Valley, the other in Bulimba. Gyoza are Japanese dumplings gently steamed then fried on one side so they have a nicely caramelised base. Sometimes that can be overcooked and chewy and other times they can be a little flaccid. Six gyoza is never going to… Read more
….speaking of butchers…. Last week I wrote about my local butcher shop. Whilst it’s local to my house it’s not actually close to where I spend much of my time, which increasingly seems to be Canberra in the service of our great nation’s public. This makes it difficult to shop for meat and groceries. Luckily, Meatcart… Read more
GF. Gluten Free. You see that little notation on menus all the time these days. But what does it mean? Gluten Free or GF means that it’s OK for those who suffer from a gluten intolerance to eat the meal without an adverse reaction. What is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley… Read more
Many of my South Australian adventures focus on the Barossa Valley, as we visit the Vintage Festival every two years at Easter. The 2013 Festival was no different however we decided that it was time to start visiting some of the other districts and this year, that included the Clare Valley. Famous for it’s cool… Read more
Who doesn’t love visiting the supermarket when they’re travelling overseas? An opportunity to check out the local produce, smile at amusing names that are lost in translation and maybe a chance to buy some mystery items that weren’t what you were expecting.A few weeks ago I was able to go on one of these supermarket excursions without leaving… Read more
Earlier in the year I served an unusual dessert treat for the Gastronauts Supper Club. As part of a South American themed evening, I made Roasted Sweetcorn Popsicles. They were popular on the night so I decided to post and tweet my recipe. As a result, I ended up chatting on Twitter to @mariapalitos_au, a… Read more
Baguette Bistro + Bar is an old favourite. It’s saying something in these days of two for one deals and entertainment vouchers that we would travel across the river of our own free will and pay full price to visit this Brisbane icon. Baguette has been wowing the punters for over 30 years with French… Read more
Tribute to Molly Meldrum? No, just a lame pun of the words Fava Bean. A few weeks back, I was doing my usual ‘Plane lands in Canberra at 6.30pm, shop for the same 10 grocery items in Dickson Woolies by 7pm’ routine when I spied ‘Fava Nuts’. I thought ‘Hey, why not treat yourself and… Read more
I don’t mind a choc/mint combination but it’s not something I seek out. I’m more a gummy bear or jelly bean kind of girl. The other day I was in Canberra when a friend bought each of us a low fat sugar fix for a long afternoon meeting that lay ahead. It was a Nestle Mint Pattie. … Read more
OK – last post for the year so I want it to reflect holiday spirit and Summer fun. Here we go….I love chips. Love, love, love them. So, I never buy them because they wouldn’t stay in the cupboard long and they’re just so bad for you (but delicious!). I made a rare impulse buy… Read more
And the good time just keep rolling. Hot on the heels of the great news that Soreen is now available in Australia comes the fab news that Ryvita has started selling a number of flavours here, that I came to know and love in the UK. Like most family businesses, Ryvita has been swallowed up… Read more
Just before I left the UK, I did a post about some of my favourite food items from local supermarkets that I would miss. Well good news Anglophiles – Soreen has hit our shores!Just a reminder, Soreen is not a cold sore cream as I suggested or a brand of toilet paper as my mum… Read more
Many of you would know that I spend a lot of time in airport lounges around the country and am well known for picking up anything that is not nailed down. I recently acquired a copy of MasterChef Magazine – something I hadn’t seen as it started being published whilst I was overseas.The magazine was… Read more
It’s nearly time to to leave This Sceptered Isle and squeeze myself into a sardine tin for the long haul back to Australia. This last week is a chance to re-visit some new favourites, before supply is cut off.Fig, date & grains bio yoghurt – the name says it all really. This delicious Morrisons own… Read more
Upon reviewing the numerous photos taken in the Middle East, I noticed a distinct trend in hilarious drink names. So, for your edification, I introduce you to these delicious beverages…..Syria – Spiral Orange, Ugarit Cola & Cheer Up Lemonade. If I’m, not mistaken, these look remarkably like Fanta, Pepsi and 7Up Turkey – Bi Cola. Not… Read more