

On magic, perfection, mystery, Elizabeth David and Mère Poulard's omelette
"one of life's simplest, quickest and most pleasant dishes." Delia Smith "Once upon a time" begins Elizabeth David's classic essay An...
Jan 24, 2022


Another sad goodbye
"The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude." Thornton Wilder I sit here in my beautiful garden on this sunny day...
Jan 19, 2022


Choosing somewhere to eat - a moment in time
"there comes a point when researching cool restaurants so you don’t ruin your holiday tips into, well … ruining your holiday by...
Jan 15, 2022


2021 - a shrinking world of small delights and triumphs
"People don't like change. But make the change happen fast enough and you go from one type of normal to another." Terry Pratchett 2020...
Jan 13, 2022


"Fairly good on the whole"
"tolerable; acceptable; adequate; passable; satisfactory; decent; respectable; alright; sufficient; allowable; average; fair;...
Jan 2, 2022


Should I bother with resolutions?
"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on." Hal Borland Why do we do it? Well maybe you don't, but on the first day...
Dec 30, 2021


Time to say goodbye to Graham I think
“The dead can survive as part of the lives of those that still live.” Kenzaburō Ōe We are now fairly certain that our good friend Graham...
Dec 28, 2021


Joy - lunch at Dame Nellie Melba's place
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” John Keats “Laughter is wine for the soul - laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with...
Dec 26, 2021


A jug
"As cooks, we hang on to some implements for vast periods of time ... What starts out as a mere functional tool, through time becomes...
Dec 8, 2021


Me time
"I consider these few minutes stolen from the working day as deep breaths of fresh air with which to refocus, take stock, get my head...
Nov 24, 2021


A table, a drink, an artist of silence
"a dreamy ambience of silence and stillness." Christies I am not an artist, or even very well versed in art criticism, but I do enjoy...
Nov 17, 2021


What's your signature dish?
"I don’t think you really get to choose your signature dish. It gets chosen for you by the people who eat your food." Adam Liaw I'm...
Nov 8, 2021


Dinner when the power goes out
This is today somewhere in Melbourne. We have been hit by some wild storms, lots of thunder and lightning, hail, rain and high winds...
Oct 29, 2021


Rosemary Olive cake - a cake for me
"The rosemary is the wild card factor here. And it's so good. It heats up in the oven as the cake is baking and permeates the cake in a...
Oct 27, 2021


Dinner brings memories of yesteryear
"food memories. They aren’t just based on the facts, or our need for survival, but are shaped by the context ― the company, the situation...
Oct 9, 2021


Tried and true vs New and different
"Feelings of emptiness are normal in times of stress and uncertainty. But isn’t cooking supposed to be a balm?" Helen Rosner - The New...
Sep 17, 2021


Trying to please everyone
"Compromise" is so often used in a bad sense that it is difficult to remember that properly it merely describes the process of reaching...
Sep 15, 2021


I'm missing cake - well dessert really
"Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" William Shakespeare Today I have been flicking...
Sep 14, 2021


COVID lockdown version two
"the sense of frustration due to Delta is palpable. Our slow cooking and scratch baking adventures from last year have turned into meal...
Sep 2, 2021


Glamorous cakes you could try
"For every two minutes of glamour, there are eight hours of hard work." Jessica Savitch I reckon there is probably rather more than eight...
Aug 29, 2021

