

Christmas was, Christmas is ...
"We've reached the most wonderful time of year" Coles Magazine "Christmas magic exists in the little things doesn't it?" Woolworths...
Dec 18, 2023


An unexpected delight
"God bless the French lunch hour." Elizabeth David A lucky dip. Elizabeth David's book of essays and writings from here and there, An...
Nov 5, 2023


My grandchildren didn't eat the sausages
"I live in fear of the phrase "just enough". I regard just enough as nowhere near enough. Just enough means too little. It means one...
Oct 28, 2023


Views, lunch, wine, friends ...
reflections on a day out in Nillumbik Nillumbik is the name of our Shire - the local council area. In the bottom corner is where we are...
Oct 15, 2023


Apples from Winton
"Passing time adds false memories and modifies real ones." Stephen King Eons ago I studied geography as one of my three A-level subjects....
Oct 13, 2023


Venice leeks and what's for dinner tonight?
"Perhaps no one ever gets to know Venice as much as they remember her, recall her from an episode in some other dream." Marlena de Blasi...
Oct 1, 2023


L'apéro
"People who wish to discipline the sexual organs should avoid drinking those artificial concoctions which are called 'aperitifs'"...
Sep 26, 2023


Cabbage rolls from long ago
Once upon a time I sat in this very spot and gazed upon the Mostar bridge. Well I am 90% certain it was in this spot - although, when I...
Sep 20, 2023


Herbes de Provence
"When tidying up your herbs at the end of the summer, cut lots of each, tie them in bundles, dry in a cool, dry, airy place and turn them...
Aug 26, 2023


French in Fitzroy
"the things Melbourne and France value in dining: character, charm, classics executed well and an atmosphere-charged place to take it all...
Jul 26, 2023


Wee drams
Dram "a small amount of a strong alcoholic drink, especially whisky" Cambridge English Dictionary "A pour of alcohol. The amount is...
Jul 24, 2023


A French lunch on Bastille Day
"It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?" A. A....
Jul 15, 2023


Why do Paris when you can do la France profonde?
"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a...
Jun 28, 2023


Three moments in time - gnocchi
"Gnocchi is not just for rib-sticking, soul-warming meals by candlelight, but for light summer days, too." Nigel Slater Uninspired again...
Jun 1, 2023


A rainy day dish
"The recipe is pretty simple, but not for the calorie-conscious" Australian Food Timeline It's a miserable day and we have promised to...
May 7, 2023


Knafeh
The picture above is from the latest Coles Magazine and featured in their Cooking Club segment - in which one of the' ordinary' people...
Apr 16, 2023


Lessons from a family feast
“If you can eat with mates or friends or family, I mean, it's such a brilliant thing isn't it? If you feel really rubbish and you have a...
Feb 20, 2023


French/Indian - did it happen?
"even while the European powers ruled, none of them had any effect on the basic diet of the local people. Rice, mainly 'boiled' rice ,...
Jan 26, 2023


Party life
“Here’s to the nights we don’t remember and the friends we won’t forget.” The Hangover I have no idea where the idea for this post came...
Jan 22, 2023


A 46 year-old bottle of wine
"Appreciating old wine is like making love to a very old lady. It is possible. It can even be enjoyable. But it requires a bit of...
Jan 20, 2023