Category: Musings

“Learning to like it” (with recipes)

It is no revelation to say that I like food. Really really like food.

Not only do I spend a large proportion of my time dreaming about, cooking, recipe developing for, and, of course, consuming food, I also read and write a lot about food. Food gives us energy, and it is safe to say that I expend a fair chunk of that energy by pouring it back into food. I consider myself a fairly adventurous eater, and the list of things I won’t eat is pretty small.

But it certainly wasn’t always the case.… Read More “Learning to like it” (with recipes)

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Bridging the gap

Another season of MasterChef Australia has come and gone, and here I am. Relieved. Relieved to have my evenings back. Relieved to have space to breathe and focus on my own cooking. Relieved to no longer feel just a little bit envious and inadequate every time I watch these ‘home cooks’ churn out complex, flavour-layered consommés and Michelin-starred desserts at every turn. Though I’ve been cooking for years, MasterChef constantly reminds me how early on I am in my cooking journey—how much more I have to learn: my Cooking Knowledge Gaps.… Read More Bridging the gap

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Meat and three veg

I sat at the work lunch table on this particular ordinary day. One of my colleagues leaned over and took a deep sniff.

“Yum! What’s that you’ve got?”

Being a home-lunch-packer, I received this question often and was only too happy to oblige. “It’s a South African Indian version of a sort of shepherd’s pie.”

She peered curiously into my pink bento box. “With spaghetti as well as mashed potato?”

The glass shattered.

Yes. This cottage pie did indeed have both mashed potato and spaghetti. Was that unusual? Of course it was unusual. Why had I never realised this before?… Read More Meat and three veg

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And chaos ensued.

This is a special post for you other Type A personalities out there who, like me, sometimes find that your, er, attention to detail and forethought is not always appreciated by your significant other, or those around you.

I am not going to give you menu planning and meal prep tips. You can follow the hashtag on Insta for that. What I am going to do, is actually the opposite. I’m going to explain the ways in which I’ve adapted my life and cooking to be more flexible and (*shudder*) spontaneous. And how you can do the same.… Read More And chaos ensued.

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An Ode to the Savoury Loaf

An idle scroll through my Instagram account will show you that I tend to bake loaves a lot. I usually bake my sweet cakes in loaf form too, but the savoury loaf sits in pride of place on my breakfast bar and in my heart.

I’ve gathered here my favourite recipes (and tasting notes) for your reading and drooling pleasure, along with links if you so feel inclined to whip out your own loaf tins. Some of the recipes listed below call for baking in a round or square cake tin, and I do occasionally oblige. When baking for communal grazing purposes (office morning teas, picnics, socially distanced events), the muffin tin also works wonders and has the benefits of a high crust-to-inner ratio.

But I always return to the savoury loaf.… Read More An Ode to the Savoury Loaf

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Why I’m avoiding Channel 7’s POO

I belong to the MasterChef generation. I was a young adult when MasterChef first aired in Australia and I was swept up in the excitement which, for me, has never waned. I was particularly keen this year to watch the show with the new cast of judges. With new judges came a new era of MasterChef, moving forward in a beautiful new direction.

So in what direction, then, is Channel 7’s new show Plate of Origin (aka POO) taking us?… Read More Why I’m avoiding Channel 7’s POO

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