Monthly Archives: May 2012

The Fleurieu Peninsula is situated along the coast in South Australia, about an hour from Adelaide, the capital. It’s a region renowned for its wineries, restaurants, seafood and gorgeous sceney.

As part of the Tasting Australia food festival I visited the Fleurieu with a group of international food journalists and writers. Here is Part One of my trip highlights:

Willunga Farmers’ Market

Shopping at farmers’ markets is one of my favourite weekend activities. I relish the irregularity of the produce, the care and thoughtfulness put into the stall displays, and the pride the growers have in their produce.

South Australia’s oldest farmers’ market, the Willunga Farmers’ Market, is held every Saturday morning at Willunga Town Square. With over 55 stalls, it’s both a great market and a real community hub where friends and neighbours meet to share their news and catch up over a coffee.

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I’ve made honey ice cream before but frankly, it didn’t rock my world. It was OK but there were no goosebumps, no sighs of utter bliss. So I was keen to to try it again, especially after meeting a nice gentleman from Golden North at Food SA’s recent Think Food event.

I’ve been a big fan of Golden North’s signature honey ice cream since I was a kid but my Dad and I were convinced that the original recipe had been tinkered with – sometimes the honey flavour was strong and other times it was barely discernible. Similarly, the colour seemed to vary from a pale buttercream to a more golden yellow.

So I took the ice cream sample the Golden North representative offered and interrogated him as fiercely as I could while spooning ice cream into my mouth.

Surprisingly, he assured me that their recipe for honey ice cream has never been changed. Any variations in taste and colour are because of the seasonal variations in the Blue Gum honey they source from a local apiary.

Blue Gum honey? No wonder I like their ice cream so much: blue gum honey – produced by bees feeding from Eucalytus globulus – is my go-to Australian honey. And, as luck would have it, I’d recently visited Buzz Honey in the Adelaide Hills and bought myself a one kilogram tub.

It seemed like the universe was trying to tell me something.

Although I’ve flirted with coffee over the years I am, at heart, a tea drinker.

I like English Breakfast or Japanese green tea in the morning, Earl Grey or Lady Grey in the afternoon and Rooiboos (African bush tea) or peppermint tea after dinner. Not to mention the endless cups of Gook Bo – a heady mixture of whole chrysanthemum flowers and pu-erh tea – I consume when enjoying yum cha (literal translation: ‘drink tea’).

So I was quietly thrilled when we decided to go with a tea theme for this month’s Sweet Adventures‘ dessert-themed blog hop hosted by the lovely JJ from 84th & 3rd. Check out JJ’s post for all the details of how to join in the fun. We also have a special give-away this month courtesy of Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea – scroll to the bottom of this post for all the details.

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I want my children to know where food comes from.

I want them to have a positive, interactive relationship with food. I want my children to eat seasonally, ethically and sustainably. I want them to understand that the choices that they make at the market or grocery store have consequences, both for themselves and for those that produce, promote and sell food.

I want. I want. It sounds all so self-centred and self-righteous, doesn’t it? It’s all about me, not them.

But I want my children to recognise and respect the cyclical nature of life. I want to share with them the warm glow of satisfaction gained by planting, tending and picking your own fruit and vegetables, and the thrill of catching your own food.

We grow lots of herbs and some fruits and vegetables at home but our backyard is not ideal for a vegie patch (not enough free space and not enough sun). So I look for other opportunities to teach my children about food. Last summer we caught crabs and cockles (pipis) with them and went strawberry and cherry picking, too.

A couple of weekends ago, my parents invited us to go apple picking with some friends.

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I’m a Virgo – as if you couldn’t tell – so I love making lists. Here’s my (inaugural) monthly list of things, foods, events and experiences that I’m loving this month.

1) Tasting Australia

The recent Tasting Australia 2012 drew some 50,000 international and Australian chefs, food media, food producers and food lovers to Adelaide, South Australia, for an 8-day festival featuring 80+ events. I’ve already posted a recipe – Red Quinces, Haloumi & Rye – inspired by my Tasting Australia media trip and will be posting many other write-ups over the next few weeks.

2) Cooking with inspirational pros

I’ll never forget chopping pears for a pear tart with bubbly Australian food legend Maggie Beer – see photo above – and learning how to bake bread with the charming Mark McNamara, outgoing Head Chef of Appellation at The Louise. Two extraordinary and inspiring food lovers, they’re also two of the most professional and hard-working people you’ll ever meet.

3) My new gig as Australian and New Zealand Food Expert at About.com

My Australian & New Zealand Food site on About.com went live last week. Check out some of my articles and recipes including 72 Hours in Adelaide for Foodies, 8 Edible Souvenirs, Grilled Seafood Salad with Persimmons and Mini Pavlovas with Pomegranates.

4) What’s Your Cup of Tea? blog hop

Sweet Adventures’ What’s your Cup of Tea? blog hop has just been announced by the lovely JJ from 84th and 3rd, hostess of this month’s dessert blog hop. So pull on your thinking cap, get cooking with tea and join in the fun. What’s Your Cup of Tea? kicks off on May 21st and entries can be linked up all week. This blog hop is open to all food bloggers – check out details at 84th and 3rd.

5) Skinny jeans

My love affair with all jeans skinny continues with my new J Brand jeans and Ksubi jeans bought on sale at David Jones. Guys, I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.

6) MAC ladybug lipstick

If there is a more genius red lipstick than MAC’s Ladybug lipstick on the market I’ve yet to meet it.

7) Coffee

After a week of drinking coffee twice a day on the Tasting Australia media trip I am now addicted to the little brown bean again. The jury is still out on whether this is a good thing or not…

7+1) New foodie friends

I’ve made so many new food-loving friends this month via Tasting Australia, this blog, the Adelaide Food Bloggers Group and my new About.com gig. A shared love of food is such a great way to start a friendship, don’t you think?

So what are you loving this month? Hit me with your tips and suggestions!

Photo credits: Duck Two Ways at Appellation at The Louise, Kay and I making cheese at Producers (thanks to Billy from A Table for Two), salt and pepper squid by the Star of Greece,  fruit and nut porridge at Rockford, Maggie and I cooking at the Pheasant Farm, tea (thanks to JJ from 84th and 3rd), pomegranates at Willunga Farmers Market, making bread at Appellation at The Louise and Thai Lamb Salad at No 58 Cellar Door and Gallery. All photos (c) Christina Soong-Kroeger except where indicated.

After a week spent travelling around some of South Australia’s most wonderful food regions on the Tasting Australia media famil, I’ve been dying to get back into the kitchen.

In particular, I’ve been keen to make this dish – Red Quinces, Haloumi & Rye – inspired by the work of two different Chefs – Mark McNamara, outgoing Head Chef of Appellation at The Louise and Simon Burr, Head Chef of Kangaroo Island Sailing.

Last week I found myself sailing around the Fleurieu coast on Lady Eugenie, Kangaroo Island Sailing’s 21 metre long ketch rigged yacht with a dozen international food media. While we sipped sparkling wine and enjoyed the sun and spray, Simon prepared delicious canapés in the small kitchen below deck.

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