Its 8:30 Saturday morning and I’m still in bed. Am I sick? Have I slept through my alarm? Have I taken early retirement? Fortunately none of the previous lines of questioning give answer to my luxurious Saturday lay in.  Thanks to all the planets coming into alignment, and the cards turning in my favor I had a very rare Saturday free to do with it whatever I please. So please can we can to the Eveleigh Farmers markets?

When such a day presents itself I spring into action and come up with a million and one things I would love to be doing and top of my list was a long overdue trip to Eveleigh Farmers  Markets in Sydneys Redfern to emmere myself in market life.

Thanks to Eveleigh markets undercover location, the weather is no reason to prevent you strolling past the  45+ stalls that line the sides of the huge brick and steel building that is part of the eccletic spaces that make up the old Eveleigh rail yards or carrigeworks that were built in the 1880′s to service the industrial era of the 19th century.  With one side open to allow the breeze to flow throw it makes for a great all year round venue.

We make our way down the stairs to the shop floor and begin the audacious task of “Where do we begin?”. With so many vibrant stalls laid out neatly in front of us, it was a case of start on the left and work your way round to the right.

Colourful organic fruit and vegetables make up more than one stalls offerings, with seasonal choices of heirloom potatoes, deep purple hued kale leaves and baskets of compact cauliflowers.  You can sort through and chose your produce from a dedicated apple stand or pick your greens from a specialist green grocer. No longer in the realm of exoticism despite its name, exotic mushrooms are on offer alongside shimijii, enoki and shitake.

Along with the obligatory offerings of fruit and veg, small goods, organic poultry and salt-bush lamb also make up the markets trade. Freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters, organic juices and farm fresh goats cheese tempt you  to partake in a free sample which can lead to a successful purchase.

Those with a sweet tooth are well catered for here at Eveleigh by delicate and flaky French pastries, gluten free towering lemon meringue pies, chocolate splattered mini Pavlovas and hand crafted chocolate truffles.

I make a beeline for the Gumnuts stand which specializes in chocolate and biscuits to stasify my sugar requiremnts. I’m in love with the lucious looking salted caramel sauce and friendly greeting from the two lovely ladies working behind the stand.

The guys working the  Yalla Dips and Desserts stand hand out endless little samples to an appreciative crowd, with the cue to purchase sometimes three dip and four wide.  Farmer Joe’s home style muesli, organic olive oils, pickles and jams and glazed bagels of varying flavors are  proudly displayed  for the mixed rabble that constantly stream past their pop up shops.

The Columbian connection are in attendance by way of an espresso coffee stand and silver cafe tables and chairs are laid out down the center of the building for taking a load off from your heavy duty market shopping excursion. We make fine use of the tables, chairs and coffee as we meet up with our delicious friend The Divine Miss White who is on loan to us  from New York to spend time with  family and friends.

Classical music serandes us as we sit and watch the world  and the ever present canine go by. Dogs of all shapes and sizes are on parade with giggling toddlers embracing hounds and parents alike. Despite the presence  of so many pampered pouches, not a bark can be heard over the hum of the crowd and cords of the cello. The vibe is good, encouraging people to linger at stalls and chat with the producers.

We discuss philosophy and basset hounds while sipping on cups of steaming brew. Miss 8 plays amongst the kids on the concrete floor skipping to and fro from the stands to sneak an extra slice of bagel or cup of Yalla Chocolate Mousse.

The smell of glorious food is beckoning me to traverse to the other side of the shed where I am greeted by the smiling face of Celebrity Chef  Kylie Kwong cooking up bio dynamic Chinese treats from her Billy Kwong stand. She looks calm and serene as she skillful whips together certified free range steamed pork dumplings and organic  savory pancakes for her admiring public.

The united nations are represented well  by way of Asian,  Indian, Meditarrian and European snacks vendors dispensing familiar smells and comforting fare.

Large brown paper cones filled with the inticing bright colours of spring flowers along side bushels of multicoloured silverbeet leaves crowd the eco shopping bags and baskets of the smiling crowd. We have already been here for nearly two hours, and are making no attempt to head towards the exit as we keep on bumping into  stalls we are yet to admire.

A handmade ice cream sandwich for 88 from Pat and Sticks is a must do before our journey begins to wind to its sweet conclusion. Being spring I feel the beginnings of my inner city terrace garden in the makings, so my final stop on our world wind market tour is with the lovely herb lady.

Her vibrant green pots of joy whisper there seductive song as I buy up Vietnamese mint, spearmint, thyme and coriander alongside robust rosemary, continental parsley and sprouting chives. I’m as giddy as school girl by my newly formed collection with my attempts to tip my gracious host being in vain as she says “All I need is to see you smile, and thats tip enough for me” She ceremoniously throws the gold coin into my bag of herbs and waves me on the way.

Despite the rain we make our way slowly towards the road, still content to chat and share a few laughs with each other. Its now lunchtime so we head home to plant herbs and cook up  some of our market finds, happy in the knowldge that we snaged oursleves some bargains and  good energy.

Eveleigh markets can be found at Carrigeworks on Wilson street in Redfern. Its open most Saturdays through out the year from 8am to 1pm come rain or shine. Well worth sacrificing an extra long sleep in for.

Wheres your favorite market?

What to do when the Duck Fat hits the Fan.

You can either blame it on the boogie or in this case blame it on the duck fat roasted potatoes.

The calmness and serenity of the evenings meal turned to anarchy once the duck fat roasted potatoes were taste tested. The duck fat hit the fan so to speak.

” Oh My Goodness!”

” Are you for real?”

“These are crazy, superb!”

“Is there anymore left?”

“Can I eat yours?”

Well, you get the picture. Class and decorum were thrown out the window with just one taste of what could be the perfect accompaniment for many dishes. We had our duck fat potatoes or Pomme De Terre a la Sarladaise with  spiced pork loin cooked till golden in a searing hot skillet.

Other proteins that would work well with these crispy crunchy cubes of heaven would be a glorious thick rib eye steak, sunny side up free range organic chicken or duck eggs, tender roasted chicken breast, or a thick fillet of steamed white fish.

Ingredients:

2kg  potatoes ~ choose a floury variety like russet  which will produce a better crispy exterior when roasted.

300g of duck fat

6-10 sprigs of thyme ~ stripped and roughly chopped

Sea salt flakes and lots of freshly ground black pepper

Methodology:

• Preheat the oven to 200C on fan bake and heat a large cast iron roasting tray in the oven as well
• Peel and cut the potatoes into smaller chunks about 4-5cm in length . For even cooking make sure the chunks are  of similar size.
• Place the potatoes into pot and just cover with lightly salted water.
• Bring the potatoes to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Whilst the potatoes are boiling, carefully add the duck fat to the cast iron roasting tray and allow the fat to melt and sizzle in the hot oven.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander and shake vigorously to fluff up the outer exterior of the potato. This will add to the crisping whilst roasting.
• Remove the cast iron roasting dish from the oven and very carefully place the potatoes into the duck fat. Turn them carefully in the fat and sprinkle over the thyme and season well with salt and pepper.
• Continue to gently turn the potatoes over until you are confident that the potatoes are well coated in duck fat, fresh thyme and seasoning.
• Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning occasionally to make sure all the potatoes crisp up evenly
• Serve immediately for optimum crunch! If serving them in a separate dish, avoid covering them as they will go soggy.

Kitchen tip:

All the that glorious duck fat need not be thrown out. Once its cooled slightly, strain the fat through fine sieve and pour into a jar or heavy duty plastic container. The duck fat can be stored in the fridge for several weeks or in the freezer for several months.

Written and photographed by Zoe Roy

“The truffle is not exactly an aphrodisiac, but tends to make women more tender, and men more likeable”- Jean Antheleme Brillet-Savarin, renowned 17th century gastronome.

The history of truffles is older than one might think. In 300BC, truffles were already a sought after expensive delicacy.

They were the favourite dish of Pharaoh Cheops and in early writing were referred to as “children of the earth”. Legend has it that the first being on the planet to devour truffles was a female wild boar. A farmer watched the sow dig up and eat the presumably poisonous underground funghi and waited patiently for her to die. Instead she flew into a fit of passion and attracted so many lovesick suitors that the species began to proliferate in hot haste.

Now skip to 1997 when Australian CSIRO scientist Dr. Nick Malajczuk, specialising in trees and funghi started experimenting with some initial planting in Tasmania. He identified Manjimup in Western Australia as an ideal location for growing truffles. Hence was born the Hazel Hill Truffiére..

In 1998, 13,000 Oak and Hazel tree saplings were inoculated with the French Black Truffle. To do this, the Perigold truffles are made into a mush which is rubbed into the roots of the saplings.

At this early stage, Dr. Nick chose to use both oak and hazel with the foresight that if the truffles didn’t develop then they would at least have hazelnuts to harvest! More than 5 years of experimentation and anxious waiting passed and in 2003 the first truffle was uncovered accidently on a morning walk.

So it is here in Manjimup, we went truffle hunting…

Manjimup is a thriving agricultural centre, about 3 1/2 hours SE from Fremantle in Western Australia, a land of cherries, apples, pears, avocados, marron, and of course truffles.

A nice early road trip with my friend- head chef Peter Manifis landed us in Manjimup at 930am. We join another couple and began the tour with some history and truffle science.

This is followed by a breakfast of  truffled scrambled eggs served on  hazelnut bread, whipped up in front of us by the head chef of The Wine & Truffle Company. To wash it down we had a sneaky little glass of their well regarded Riesling. Good start to the day!

Next we were assigned gumboots and overalls and taken to the training area to meet the dogs. They have three prize hunters. Sunny- a kelpie, Lizzie- a beagle and Bella- a black lab.

In the training area they have set up rows of plastic trees, at the base of which there are little pieces of sponge. Some have a drop of truffle oil on them, and the others have a red cross. The dogs all have there own commands so that they know which one is working. It’s either “seek”, “go get it” or “find”. The dogs run from tree to tree and when they smell the truffle they sit and wait for a treat.

With training complete it’s time for the real thing! We all board the little wooden carriage, pulled by a tractor, to take us up to the truffiére. Before we board we must walk through water in our boots, yet another precaution they take to prevent any potentially harmful spores reaching the truffiére.

Once we are there, its all business and not even 2 minutes pass before Sunny has found a beauty. When a truffle is identified in the ground, the hunter first smells is to assess its state. Truffles are formed in November/December, grow through Feb/March and mature during the winter months. Only when a truffle is mature does it release its aroma.

When a truffle has matured it needs to be harvested within 3 days or it will begin to rot in the ground. A very small window! Once a truffle has been deemed mature, fingers and a small plastic needle are used to scrape the ground around the truffle until it is unearthed. Truffles can be found as deep as 60cm, and a single tree can produce up to 2.5kg each season.

Truffles are often found in clusters and a lot of small truffles can come together to form a very large truffle. Like the one we dug up, weighing about 430gms! Unfortunately we were not permitted to take it with us, and there are no pockets in the overalls they provided!

The Manjimup truffles typically sell for between $2000-$3500/kg, except for the “icon” truffles which are the largest ones ranging from 750g-1.5kg, which are usually auctioned on ebay for up to $6000/kg.

This year they expect to harvest 1tonne of black truffle. Australia is the biggest producer of French black truffles outside Europe and currently produce 15% of the world black truffles. Because of Europe’s rapidly decreasing production due to the age of the trees, it is predicted that by 2020, Australia will be producing 50% of the world’s truffles.

This little truffiére in Manimup is now exporting to 15 countries, including France.

Then we headed to the farm café for a beef pie on truffled mash and glass of shiraz before we hit the orchards to pick some vine-ripened Granny Smiths!

Back at the restaurant where we work in Fremantle, we were couriered 1kg of Manjimup truffles for our annual Truffle Dinner, which consisted of 100 people, 5 courses, 8 chefs and lots of truffles……

Woodfired Pizza Bianco with Shaved Truffle, Parmesan and Truffle Oil

Truffled Leek & Potato Soup

Marron & Truffle Omelette

Housemade Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms & Marsala

Roasted Spatchcok with Truffle Butter (under the skin), Asparagus wrapped in Pancetta

Mielle Feille with Caramal Apples and Truffled Custard

At the end of the night we all realised we would be happy not to see or smell another truffle until next season!

About Chef Zoe Roy!

At 16 working as a waitress I became captivated by the concept of creating flavour. The next 3 years I spent exploring Europe and UK, working in England, Ireland, Scotland, Turkey and finally 6 months in France working in a farmhouse ‘La Ferme du Mont Mussey’ at the foothills of the Jura mountains. It was here that my path was truly cemented for me…. The quest for food that still smells of the earth or the forest or the ocean it came from, and the creation of simple flavours that make your heart sing.

Back in Melbourne I began a catering business ‘Feed your Friends’. I provided fully personalised menus, catering for schools, hospitals, film sets, corporate, cocktail parties and dinner parties.  After two years, at 21, I again craved the pace of  a commercial kitchen… I became Head Chef of Montsalvat Café & Restaurant in Eltham, cooking European food with the help of a beautiful kitchen garden. After 1 year I was enticed by the excitement of Richmond Hill Café & Larder, which was to become my home for the next 4 years. Working alongside Stephanie Alexander and other wonderful chefs and top shelf ingredients in a professional environment kept me very stimulated. I finally bid farewell to Richmond Hill, and became Head Chef of The Commoner. A modern British restaurant in the heart of Fitzroy with a woodfire oven and a Moorish touch. This took me back to my travelling days and my first love affair with food, following the spice trail around the world.

Currently I have moved out west with my partner (also a passionate chef!) and we have plans to open a small and intimate European style bar in Fremantle. Watch this space!

So tell me, whats your favorite way to eat truffle?

Having experienced the Justin North culinary  magic at the recent Great Barrier Feast on Hamilton Island ~ if you win this competiton you are going to be in for a real treat!

Click on the link below and enter now!

Dinner for 2 at Becasse in Sydney thanks to The Internet Chef, Electrolux and Justin North.

To begin with, Electrolux have reserved the best table in the house for 2 people at Justin North’s fine dining restaurant ‘Becasse’ in Sydney.

You will be wined and dined by Justin and his team as they take you on a culinary journey of fabulous French inspired cuisine through  a memorable degustation dinner.  Whether Justin is wowing you with his Salad of Winter Heirloom vegetables roasted marron tail, pea mousseline and dried olive or an apple cheesecake crumble with sorbet and lemon balm, Justin’s ability to delight the palate and excite the senses have ensured his place as a true “masterchef”

This fantastic prize is open to all Australian residents and for those of you that reside outside of NSW, Electrolux will fly you to Sydney and set you up at a deliciously cool inner city hotel for the night as well.

All that’s left for you to do is enter HERE!

For more exciting Internet Chef promotions and competitions, make sure you subscribe to our website for cooking updates, recipes and  news delivered straight into your inbox daily.

Holy Goats Cheese on Toast Batman!

I’ve been playing around with a little canape dish for a few months now.

Testing, trialing and tasting ~ the trappings of a chef blogger. Constantly searching for improvement on look, feel and taste. Never one to settle for mediocrity, I was enjoying the journey I was on to achieve canape prefection.

The dish in question is a beautifully simple small bite of goats cheese and honey or “Cheese on toast” as I like to call it.

It sits classed as something between  a canape and  tapa’s dish and one that when I got right ~ the world rejoiced over.

I had been playing around with different goats cheese, searching for the perfect consistency and taste that would be bold enough to take on the fabulous Manuka honey I had paired it with, but gentle and creamy enough to sit unobstructed on the palate.

The first time I tried this dish with a soft goats curd from the Holy Goat family ~ I was simply taken. Breath taken.

And then when I read that Holy Goat had won the Presidents medal for outstanding food producer at the 2010 The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), I was decidingly “kiddish’ and  extremly happy for their achievement!

The president of the the RAS Glen Dudley described Holy Goat’s ‘La Luna’ Cheese as “the best of the best” by awarding this 100% certified organic cheese the top honor at this years awards not only for the taste and structure of this delicious cheese, but also to recognize and reward them for their sustainable practices. The herds forage on native grasses, herbs and shrubs, resulting in happy goats that produce a high quality milk that is full of  depth and flavor.

To celebrate their incredible achievement I have posted below my Holy Goats Cheese on Toast (Batman) for your eating and cooking pleasure.

Cheese on Toast

Ingredients:

200g/7 oz  Soft Goats Cheese ( Holy Goat if you can get it ~ try Australia on a plate if you live outside of Victoria Australia)

5 crumpets ~ cut into  20 rounds with a 50cent size cookie cutter

2 Tbs of Manuka Honey ( or a rich dark honey blend of your choosing)

1 large free range egg ~ whisked lightly

50g/2 oz unbleached flour

1/2  cup of grapeseed oil

Methodology:

• With clean hands, portion the goats cheese into 20 large marble sized balls by  gently rolling the cheese between your palms. you don’t need to apply much pressure as the cheese is very soft, but rather use your palms to help develop the dainty balls.
• Once all the balls are evenly rolled, put them through the whisked egg  and then coat evenly with the flour.
• Place the balls into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to firm up slightly as the natural heat from your hands would have softened them somewhat.
• Toast the crumpet rounds under the grill or broiler until lightly toasted and set aside and warm the honey in a small pot on the stove until runny.
• Heat the grapeseed in  a heavy bottomed medium sized frying pan until the temperature reaches 180C/350F or when a small piece of bread turns crispy when placed into the oil.
• Carefully lower the goats cheese balls into the hot oil ~ 5 at a time and fry until golden. This will only take 30-40 seconds. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place the balls directly on to the crumpet rounds.
• Drizzle the cheese with some of the warm runny honey and secure with a small bamboo fork.
• Serve immediatly, while the cheese is still hot and the moment is still fresh!

Makes enough for 6-8 as a canape

Photo credits : Myriam Conrié-Thibault of MyTinerary and Mercedes.. Life as I Pictured

My roles in life as a Chef, Food writer and cooking ambassador  allows  me  occassional ”back stage” access to some of the rock stars of the culinary world.

I was fortunate enough to have recently been invited to Tetsuyas restaurant in the heart of the Sydney CBD to indulge in a steam oven masterclass and sit down lunch which had me salivating since receiving the invitation.

Dear Internet Chef, We would love to have you as our guest as Tetsuya demonstrates the art of cooking with steam…

OK, you twisted my arm.

Inside Tetsuya’s private kitchen

The upstairs dining room at Tetsuyas world class establishment had been transformed into a masterclass kitchen with the help of some exquisitely beautiful Electrolux appliances. Two stainless steel cooking stations had been set up with induction cooktops and behind them some seriously sexy looking ovens were housed in impressive portable metal plinths.

Vapours were already steaming up the insides of one of the compact  ovens as we were ushered into the room to be seated at white  linen covered tables. This was unlike any masterclass I had  attended previously, so I was feeling confident that we weren’t just there to look!

Champagne Bollinger was on offer, and despite it only being 12:10pm, I was slipping into my second glass of French indulgence. I find it difficult at the best times to say no to a glass of chilled champagne and by the array of wine glasses that were set in front of me, I decided I had better start sipping!

Tetsuya and Electrolux MD John Brown

When Tetsuya entered the room, a hush descended the crowd. Much like a reverse rock concert reaction. No screaming and throwing of underwear from the 30+ people that were assembled in the room, but more a hush of respect  for the man who has been at the forefront of world food trends for over 20 years.

This is not the first masterclass I have attended of Tetsuyas, nor is it the first time I’ve been fortunate enough to dine at his restaurant, but despite these rights of passage as a culinary professional ~ I was still awe struck by the humble and even temperament that makes up the nature of this man.

Note to self: Must behave more Tetsuya like when on stage…

With Camera and iphone at the ready, I began my happy snapping as Tetsuya  delivers his sermon to a faithful congregation. Displayed to the front and back of him are the appliances that he has mastered over the last 15 years. His affection for the brand and the technology evident as he is introduced by Electrolux [Australia/New Zealand] MD John Brown.

Tetsuya discusses the benefits of cooking with steam

Tetsuya begins the class by talking about what he believes technology can do for the home cook.  ” Technology allows you to achieve restaurant-like consistency in your  home”, he states, pointing to the steam oven for emphasis. “This style of cooking is measured and exact. Push a button and the oven  does it for you. Nothing wrong with that”

There is nothing wrong with that AT ALL  if the food responds as well as what Tetsuya presented to us!

Steamed Baby Barramundi

The first course consisted of steamed fillet of baby barramundi with roasted fennel and an interesting chinese olive that Tetsuya handed around the crowd for sampling. The chinese olive could only be described as a cross between a date and an olive, without the salty smack of a traditionally brined olive, but more dry fruit in consistency and flavor.

He chopped this up into brunoise and used it as an addition to the sauce he used to pour over the fish once it was plated. The cooking of the fish was done by dousing it in a fruity extra virgin olive oil, placing into a metal tray and covering with cling film before steaming gently in the oven for about 8 minutes.

Cling film in the oven? With wet steaming, you have the added bonus of being able to seal your food in a moist environment which helps retain flavor and juices while keeping the food  succulent and tender.

Steamed Chicken breast on polenta

The second course was a steamed breast of chicken, which was wrapped in cling film before its ceremonious steam bath. With a huge box of cling film permantly anchored to the bench top, Tetsuya states its vital for every kitchen ~ with his favorite brand “castaway” being good and stretchy ~ all 600 meters of it!

He steams the chicken for 20mins  at 70C and serves it on polenta with a tomato, bacon and basil salad. “Basil”, Tetsuya adds, “should be torn and bruised, not cut. Bruising helps the flavors to come out in the dish”

Once we are served our version of the dish, a push to the side of the incredibly succulent chicken reveals a little surprise. A just-cooked yolk sits coyly amongst my porridge of polenta. Perfectly prepared, steamed in fact Tetsuya tells us, by cutting the tops off the eggs, separating the yolk from the white and then placing the yolk back into the shell. Cover with cling film and steam in the oven on 50C for 20 minutes.

Steamed Egg Yolk Food Porn

The yolk was glorious and I was able to move it around my plate a couple of times before it burst and exploded into my polenta making it a slurry of corn goodness.

Food porn moment off the day now over, a light dessert of balsamic strawberries on a cloud of mascarpone mousse had Tetsuya finishing up his demonstartion by moving over to what looked like a lovely bit of  kitchen jewlery.

E:Motion Trivet and Wok Sitting on an Induction Cooktop

What he was in fact using was the state-of-the-art about to be released induction wok ring or E:motion trivet,  that allows the user to cook with a round bottom wok on an induction cooktop.

Tetsuya demonstrates how well this trivet works on induction

The ring sits on the induction cooking zone, and the wok sits on top of it. The wok itself does not come into contact with the cooktop. It is, in fact, the trivet that connects with both the induction cooktop and the wok, transferring electromagnet pulses into the wok, heating up the metal. At no time does the cooking surface or the trivet get hot ~ only the wok!

And Hot it does! Within seconds of Tetsuya turning on the appliance the wok sored to a high enough temperature for him to fill it up with scampi tails for a quick stir fry. A normal inconvenience when attempting to put that much product into a wok at the same time is its tendency to start stewing rather than frying, with the E:motion trivet displaying its abitlity to hold and maintain a stir frying temperature despite what some woks would deem over crowding.

Wok Fried Scampi Tails

A generous splash of scampi oil later and the room was filled with the sweet smell of frying crustcea.  I managed to fight my way to the front of the class to sample the offerings and gawk at this  designer piece of kitchen furniture. Not normally one to get caught up in aesthetics, I couldn’t help but desire one for my own kitchen. Once you combine the sleek and stylish design with undeniable fucntionality and its E:motion trivet for the win!

Despite my Twitter account not behaving itself properly during my Tetsuya experience, I managed to get a few tweets out and post a few photos although somewhat blurry, and now am happily reliving the experience through post.

The Internet Chef and Chef Tetsuya

I have also started composing my wish list of kitchen requirements.

Dear Santa, as I’ve been a really good Internet Chef this year I think I deserve the following…

Speaking with the Electrolux team who were on-site to make our day even more enjoyable ~ the steam oven is now available in Australia and the E:motion Trivet is being released in October 2010. Oh the suspense is killing me already!

An exceptional way to spend the afternoon AND pick up a few cooking hints and tips along with it.

Melissa from www.frillsinthehills.com

and asks her Just one Question…

“What inspired you to blog about food?”

Food blogger profile

Website:  http://www.frillsinthehills.com

Twitter : http://www.twitter.com/frillyhills

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/frillsinthehills

Best described as a ‘Passionate home cook’ Liss loves to inspire the everyday family to throw out those recipe mixes and easy-meals and make it yourself – it isn’t as hard as you think!  Liss’ family of five frequent farmers markets and farmgate trails to show her readers how to meal-plan using seasonal produce and bake many treats to cut down that grocery bill without depriving yourself of a treat,in fact, quite the opposite!

Love this story about Melissa? Simply click on Facebook SHARE and Twitter to retweet this story to your friends. Thank you

Food media professionals, time is running out to get your entries in if you want to be considered for  the

2010 Australian Food Media Awards.

From the Margaret Fulton Award for recognisnig the best recipe for a  family meal to the best cookery book by a Chef or restaurant, the awards this year are guaranteed to deliver with so many fabulous personalities producing  work of exceptional quality.

For the first time in its illustrious history, the Biennial Food Media awards have opened up their arms and embraced the world of the food blogger with the Australian  Pork sponsored Food blog category.

The new media journalists that are Food bloggers and micro-bloggers have had a tough time convincing some of those in traditional media that we mean business, but with some Australian-based food blogs getting more traffic than some of the online versions of well known food magazines, there is no denying that we are here and we are here to stay.

The recognition that has been bought to the realm of the food blogger through awards like this is doing wonders to bridge the gap between the old and the new, and is a wonderful opportunity for bloggers to showcase their many talents.

If you haven’t entered yet, you have until the afternoon of Thursday 22nd July to do so.

Australia Food Media Awards 2010 ~ Enter Here

Best Food Blog Category

Open to an Australian website log (blog) that is publicly accessible on the “world wide web” (www) and which primarily informs on the subject(s) of food or food and beverages, including – but not restricted to – dissemination of recipes, cooking tips and/or instruction, personal experiences and restaurant reviews. The information in the blog should be interesting, accurate and fair.

What the judges will look for:

• Originality of content
• Engagement with the community (comments, Twitter)
• Quality of writing and photography
• Website design and its usability (content is easily searchable)

Emma Stirling from www.scoopnutrition.com

and asks her  Just one Question…

“What inspired you to blog about food?”

Website: www.scoopnutrition.com

Facebook: The Scoop On Nutrition

Twitter: www.twitter.com/EmmaStirling

Jennifer Lam from www.jenius.com.au

and asks her  Just one Question…

“What inspired you to blog about food?”

Website: http://jenius.com.au/

Facebook: Jenius.com.au

Twitter: @Jenius