When I was a teenager I spent most of my Easter holidays travelling with my parents and siblings all over regional Queensland to compete in the Queensland Eisteddfod. My parents sang in a large and very good amateur choir, and the competition was always fierce, but good spirited. They also had strong connections within two of…
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The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. Denis Waitley Over the summer both of my boys have moved out of home and into the world of shared living. It’s a very quiet house without them, and I miss them, but I am…
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This recipe is one I contributed to a cookbook created by my playgroup as a fundraiser and community builder when my children were small. The book was called “Life made easy” and it was full of simple, delicious recipes and household tips for busy families with young children. Those playgroup days bring back a wash…
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“you are ever the only one i want to give all the peaches in my heart to the only one by whom i want them bruised.” Sanober Khan A ripe peach, headily perfumed and heavy with sweet juice, is one of the delights of summer. I have been thinking over the last few days of friends…
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I have my colleague Rachael to thank for planting the seed that became this recipe. She has been extolling the deliciousness of roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts for some time, and although brussel sprouts are a bridge to far, I was attracted to the idea of roast cauliflower, and thought it might get a look-in, although previously…
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Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Oh, where have you been, charming Billy? I have been to seek a wife, she’s the joy of my life, She’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother. Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy? She…
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“A well-made salad must have a certain uniformity; it should make perfect sense for those ingredients to share a bowl.” Yotam Ottolenghi This delicious salad sparkles with summer flavours and textures, and I do believe that it makes perfect sense for all of them to be there; in the bowl, on the plate, and in the…
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“I don’t know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors.” – Five Go Off in a Caravan This is a perfect springtime cake. It is buttery and deliciously citrus-sy, but it’s not a fragile edifice that can’t travel in a picnic basket to…
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According to Tennyson, in the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love; mine, however, turns towards thoughts of salad. I love them all – green salad, Greek salad, Caesar salad, Cobb salad; salads with roasted beetroot, salads with spinach and cous cous and quinoa; Asian salads, potato salads and Middle Eastern salads. I love the simplicity…
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Unless you have tasted really beautiful tomatoes you might think this salad would be dull, flavourless and not worthy to grace your table. So many tomatoes are like that – lacking in flavour, almost chalky in texture, watery and unappealing. And with this dish there is nowhere for the tomatoes to hide. There has, however, been…
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Simple food 