So far we have spend most of 2022 on the road. 6 months exactly, on and off, criss crossing all States and Territories of Australia except Western Australia which borders were last to reopen, sadly too late for us.
It has been one of the best road trips in the GX, exploring out of the way places, meeting like minded people and of course, sampling regional produce at local eateries. From low key pie shops to lively pubs, trendy cafes and bustling farmers markets, we have loved tasting regional Australia. Out of the dozens of venues we visited, one restaurants stands out. It is in the Special Occasion category, being on the pricey side, but the quality of the food, the location, and the theatrics are what made me fall in love with it. I might even plan a future road trip back there…
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…
The Enchanted Fig Tree – Kangaroo Island, SA
The dining highlight of our tour of Kangaroo Island, back in March, has been a long lunch at the Enchanted Fig Tree on the beautiful north coast. More than food, it’s a whole experience : from the stunning drive to Snelling Beach, the magical setting inside the fig tree, the fig cocktail on arrival, attentive service, fig based menu and foraging for fruits afterwards…I didn’t want to leave!!!
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I attended a house party recently, hosted by old friends we hadn’t seen for a while. Thanks to social media we kept in touch, and somehow we all knew what everyone’s was up to. As a result conversations were easy, picking up where we left off. Some of the guests we knew well, others we knew off and funnily many knew off us. One of them approached me and exclaimed “ I hear you’re a good cook! Would love to taste your food…!” Of course I was very flattered, and thanked the lady for the compliment adding that while I love cooking, I love even more eating other’s cooking while “off duty”.
That reminded me of the recent few weeks in Sydney, in-between road trips, spent celebrating the many family birthdays that fall within days of each other. Normally there would be feasts at the house, with a dinner table overflowing with food and guests milling about. However this year, with most people busy mid-week and Mr T and I preparing an impending trip away, we ended up eating out more than we usually do.
We particularly enjoyed trying out one of our local casual haunts and the kids surprised me with an exotic night in the city.
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Back in March, we made the quick decision to leave on a road trip to South Australia.
With the State borders reopening, we figured we’d make the most of it before COVID forced border closures again.
Our initial 2 weeks escapade turned into a 41 days journey, taking us thru outback NSW, the bottom half of South Australia and a stint in regional Victoria. It was a fantastic trip, discovering little known corners of Australia and revisiting spots last seen 30 years ago.
Provision wise, I thought I would not load up the truck too much, expecting to stop along the way and sample some of the local produce. Indeed, we ate very well, dining out in small restaurants, historic pubs, and roadhouses… Regional Australia has so much to offer to the travelling foodie! So much so that by the end of our trip, we had hardly made a dent in our food supplies, in fact we were coming home with more food that we left with!
It’s been over 30 years since our last visit to the Fairmont Resort in Leura, Blue Mountains.
Originally designed as a north American style mountain lodge, it first opened in 1988, after a few years of controversy ( when economic development clashed with environmental concerns ). Only two hours drive from Sydney, it was the first 5-star hotel to be built in the area for decades, and quickly became THE place to go for a weekend in the mountains, especially in winter to enjoy Christmas in July.
We took the girls there in the early 1990’s, for a couple of extended weekends. They loved the pool, the tennis court, the games rooms and roasting marshmallows on the big fireplace in the sunken lounge where Terry and I would sit warmly. Lavish buffets would be the rewards at the end of brisk and busy days spent bike riding and sight seeing ( young Shelley and Tania were not into hiking back then )
Then, as we moved on in life and overseas, we stopped going. We heard the resort fell on hard time and changed hands a couple of times, to eventually fall into receivership in 2010. Subsequently bought by an Australian hotel group and management taken over by the French Accor group, it has been known as the Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains MGallery Sofitel for the past 10 years or so.
We returned last weekend with Marc and Anne, for what is probably the only occasion we will be holidaying together this year ( both of them are now uni students holding part-time jobs, meaning they have a life of their own…). Keen to show them a part of our past lives, I was curious to see how much the 2022 Fairmont would compare to the 1991 version.
Salads. That’s what is on our menus in January. Because summer weather calls for lighter eating, the fridge is full with leftovers begging to be accommodated or if we’re lucky enough to be away, there’s a bounty of fresh produce to play with.
Mr T and I took an impromptu road trip to the mid-north coast earlier this month. It was a last minute decision, with not much time to check what provisions were in the truck. I grabbed a few fresh items from the house, knowing that I’d find them out of date on my return otherwise, and crossed my fingers that there was enough in the truck pantry to whip up easy meals along the road. Well, there was enough of everything except for olive oil to make salad dressing. Not wanting to make a special provisioning stop, I decided to go without and improvise. So here are 3 salads we enjoyed, using favourite pantry items for flavour packed dressings.
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