Festivities and all that other stuff (the solution is tea)…

Posted on 7 January 2010 | No responses

Here are some tea tips for your new years, that Sally from Tea Revolution has been kind enough to share…

Don’t know about you, but over this holiday period activities were definitely festive and I enjoyed a few too many drinks and that extra slice of Pavlova. Have no fear, heading to the shelf I was able to blend some wonderful healing and detoxifying teas to make up for recent transgressions.

Well, initially, my first new year’s resolution was to start that exercise program, so  pulled out some books on anything from yoga, Pilates to surfing (a present to myself along with a surfboard haven’t had a chance to take out yet).  Let me tell you, the choice of what exercise to do was just as daunting as the tea I should create. 

Finally, I settled on yoga, an oldie but a goody. Wonder what tea would compliment this inspired decision to finally get into shape.

Still on a sweet high, thought the best first choice, in teas, would be a stress-free herbal. With a complex blend of naturally sweet herbs; such as lime blossom, rose petals and lavender with a base of chamomile, knew this would be a great infusion to slowly wean myself back into reality. 

Being suitably calmed and ready to tackle the next problem, over-indulgence, I headed for a great all round performer and staple, green tea.

Partial to everything lime, my first stop on the green tea train was lime sencha. Local limes, lime blossoms and refreshing Japanese sencha are beautifully combined to give real freshness to an already bright green tea.

Feeling ready to tackle anything, I temporarily slipped back into old habits and made a cup of mango sencha. Still wanting to hold onto great holiday experiences, I put dried Qld mangoes, jasmine blossoms and Japanese sencha together for a very special brew. What a delicious combination! I almost felt guilty. However, as there was nothing artificial here, I settled back and relaxed, knowing of the tremendous health benefits being gained.

Ready to step up the pace, you should turn to a herbal or a kashmiri chai. Kashmiri chai would have to be one of my all time favourite teas (and many people seem to agree). With Australian almonds, cinnamon and green cardamon with green gunpowder this tea is incredibly soothing; while gradually introducing some great detoxifying spices. The almonds create a slightly creamy flavour, while green gunpowder is one of the smoothest green teas  have ever tasted. It has body, but none of the briskness that, the commonly drunken, china sencha has.

Adding a variety of Indian chai spices to lemon balm does wonderful things for your state of mind. This remarkable combination creates herbal chai. Taken without milk it is a wonderful invigorator to the system. Interested in invigorating your body then lemongrass and ginger is the right antidote. Using local organic lemongrass and freshly crushed sun-dried ginger you can’t go wrong with this blend.

In a delicate mood, once you have thoroughly woken up your body, then white teas will provide a welcome relief. Easy to drink and mild to taste, these very low caffeine teas are good when just wanting to sit and be.

Still craving a hit of caffeine? Then try lemon black tea. Made purely from local lemons and Qld black tea this hidden treasure is a perfect solution. Taken hot with a slice of fresh lemon or chilled, it seems to deliver every time.

Finally, what would a ‘detox’ be without a herbal infusion aptly named after the concept. Detox herbal infusion is a powerful, yet delightful, punch of herbs, such as red clover, peppermint, dandelion root, nettle, cleavers, rosella and ginger.

Interested in any of these teas? The writer of this article, Sally Atkinson, supplies local cafes and deli’s throughout Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Please contact Sally on her mobile, 0405 567 930 or email sallyatkinson@hotmail.com. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

Chef Laurent changing tuckshop menus…

Posted on 18 December 2009 | No responses

I have had a frantic few weeks so did not get a chance to write about Chef Laurent’s fabulous new books and the incredible book launch that he hosted a few weeks back, but it was such a great event I feel I have to make a belated mention.

I have written about Chef Laurent (Laurent Vancam) a few times in the past due to my involvement in the Locavore Tuckshop project, which I will give you an update on soon. St. John’s College Tuckshop has long been enjoying the incredible tuckshop meals and now Laurent has shared his successful tuckshop recipes with everyone else.

The two books; Chef Laurent Caters for Kids and Chef Laurent Caters for Families have all his favourite recipes for kids. The great thing is that one of the books, Chef Laurent Caters for Kids actually has recipes designed for the mass quantities required in tuckshops. I am hoping (fingers crossed) that tuckshops, throughout Australia will take these books on board and follow some of these incredibly easy recipes, seeing them onto their own tuckshop menus. Laurent has proven that by giving the kids the choice of choosing healthy nutritious and flavoursome food, that they will eat them! Chef Laurent Caters for Families has scaled down versions of the recipes so they can be made in smaller quantities – don’t buy the wrong one by mistake, haha…

Now getting back to the launch, which was just great. The whole room was filled with tables with sample offerings from the cookbooks; it was just so wonderful to be able to sample so many different things knowing that it was going to be easy to recreate (providing you buy the cookbook of course).

Just for sample’s sake… Coconut and White Chocolate Mousse, Sticky Date, Mini Meringue Tart… oh sorry, they were just the sweets, there was other food… Mini Wraps, Fried Rice, Sushi… it was all good!

The books are available online for purchase so hop onto Laurent’s website for more information:
http://www.cheflaurent.com.au/books.html 

To read previous posts about Laurent or Tuckshops visit the following:
http://www.sunshinecoastregionalfood.com/blog/?p=217
http://www.sunshinecoastregionalfood.com/blog/?p=128
http://www.sunshinecoastregionalfood.com/blog/?p=125

 

 

This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

The right to choose - raw milk, have your say…

Posted on 16 December 2009 | No responses

Many of you may already be aware of a campaign launched by Slow Food with regards to raw milk and raw milk cheeses, but just in  case you aren’t below is some information which will hopefully prompt you to action, or perhaps thought, that may eventually lead to action.

I would also emphasize, as Julie Shelton from Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland does, that the campaign is NOT about the merits (or otherwise) of raw milk or raw milk cheese over pasteurised products.  It is about CHOICE - freedom to choose the foods we want.  If we can buy imported French raw cheeses, why can’t Australian producers make raw milk cheese and Australian consumers have the right to buy it from them?

This is the first serious campaign of Slow Food Australia and will be just one of the issues (GM foods is another) that puts Slow Food in the minds of politicians, bureaucrats and the public as a political organisation lobbying for change.

This is the story…

On Sunday 18 October 2009 Carlo Petrini launched the Raw Milk Cheese Campaign for Australia. 

This issue is of vital importance to Slow Food Australia as it is our first national and public campaign based around the production of, and access to, good, clean and fair food. This campaign epitomises what Slow Food stands for - access to local, quality, artisan foods that are good, clean and fair.  As Slow Food members we must defend and extend this right to access and choice.

By mounting a successful campaign on this issue, we will be signalling that Slow Food Australia wants a seat at the table in all future debates on good, clean and fair food. This campaign is essential for Slow Food Australia’s recognition as a voice for the small, local, artisans of good clean and fair food.

Raw milk products are available throughout Europe, Canada, the United States, and shortly to be produced in New Zealand. Australian producers are prevented by archaic regulations from making raw milk products.

To this end we will be campaigning for:

- The opening of regulations to allow for the production and consumption of raw milk cheese and associated products in Australia
- Labelling laws that clearly identify products containing raw milk
- Testing procedures to ensure product safety that are affordable to small producers

On the Slow Food website is an online petition. We would like you to sign it, all your friends to sign it, and anyone who stands still long enough to sign it. The more signatures we amass, the greater our chances of success.

More information, a copy of In defence of Australian raw milk cheese, a media statement released today, and other links, can be found at:
http://slowfoodaustralia.com.au/projects/australia/raw-milk-cheese

 

 

This post was posted by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest, on behalf of Julie Shelton, Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

Peter Howard and Lyndey Milan book launch…

Posted on 15 December 2009 | No responses

At the risk of sounding like I am gloating… I went to another fabulous lunch the other week at Ma’ Mensa on Hastings Street, Noosa to celebrate the launch of Lyndey Milan and Peter Howard’s individual books. The invite stated that it would be the most entertaining lunch on this year’s culinary calendar and it didn’t disappoint; Lyndey and Peter’s dynamic and hilarious commentary throughout the delicious lunch was an absolute scream and the food was fantastic too.

The menu consisted of samplings from their beautiful books - Lyndey’s The Best Collection and Peter’s BBQ Collection, created by Ma’ Mensa’s fabulous head chef Belinda Tuckwell.

The sumptuous lunch included…

BBQ Asparagus Rolls
Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters

Chilli Queen Spatchcock with Nam Jim
Asian Style Roast Pork Salad

Apricot Brochette, Almond Blancmange
Chocolate and Macadamia Brownie

It was a great afternoon and if I wasn’t full enough from lunch, it didn’t stop me from stopping with a bunch of friends for an ice cream from Massimo’s Gelateria afterwards… by the way, their cinnamon gelato rocks!

 

To read more about Peter Howard visit:
http://www.peterhoward.com.au/RunScript.asp?p=ASP\Pg0.asp

To read more about Lyndey Milan visit:
http://www.lyndeymilan.com

Visit Ma’ Mensa:
http://www.mamensa.com.au

 
This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

Another fabulous Slow Food event…

Posted on 14 December 2009 | No responses

I love this time of year… so many fabulous Christmas parties and events it is hard to choose which ones to attend. However, when it comes to Slow Food events it is never really that much of a hard choice.

This year I was invited as a guest of Tonya Jennings (founder of the fabulous On the Ridge Cooking School) to attend the Slow Food Noosa’s Presidents’ Christmas Cocktail Party. It was such a great night and the company matched the fabulous food on offer.

Each of the illustrious presidents, past and present of Slow Food Noosa showcased a canapé of their own making and I still have not decided on a favourite though it did sway (only marginally) towards Matt Golinski’s delicious Crispy White Polenta with Buffalo Fetta, Garlic Confit and Thyme – even though Matt did accuse me (and everyone else in the room) of having garlic breath after eating them which I gladly endured.

The spectacular canapés featured were:
Daniel Mosedale – The Blue Angel
Coffin Bay Oysters with ‘Hot Ice’
The hot ice is a refreshing twist on the sorbet given its heat by jalapeños.

Leonie Palmer – Coconut Grove
Braised Oxtail Turnover with Pickled Beetroot and Horseradish Crème
This was like a little mini pastry which was topped with finely diced pickled beetroot.

Matt Golinski  - The Rolling Dolmade
Crispy White Polenta with Buffalo Fetta, Garlic Confit and Thyme
Small crispy circles of polenta topped with locally made buffalo fetta (Witta) and the smoothest, richest (and garliciest) garlic confit – it was just divine.

And by Coconut Grove’s head chef Damon Porter:
Brioche with Fresh Salmon and Salmon Pearls, Mooloolaba Prawns wrapped in Jamon and Basil, the most beautiful little Brulee Tarts as well as a number of other decadent morsels that were all equally delicious – there was a kind of a duck sausage which regretfully I did not get the name of, but boy was it yum!

It was a heavenly way to finish up the Slow Food Noosa year, with the auction providing some additional funds for the school gardens that Slow Food Noosa so passionately supports.

Thanx for a great night!

To find out about more of Slow Food Noosa’s events visit:
www.slowfoodnoosa.com.au

To see the website of Tonya Jennings’ On the Ridge Cooking School visit:
www.ontheridge.com.au

 

This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

FBI at the Spirit House

Posted on 13 December 2009 | No responses

FBI (Food and Beverage Industry Qld) hosted its last networking event for the yar at the Spirit House. The Spirit House is a fabulous location at the best of times (personal favourite) but I had yet to experience this beautiful little alcove which is reserved for functions and weddings where the event was held this time. Nestled into the gardens we enjoyed the hospitality of Helen Brierty and the wonderful Spirit House staff as Martin Duncan hosted another great event.

Nutworks showcased their newly branded range of macadamia nuts and chocolate, as did Tomi Eumundi with their tomatoes,  Noosa Lime Co their fantastically refreshing lime cordial and Tomarta with their divine range of condiments and liqueurs, the most recent being a spectacular Sundowner Nectarine Liqueur which I will tell you about in another post.

It was a great afternoon with a fabulous turn out of local producers and other industry representatives which is what makes these events so important.

Martin, FBI’s founder and regional food champion also used this opportunity to announce the launch of his new website a great resource for the food industry; lots of great food industry marketing advice.

To visit the FBI website or to find out dates for next year visit:
www.fbiqld.com.au

 

This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

The Terra Madre Day snail trail…

Posted on 12 December 2009 | No responses

Terra Madre Day was celebrated around the Sunshine Coast on the 10th December, and not being one to want to miss out on any opportunity to celebrate good food I threw myself right in the midst of it all.

Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland’s Julie Shelton and I followed the ‘snail trail’ from Maleny to Eumundi and stopped off at all the marked ‘Eat-Ins’ to see what people were bringing to their local food tables.

For the uninitiated, Terra Madre Day was celebrated by passionate ‘slow foodies’ around the world in one of the largest global occasions to promote sustainable food and ‘eating locally’. Coinciding with Slow Food’s 20th birthday, more than 100,000 farmers, producers, cooks, students, and consumers across the association’s network of 150 countries, shared the celebrations.

We started our ‘snail trail’ in Maleny at Tesch Park where we met up with some locals that had brought some interesting morsels to share in a combined picnic. John King, from Rainforest Liqueurs had by far the most eclectic range of goodies; Pickled Australian Native Capers, Pickled Wild Limes, Homemade Yoghurt with Wild Lime Chutney, Liqueured Illawara Plums, and a fabulous Organic Turkey and Chicken Liver Pâté that was washed down with some refreshing homemade Bunya Nut Ale and Ginger Wine. I have to say I was amazed by the Bunya Beer – while I wouldn’t relish having a ‘big’ night on it (the alcohol content would probably kill me) but it was a really interesting flavour!

At the Park we also met up with a very entrepreneurial Tumii Clayfield, who was organising the Crystal Waters Eat In as part of a home school project.

Then it was on to the lily ponds at Mapleton for the Slow Food Eat In feast of the century – what a fabulous spread! A group of ladies meet once a month under the guise of ‘Nourishing Connections’ where they get together to make food based on the principles of Slow Food and the Weston Price Foundation. (for more information contact Elsie Voon on Ph. 5445 7978). So for this event they got together the day previous to the eat in to make some fabulous dishes: Ambrosia Salad, Grated Carrot and Beetroot Salad with Sesame Seeds, Guacamole, Baked Beetroot Salad, Kaffir Cheese Dip, Mango Salad, Chickpea Crackers, Mixed Colour Tomato Salad, Pasties with Spinach, Fetta and Olives, and Salmon and Zucchini, a roast of Grass Fed Beef and Free Range Chicken, and as a grand finale a spectacular Carrot Cake with Fermented Cream Cheese Frosting.

Not only was the food fantastic, but most of it came from their own gardens, which allowed us to really embrace the Terra Madre principles. As a special treat Elsie and Max also brought along some Lacto-Fermented Home Brewed Rosella and Rosehip Wine and Orange Juice. The orange juice almost an eternal fountain once the seal was broken!

Then we had to tear ourselves away to snail trail it on to Nambour where in the Town Square some more locals had put on another fabulous spread; Trevor Hart’s Love Supreme Buffalo Cheese, Maleny Cheese’s Creamy Brie, Nambour Continental Sour Dough Bread, Fat Hen Farm Olives, Husk ‘n’ Honey Dukkah, Kenilworth Olive Oil, Kin Kin Ginger Tea, Feijoa Chutney, Olives Direct Verjuice, Kenilworth Garlic and Pepper Cheese, a fabulous grain free Fetta and Olive Bread, and from the Nambour Queen Street Butcher, some Kenilworth Ham, Moya Valley Smoked Chicken, and a Hot Wurst… ahh, I am exhausted now remembering all of that!!

A few of the Cafes and restaurants supported local items on their menu for the day as well.

Pomodoras on Coral in Maleny had Mighty Bean Tempeh, Maudy’s at Witta has some local produce, as did, Bellavista at Mapleton, Hinterland Cafe and Husk ‘n’ Honey in Nambour, Spicers Cloverly Estate at Montville and then finally the Eumundi Twilight Markets.

By this time I was exhausted and in desperate need of refreshment… so after buying some yummy salad for dinner from the markets, I meandered over to Joe’s Waterhole to ‘refresh’. Twilight markets were great by the way. Great night out. Food Vendors went to extra effort to have local produce as the core to their menus in support of Terra Madre Day, and there is such a great array of food to be had.

While this was the first year that the Sunshine Coast Convivium was to celebrate Terra Madre Day, I am sure next year will be bigger and better and if this year is anything to go by, I can’t wait to see the offerings next year! A big special thanks to all of those that got involved and celebrated our wonderful local produce.

If you would like to see photos of the day, become our friend on FaceBook and visit the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Local-Harvest/687869877

For more information about Slow Food visit:
www.slowfoodsunshinecoast.org.au

This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

Eating local away from home…

Posted on 9 December 2009 | No responses

I have been a bit lax in past few weeks with blog postings and the reason for that was I was forced (yeah right) to go on a cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Yes, life is tough some times, and it was a working holiday though nobody believes me. While I worked very hard (again nobody believes me) I did manage to squeeze one dining delight into my trip.

The entree to my fabulous meal was a magnificent horse ride through a cattle property just on the outskirts of Port Vila in Vanuatu. It was just beautiful to ride through the tropical terrain on my little steed, named Adele I was told, who while quite spirited became quite a little buddy by the end of the ride, the highlight of which was a swim in the lagoon at the journey’s end.

Oh that’s right; this is a foodie blog… well, after the ride we went to a lovely new little restaurant on the water’s edge at Port Vila, La Tentation (means temptation, like I needed any) where I had the most divine Tahitian Fish Salad. I was a little distressed at ordering a Tahitian Fish Salad when I would have much preferred to have ordered a Vanuatuan Fish Salad, but I guess it is like menus anywhere; we always think they sound more exotic if we name them or take influence from some other exotic location.

The salad was a cevice style salad with the fish marinated in lemon juice with the subtle hint of kaffir lime leaves. It was just beautiful – oh and so was the iced chocolate that I had for desert… only because they weren’t serving cocktails for lunch

Things are so laid back, on these islands, while the restaurant was of a higher calibre, the staff had no qualms about the individuals in our party that cooled down by jumping off the pontoon in front of the restaurant only to sit down soaked through to enjoy their meals.

And then there was the fresh coconut and lychees that I drank/ate while lying on the beach on Lafou Island, but I really was working…

 

This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

The Coast is a Foodie’s Paradise

Posted on 9 December 2009 | No responses

Here’s an article that ran recently; just a bit of shameless self promotion for anyone that is interested:

http://www.finda.com.au/story/2009/11/25/coast-foodies-paradise

This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

Time to reconnect with local food…

Posted on 9 December 2009 | No responses

Just so you don’t forget, Terra Madre Day is on Thursday and there are some great locations on the Sunshine Coast that are helping to celebrate this day that honours fabulous food…

Slow Food is launching Terra Madre Day around the world, to be held for the first time on December 10 this year.  Slow Food convivia, Terra Madre food communities and all people supportive of our ideals are organising events in their local area.  By taking this opportunity with passion and inclusiveness, we can achieve one of the largest collective occasions celebrating food diversity ever achieved on a global scale.  A global revolution can only grow from local roots, and together our community actions will help build opposition to the misguided approach of agribusiness.

Terra Madre Day’s 7 Pillars of Food Wisdom:

• Access to good, clean and fair food
• Agricultural and food biodiversity
• Small-scale food production
• Food sovereignty
• Language, cultural and traditional knowledge
• Environmentally responsible food production
• Fair and sustainable trade

Terra Madre Day in the Hinterland

Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland is organising events in two broad themes: Eat-Out and Eat-In.  The Eat-Out theme revolves around six restaurants/cafes in Witta, Maleny, Montville, Mapleton, Nambour and Imbil.  Here you will find at least one dish showcasing a locally-produced ingredient and information about the people and enterprise behind that food.

Witta  -  Maudy’s -  http://www.maudys.com.au
Maleny - Pomodora’s on coral  - http://www.pomodoras.com.au 
Montville - Spicers Clovelly Estate  -  http://www.spicersclovellyestate.com.au 
Mapleton - Bellavista  - http://www.menulog.com.au/bellavista_pizza_and_pasta#details 
Nambour - Husk & Honey - http://www.huskandhoney.com 
Imbil - Rattler Cafe - http://www.thevalleyrattler.com/imbil-lunch-venues.htm

The Eat-In theme offers the opportunity for everyone to participate - bring your home-grown or home-prepared food to a nearby designated park to share with your neighbours and friends.  By consuming this food with mindfulness and in celebration, we are supporting food producers and honouring Terra Madre (Earth Mother / Mother Earth), the ultimate source of our food.

Crystal Waters
Local Food Picnic being held from 5pm to 7pm on the Village Green with guest speakers. 
Hosted by Tumii: Ph. 5494 4707

Maleny
Local Food Picnic with home-grown / home-prepared food from 12noon to 2pm at Tesch Park. 
Hosted by Julie: Ph. 0439 944 690

Mapleton
Picnic by the Lilypond from 11am to 2pm.  Bring your picnic hamper and food to share. 
Hosted by Elsie: Ph. 5445 7978

Nambour
Picnic at the Town Square from 5pm.  Bring a rug or chair and some local food to share. 
Hosted by Sharon:  Ph. 0430 187 366

Finally, Terra Madre Day will finish with a special …

Eumundi Market: Slow Food at Night from 5pm to 9pm. 
As part of Eumundi Market’s Summer Twilight Market program, stallholders are showcasing local produce and inviting customers to learn more about the source of their food by handing out leaflets about the food producers behind the dishes served.  Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland will have a stall at the market and will be handing out leaflets about Slow Food on the Sunshine Coast, in Australia and around the world.

For more information, please visit the Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland website: http://www.slowfoodsunshinecoast.org.au/Slow_Food/Terra_Madre_Day.html

This post was submitted by Julie Shelton from Slow Food Sunshine Coast Hinterland

To find out more about the Sunshine Coast’s regional growers and producers visit:
www.localharvest.com.au

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