Stickifingers

Tasty trifle by the fire at Middle Park Hotel…no I didn’t eat it all. That was the serving bowl. I had a big serving spoonful but didn’t manage to finish even that much. Defeated.

Tasting the new hotel classics part of Damian Snell’s new menu for Orient East at Seasons Botanic Gardens hotel. Proper crisp Fish & Chips, mushy peas, tartare. Available from this Friday (at Orient East)

Hotel Classics tasting part 2 from Orient East at Seasons Botanic Gardens hotel new menu. Do you check the room service menu for a club sandwich when you check into a hotel? Then here’s the E&O Club Sandwich so you can pretend you’re on holiday. Great with a craft beer. Available from Friday at Orient East.

Thank you Ethel for hand feeding your lambs to ensure they survived this last tough season. Eternally grateful for rare breed produce raised with deep commitment and tenderness.

These tiny Ostler’s Hill Leicester lamb cutlet were simply rubbed with Weyhill Farm Garlic, salted, seared and rested warm. Served with stoemp, roasted beetroot and pumpkin.

The gravy was made with my own chicken stock, pomegranate molasses and a dash of oyster sauce for umami.

Coming soon - crisp fried chicken ribs from Damian Snell’s new @OrientEast menu. Hoping to kick it off on Friday!

My cooking mojo’s back. Floral yet sharp, salty and sweet. Heirloom beetroot with pomegranate and radish salt.

I made the seasoning myself with homegrown dried radish and pomegranate seeds ground with Mt Zero’s Pink Lake salt. A minuet in pink.

I had lots of leaves. Some growing from an organic daikon, an enormous swede and lots of homegrown radishes. Most people would throw them out. Or may be compost them. But I opted to make my ‘poor man’s pesto’ with them.

It’s just like regular pesto, only the majority of the leaves are not basil. Not that you’d know. Even with only 20% of it being basil picked just prior from my garden

I tossed it through orrechiete, with homemade chicken meatballs, some peas and a garnish of Jamon. Easy. Delicious. Cheap. And I still have two big jars of the pesto.

There’s nothing like a farmers market visit to bring my cooking mojo back.

Pumpkin soup with my home made dried Laos spice mix, grated ginger, coconut milk, water from the steamer, VN fish sauce and finished with @butterfactor crême fraiche and a sprinkle of Sriracha salt.

On the side @schulzorganicfarms Herbie quark & sourdough baguette from Alison’s.

Meatballs made with the meat from Warialda Beef soup bones and tendons cooked in masterstock. Served in a sauce of homegrown tomatoes, some onion, tomatillos, coriander and chipotle. Very warming on a chilly night.

Because sometimes, all I crave is a big bowl of Asian greens with garlic, masterstock, oyster sauce, a little sugar and a couple of drops of sesame oil.

A crazy amount of eating tonight at @masakmasak! (at Masak Masak)

Buffalo wings - battered and coated in a mild sambal. Tasty chicken, juicy, but a little less crisp than on our last visit (at Masak Masak)

Almost as good as eating the sticky charcoal infused pork jerky and omelet Roti John on soft brioche was watching Chef Damian Snell teasing @nikkoburgess about loving it. (at Masak Masak)

Slow braised dinosaur ribs at @masakmasak are meltingly good. @biggietravie I think they’re even better than last time (at Masak Masak)

Satay cooked over coals at @masakmasak (at Masak Masak)