My Christmas family feast

Photo: Christmas, a marvellous time!

My favourite time of the year
Is a marvellous time of excitement and I admit, a tinge of fear.
For it’s Christmas
With the food oh so scrumptious
Loads and LOADS of it, so utterly delicious!

It starts off with Christmas lunch
Made by Nonna full of love
Lasagne so good, no doubt inspired from food spirits above.
Filled with layers of bolognese sauce
It’s simmered for hours and hours

Photo: A huge Christmas spread.

For a taste explosion of hearty rich southern flavours.

And then off for dinner
Only a few hours later
For a huge Christmas spread that took hours and hours to cater.
Baked turnip, golden potatoes, sweet pineapple
Honey basted ham, juicy roast turkey
Fresh prawns, smoked salmon and tender pork with apples oh so saucy.



Photo: Tiramisu - loaded with alcohol! ;p


Then to top it all off
The finale:
Mango pudding, sticky date with butterscotch sauce
And tiramisu – it’s Christmas, so loads of alcohol of course!

Mango moula

Photo: Mangos - juicy, tender and sweet.

It’s almost
Almost the season for mangos
Juicy, tender and sweet
One bite and it hooks, oh boy what a treat!

So many
Many delights to create with mangos
Cheesecakes, puddings, salsas, salads and cocktails
Better not run out or you’re sure to hear many wails.

Where oh
Where are these grown, these beautiful mangos
In WA, NT, NSW, and QLD
September to April, time to pick mangos by hand.

Photo: Halloween mango pudding.

And what
What types are grown, of Aussie mangos?
Calypso, Kent, Palmer, Kensington Pride & Brooks
With a kiss & a slice, what fun will by all the cooks.

So let’s
Let’s all get behind, this summer’s crop of mangos
Full of vitamins A, C, beta-carotene and fibre
A delicious energy boost - you'll roar like a tiger!

Yarra Valley spoils



Photo: Yarra Valley delights. Credit: Food poet.

I once spent a weekend
Frollicking in the spoils
Of a beautiful valley
The wonderful Victorian Yarra Valley.
Many delightful treats abound this land
Its bakeries so full of cheery folk

Its markets big and small so fine
And its abundant wholesome food
Including its chocolate
Ohhh so truly divine.

Fresh eggs from chooks
Who lay with happy clucks
And then dance and play.

Honey from bees
Who wine and dine
On juicy sweet flowers
Every single day.

Wineries galore
Call home this luscious land
To do them justice:
Bottoms up
And mangia mangia
Til you can no longer stand.

Where to find the Yarra Valley

View Larger Map

Places to visit

• Tokar Estate Winery
• Wild Grains Bakehouse
• K&W Chocolates
• Healesville Community Market

Advance Aussie Farmers Direct's Fare

Australians all let us rejoice
For Aussie Farmers Direct has set us free

Photo: Fruit from golden soil and farmers' toil.
Credit: Food Poet.

Photo: Such great service, free delivery,
oh so rare! Credit: Food Poet.

Photo: Fish fresh from the sea. Credit: Food Poet. 

With fruits from golden soil and farmers' toil
Our prawns and fish are fresh from the sea.

Our pantries abound in Nature’s gifts
From such great service, so rare
In history’s page, they'll take centre stage
Advance Aussie Farmers Direct's fare!

Beneath our radiant southern Cross
Our Aussie farmers toil with hearts and hands
To rear such juicy lamb of theirs
Renowned of all the lands.

For those who’ve come across the seas
There’s boundless food to share
With passion let us all combine
To Advance Aussie Farmers Direct for their extensive ware!

In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Aussie Farmers Direct for your excellent fare!



Many thanks Peter Dodds McCormick: for your wonderful Advance Australia Fair which has been adapted for a fair dinkum awesome Aussie service!

Honey joy

Photo: Liquid gold drizzling
over green pancakes.Credit: Food Poet.

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                                       Pancakes so

                           Lazily, glinting temptingly

                       Golden in the morning sunlight

                      Ohh thank you hard working bees

                                 For the fruit of your

                                           labour.

SBS Food ohhh glorious food

Screenshot: Food Safari -
what a journey!

Of all the channels on the air
There’s one that that pulls me in each time
SBS Food: when it’s on I can’t help but sit and stare
The people, the culture, and of course - the food, are all so damn fine.


Food Safari is one of my favourite shows
Oh how creatively travel and food are rolled into one
Fragrant food from Spain, France, Italy and Greece fill my nose
I’m always inspired to cook up a storm when the show’s done.
 

Screenshot: Heston's Feasts
are truly unique.

But Thursday night is not over by far 
Heston’s Feasts so cheeky and clever, yes the fun is just beginning
He takes us right back in time cooking food you’d never see in a bar
From Flying desserts, ejaculating cakes...and a gingerbread house so big you couldn’t possibly eat another thing.

The family food fun just keeps going on and on
There’s Lyndey and Blair’s Taste of Greece
A culinary joy of the beautiful Greek culture, and home of our favourite fruiterer Con

Screenshot: Gourmet Farmer
enjoying the tough lessons
and delicious food from the
Tassie soil.

Drinking ouzo with roast pig and spanakopita, oh how could we leave them alone to eat in peace!

And dear little Tassie
Makes its mark on the Aussie map
With chef-turned-Gourmet-Farmer with a farm oh so snazzy
Turning local produce from hard working famers into feasts that makes everyone just wanna nap.

From Oz we skip over to Luke Nguyen's Vietnam

Screenshot: Luke Nguyen's
Vietnam - an intriguingly
delicious insight into
his motherland.

Where he is never short of great tips
From grandmas who laugh and laugh when they come
To help Luke cook food so fresh and vibrant the film crew can’t help but get sensational clips.

Oh food glorious food
SBS Food you truly inspire
The way you make food look and feel so amazingly good
For your incredible food shows I will never, never tire!

The 7 habits of highly effective food shoppers

To get the most from food shopping
That’ll help you make easy, quick dishes with top quality food for next to nothing
It only takes a little effort to eat like a king.

 

Screenshot: Farmers Markets are
local and fresh.

One: Be proactive
Try farmer’s markets, food swaps, and online stores – often free and discounts are very attractive.
Supermarkets are certainly not the only way to live.


Two: Begin with the end in mind
Look up Gourmet Traveller and Gourmet Backyard or watch SBS Food and Poh’s Kitchen – their dishes are one of a kind.
And for really quick spreads, though not quite Aussie, we love Jamie Oliver and his 30 minute cooking, it's a real find.

Screenshot: Gourmet Farmer Cai
tips on how to eat & grow
fresh produce.

Three: Put first things first
Decide what’s important in your food world and pursue them with thirst.
For inspiration, visit the beautiful and enticing Piper St, Oxley Estate, and Beerenberg first.


Three: Synergize
Swap picking with bulk packs of meat and vegetables, those are definitely worth a few tries.
Where? Urban Food Market, CERES Food Fair, and Aussie Farmers Direct – food grown under Aussie skies!

Screenshot: Myrtleford Butter Factory -
hand-made European butter.

Four: Seek first to understand
Our Aussie chooks, lambs and cows are treated with love all over the land.
Just ask Foodo, The Butter Factory, and Pacdon Park, whose bread, butter and sausages are truly grand!


Five: Think Win-Win
Seek value for money and keep local producers away from shaking a tin.
Try Bests Wines, Feast Fine Foods and Queen Vic Market: how could we possibly let all that good produce go into the bin.


Seven: Sharpen your saw
Practice your new shopping habits more and more.
And you’ll be rewarded with delicious fresh food your family and friends will simply adore!





Screenshot: Country Valley Milk - taste the difference.

Screenshot: SBS Food - so many great recipe ideas.

Screenshot: Piper St specialises in charcuterie.

Screenshot: Quality Earth Food from Aussie Farmers Direct.