One perfect day

There's nothing like an English summer's day and this is going to be one – glorious blue sky, fabulous sunrise. Hope all is well in NYC ...

Lavender Shortbread

Lavender Fields. Photo:AP

Busy researching a project which knows no bounds. Gorgeous summer days and long summer nights, love 'em and then you realise you are working much longer hours! Fields of lavender stretch forever - feel you want to lie down in them except for the bees!! Lavender shortbread makes interesting eating until you taste the plum pizza, but more of that next time.

Ice Bear Sydney

As a guest of Aurora Expeditions on Friday 3 June,  I was lucky enough to meet UK sculptor Mark Coreth, who is an Arctic aficionado and huge admirer of polar bears. He spoke about his work with great passion and humour and went back to sculpting the ice bear which melts to leave its bronze frame. Mark loves to work on the nose, especially and here he is below, watched closely by the 1 million women campaign poster www.1millionwomen.com.au the group of women dedicated to cutting a tonne of pollution from our daily lives.

Sculptor Mark Coreth at work on the Sydney Ice Bear, Circular Quay, Sydney Image: ©AP/TrueBlue Cockatoo

Aurora Expeditions specialists also spoke of the compelling beauty of the Arctic and 'Russian Coast 2011' is a collection of voyages to inspire everyone to go. www.auroraexpeditions.com.au 

Mark Coreth is sculpting ice bear cubs at a masterclass in Sydney on 6 June.

Hidden Secrets Cafe Culture Walk, Melbourne

Manchester Press Cafe,   Photo:APwww.hiddensecretstours.com

Given that 10 or more coffees would have had me bouncing off the walls for days, the Hidden Secrets Cafe Culture Walk wasn't really about coffee for me at all, it was about being shown Melbourne's wonderful laneways and appreciating the individual styles of the cafes and shops, each with its own point of difference.


Clothes, jewellery, books, music, coffee - Melbourne does it in style and now many cafes combine different elements and themes. We start our wanderings near Spring Street and have the first coffee at Cafe Liason in Monaco House, Ridgeway Place. We pass Self Preservation which blends a jewellery store with a cafe and Pelligrini's Espresso Bar in Bourke Street, a Melbourne institution.


Some cafes are in old buildings some new, some in corporate buildings, all themed to attract attention, linked by a creative thread inspired by individuals.


Manchester Press in Rankin Street (off Little Bourke Street), is one of Melbourne's newest cafes in an old printing press building and serving open bagels, simple but effective and drawing the lunch-time crowds.

Melbourne's corporate buildings manage to create little cafe corners with character - the Tuck Shop in The NAB Building at 500 Bourke Street which includes a rainwater tank for fresh drinking water and, below, The Truffula Seed bar with its distinctive frontage in Shell House, 

1 Spring Street. 

Truffula Seed sustainable espresso bar, Shell House. Photo:AP

The name Truffula Seed is inspired by 'The Lorax' by Dr Seuss about industry and the environment, and the cafe is a sustainable espresso bar using ethically sourced beans from the Social Roasting Company, who deliver the beans on a green bicycle. Truffula Seed's Truffula Blend is available for sale here.

La Bel Miette, 30 Hardware Lane. Photo: AP

Next stop La Belle Miette with delightful macarons beautifully presented in little boxes designed by Melbourne graphic artist Kano Hollamby. The little French patisserie at 30 Hardware Lane, specialises in macarons and the most difficult part is the decision with regard to colour/flavour. 
My eyes told me I had to have the Pink Grapefruit (top right) but my senses said Violet  & Blueberry so I followed the gut feeling and the taste sensation was amazing - violet and blueberry it was indeed. 
The skilful blends are due to the fact that La Belle Miette's Maylynn is the daughter of a natural perfumer. Flavours include Lemon (bottom left), Raspberry Ganache (top left), Rose, Cherry Blossom & Sake and Caramel a la Fleur de Sel.

Still on the French theme, Cafe Vue at 430 Little Collins is part of Chef Shannon Bennett's empire now including the signature Vue de Monde Restaurant,Bistro Vue and Cafe Vue as well as private dining and a shop. On the subject of famous chefs, Fifteen Restaurant re-opened without the Jamie Oliver connection as the The Kitchen Cat, next to Hermes,at 115 -117 Collins Street with Chef Toby Puttock in charge.
Back to cafes and last stop, Captains of Industry, 20 Somerset Place, open for breakfast, lunch, snacks and events, a 'gentlemen's haven' with traditional haircuts, bespoke footwear, mens grooming and made to measure. menswear. It's full of young creatives of both genders, who love its quirky ambience, all part of the trend to value-add emotion when it comes to shopping and even drinking coffee.
And Melbourne's doing it, big-time.
©Alison Plummer

Attention mushroom and truffle lovers ...

Saffron Milk Caps & Slippery Jacks before ..

...and after, as prepared by Monica Cooper and Katie Bird of Two Birds and a Shed, Oberon.

Now's the time to head for Oberon, west of the Blue Mountains in NSW to pick prized exotic forest mushrooms by the basket full! Saffron Milk Caps and Slippery Jacks grow in abundance and picking them is something I've heard you could do but never managed to find the time to coincide with the short season when they flourish in Oberon's pine plantations, brought as spores with the European pine seedlings.

Slippery Jacks ( thanks to Luke for lending a hand).

Saffron Milk Cap.

Picking them is one thing - eating quite another. Two Birds and a Shed caterers Monica Cooper and Katie Bird showed us how to prepare them in the kitchen at Monica and Wayne Cooper's RoosterHill Guesthouse, serving the muchrooms up in a creamy sauce with a side of Black Perigord truffle omelette courtesy of neighbouring Lowes Mount Truffiere.

Katie Bird of Two Birds and a Shed.


Monica and Katie cater for all kinds of occasions from dinner parties to grand events and cook up breakfast at the Tablelands Way Farmer's Markets on the first Saturday of the month.  Local produce from this lovely area includes quality beef and lamb, asparagus, hazelnuts, tomatoes, saffron, trout, truffle products (think Lowes Mount Truffles' own truffle in rock salt and mouthwatering hazelnuts in truffled honey).

ww.roosterhill.com.au/birds.htm

www.roosterhill.com.au

www.lowesmounttruffles.com.au

www.visitbluemountains.com.au

Lake Okareka Lodge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSlyNNLLQ1c

www.lebua.com/en/lake-okareka-lodge




Filmed and produced by Ken Martin/True Blue Cockatoo
www.bluecockatoo.com.au

Lords Of The Manor

Lording It At Lords of The Manor

Gorgeously mellow – Lords of The Manor. Pic: Alison Plummer

Apart from our own piece of paradise in the Hunter, the beautiful Lords of The Manor, a member of Small Luxury Hotels, has to be the most relaxing place I have ever stayed. It must be something in the air at Upper Slaughter (from an old English word for mud) in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, but it just makes you want to give in to all the indulgences such as a gourmet afternoon tea (the best in the area) and a la carte dining at the hotel's Michelin Starred restaurant.

Think Cornish red mullet and crab steamed in a courgette flower on a warm aubergine gateau; sirloin of Cotswold Longhorn beef, fricassee of Hereford snails and broad beans, cep purée, red wine auce; roasted Creedy Carver Devonshire duck, Cox's farm pear puree, pan fried foie gras; fillet of Loch Duart salmon,  Cox's Farm asparagus.

The whole Cotswold area has become a gourmet experience with farm shops to visit, farm gates and fabulous local produce. The ancient city of Cirencester has gracious buildings and laneways with intriguing shops and cafes such as Made by Bob, a stylish, modern café opposite Hobbs House Bakery, while nearby are Cirencester Cupcakes, Jesse Smith Butchers with  Jesse Smith Bistro and the New Wave fishmonger


Cirencester Cupcakes:

All just right for a leisurely drive and flying in to Birmingham on Emirates makes the whole journey very simple. Oh - made myself hungry now ...

 www.lordsofthemanor.com www.slh.com/ www.emirates.com/au
www.visitbritain.com




See my story in The Australian:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/cheese-cheer-and-tasty-puds/story -e6f rg8rf-1225955102120 

Lords of The Manor Gourmet Afternoon Tea

Potted Shrimps with Granary Toast

A selection of Homemade Finger Sandwiches including:
- Cox’s Farm Cucumber
- Single Gloucester Cheddar
- Our own Smoked Salmon
- Cotswold Legbar Egg Mayonnaise and
Spring Onion

Freshly Baked Scones with Clotted Cream and Homemade Preserve,
Butter Shortbread and a selection of delicious handcrafted Pastries