corica pastries (& the famous apple strudel), northbridge

A long, sturdy box, containing Corica's famous apple strudel.

When I updated my Facebook status to say I was in Perth, one of my friends was quick with his recommendation: "You must have Corica's apple strudel!"

Apparently the apple strudels from Corica Pastries are so famous that travellers from Southeast Asia often bring it back with them on their flights home. That's pretty impressive stuff.

So off we went to Giuseppe Corica Pastries (106 Aberdeen St, Northbridge).

We had other plans for the day so we just made a quick stop. In addition to the must-have strudel, I was curious to try their other offerings, too. I chose a couple of smaller things to snack on - a shortbread sandwich with buttercream and apricot jam, named "Amore", and a custard horn.

Amore (left) and custard horn (right), $2.90 each.

The Amore was sweet, dainty, and also rather expensive for how tiny it was. The custard horn had a delightfully flaky pastry encasing the lusciously creamy custard - so good, I wish I had bought more. In fact, I'd say it deserves some of the limelight alongside the strudels at Corica.

Ah, yes, those famous apple strudels. You can get the classic apple strudel and/or the blueberry-apple strudel. We got the latter. It survived the car ride home mostly intact, with just some minor damage.

My suggestion? Heat the strudel up in the oven first - it really brings it back to life. I loved it so, so much more when it was warm and crispy, and it was then that the wow factor really properly hit me - oh, the layers of crunchy and creamy and comfort! - and I finally knew what the fuss was all about.

Yep, I'm passing on the recommendation. 

Corica's blueberry apple strudel, $20 - yields about 4 servings.

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swan valley food and wine trail, western australia

A vineyard in Swan Valley.

Here's something I promised a couple of weeks ago, a post about my Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail experience.

Now if there's one thing that a food lover loves, it's a food and wine trail. I mean, a whole day swanning around (heheh, see what I did there?) and being indulgent in all things edible. Heaven.

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So after having lunch at Taylor's Cafe, Simon and I went around to Whistler's Chocolate Company, which was just next door.

Oh, what fun it is to be in a chocolate showroom surrounded by sweet delights!

The chocolates on display at Whister's Chocolate Company in Swan Valley.

We purchased dark-chocolate-coated dried strawberries, and raspberry licorice. I liked the novelty of the dried strawberries as I don't think I've had them before, but overall I found the quality of the products quite average. If by any chance I go there again, I'll ask for samples before buying.



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After that, we stopped by at Caprino Farm, known for their goat dairy products. Unfortunately, it seemed that they didn't have any milk and yoghurt for us at this particular time of the year. (Upon visiting their website later, we see that it's best to call before dropping by.)

Still, all's not lost. During our quick gander, we met this adorable puppy called Boo, who jumped up at us ever so enthusiastically.

LOOK HOW TINY HE IS.

Awwww, Boo.

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I haven't had nougat in ages, so of course we stopped at Mondo Nougat. The selection is quite dazzling, and I decided to go with the easy decision of an assorted bag.

A bag of assorted nougats from Mondo Nougat.

It was fun going through the different flavours, which included the classic vanilla as well as interesting ones like lemon, cappuccino and more. I only wish they do more crunchy versions - I enjoy soft nougat, too, but I do have quite a fondness for crunchy nougat. Considering how skewed their offered options are, perhaps I'm in the minority?



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Next, we dabbled in the viscous wonders of The House of Honey. Lots of honey tasting ensued. We bought a block of honeycomb, a jar of Jarrah honey (a dark honey purported to have extra awesome health benefits), and a jar of lavender honey (which tasted absolutely gorgeous).

Our haul from The House of Honey.

We also took a quick break at their Sticky Spoon Cafe. Much as I wanted to try their cakes and scones, we were still super full from our lunch, and settled for a "honey spider" instead - basically, a float made with honey sparkling water and honey ice cream. It was gentle, sweet and refreshing. However, our ice cream tasted like a plain vanilla - not quite sure what happened there. Hmm...



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It's time for something savoury, and The Cheese Barrel, run by Olive Farm Wines, fits the bill. This is not a cheese factory - it's just a place to buy and enjoy cheeses from all over the world, and matched with their very own wines, if you like.

They don't do free tastings here, but the staff were pretty helpful in assisting us with our choices. We ended up taking home Queso San Simon from Spain, and Healey's Pyengana Cheddar from Tasmania.

Queso San Simon from Spain (left) and Pyengana cheddar from Tasmania (right).

I only discovered smoked cheese in recent years and I am a big fan. So it goes without saying that Queso San Simon absolutely won my heart with its smooth, buttery texture and smoky ham notes. I relished the Pyengana cheddar as well - rich, crumbly, with hints of salt crystals. Yum yum.



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What's a food and wine trail without the wine? Don't worry, while we're not exactly connoisseurs, we do enjoy the occasional tipple. There were so many wineries on the trail, but Harris Organic Wines stood out to me, thanks to their natural approach to wine making.

My positive impression of this winery was further enhanced after meeting their cat, Arthur. He was a little reserved at first, but we quickly earned his trust.

LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL HE IS.

Arthur the cat licks me affectionately. He loves me, he really loves me!

Simon and I are quite partial to dessert wines. We picked their Rose Muscat and Tokay (aka Topaque). The Rose Muscat is lovely - sweet but not syrupy, it was light and fresh with a nice hint of acidity, and I even detected lychee notes. Then there is the Tokay, which undergoes an even more natural process - no preservatives are used, and if I recall correctly, winemaker Duncan mentioned that it was not fortified nor filtered, either, so the alcohol content is lower, and there are traces of sediment. It was indulgently delicious - like liquefied spiced honey raisins.

Wines by Harris Organic - a Rose Muscat and a Tokay ( aka Topaque).

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We made our second honey stop for the day, at Windarra Honey. This is a very simple and rustic shop, and what it may lack in shiny sophistication, it makes up for with personal charm. The beekeeper himself greeted us, showed us the beekeeping box, then led us through different honey samples plus other tasty honey-related products like honey tahini and passionfruit honey spread, which we ended up getting, along with some bee pollen and Parrot Bush honey.

Honey goodies from Windarra Honey.

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It was getting late, and Cape Lavender was our last stop for the day. Their cafe had all but closed, but we were still able to get takeaway lavender scones, which came thoughtfully packed with small tubs of cream and strawberry lavender jam.

Lavender scones from Cape Lavender.

The following day, I warmed the scones up in the oven and assembled them together with the jam and cream for breakfast. They were divine - fluffy, flaky, floral, fabulous. A real treat. It made me very, very happy.



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P.S. The Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail seems like it may be best experienced from Wednesday to Sunday, when most of the producers are open to visitors. If there are any particular stops you fancy, check their opening hours. To be honest, we didn't do a lot of research - other than Urbanspoon, I got some information on the Swan Valley website and we also popped by the Swan Valley Visitor Centre for a free map - great for planning your journey the old fashioned way, with a pen for circling places of interest.

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hot smoked paprika milk steak marinade

A smoky milk steak marinade.

I hereby briefly interrupt my interstate travel journals to bring you this simply smokin' steak marinade recipe. It's a recent experiment and it's super easy, so easy that there is really no excuse for not trying it. Go on now, caress your steak with milk and let those warm, seductive paprika notes sing...

hot smoked paprika milk marinade 
(makes enough for 2 steaks)

1/3 cup milk
4 teaspoons hot smoked paprika

Mix milk and hot smoked paprika together to create the marinade. That's it! You may add more flavours with minced garlic and herbs, if you like. You may also add salt to season it now, or you may decide to salt your steaks later - just before grilling, or even afterwards.

Alternatively, mix together just enough milk and hot smoked paprika together to form a paste, and rub all over the steaks.

how to use this smoky marinade:

Marinade for at least 1 hour, but 2+ hours or overnight would be even better for greater flavour infusion. If the meat is not well-immersed in the marinade, flip it every now and then.

(Vegetarians: I imagine you can use this smoky milk marinade for things like vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and mock meats, too.)

When you're ready to eat, remove steaks from marinade, oil the pan, and cook those juicy hunks to your liking. Serve the steaks with a sprinkle of salt, plus a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or a slice of butter. Alternatively, you cook the marinade to create a sauce to go with the steaks - see below.

what to do with the leftover marinade?

You can try simmering the leftover paprika milk marinade along with some butter to reduce it down to a sauce that can go nicely with your steaks. Alternatively, save it and use it later in another dish - quiche, gratin, scrambled eggs and whatever else takes your fancy...

Hot smoked paprika milk steak.

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Taylor's Art & Coffee House, Swan Valley

My adventures in Perth continue, this time a little further out from the city, in the fertile Swan Valley. 

Obviously, I did the Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail. How could I not?

After some windy, rainy weather early last week, it cleared up to be sweet and sunny by the time Wednesday morning rolled around, so we decided that yes, it was time to drive around for a day of edible fun.

First things first. We began our day with brunch at Taylor's Art & Coffee House (510 Great Northern Highway, Middle Swan).

Taylor's Art and Coffee House, Swan Valley.

This is a quaint, sustainable cafe run by the Taylor family. Many of ingredients in the dishes here are sourced from homegrown seasonal produce from their own gardens. I like the "farm to plate" concept and was happy to find a place like this in Swan Valley.

We started off with the "soup of the day" - creamy corn with truffle and parmesan. This is a lovely, rustic soup with blended corn providing roughage and texture, parmesan kicking in a sharp saltiness and the gentlest blink-and-you'll-miss-it hint of truffle teasing our taste buds. The focaccia bread on the side was fresh, warm and had such a crunchy crust - so wonderful with this homemade soup.

Taylor's Cafe: small soup of the day - creamy corn with truffle and parmesan ($9).

And then the mains.

We tried this chermoula chicken salad with roasted sweet potato, beetroot, chickpeas, spinach, spiced yoghurt and garlic walnut crumble, just because it sounded so fabulous. The flavours didn't pop as much as we expected, but it was still alright - and very wholesome.

Taylor's Cafe: chermoula chicken salad ($23).

We also decided upon the braised organic beef meatballs, served with dressed greens, sour cream and crusty bread. This was super comforting on a cool winter's day. The meatballs were tender and moreish. The tomato sauce was a bit heavy on the salt, but it can be somewhat countered with the sour cream and more of that focaccia, so we can kind of forgive that. The salad on the side was mostly leafy greens, but also had bits of pumpkin and goat cheese, and it was perfectly seasoned.

Taylor's Cafe: braised organic beef meatballs ($18).

All in all, we were won over by the down-to-earth food with fresh ingredients and generous servings. Moreover, the young man waiting the tables was friendly and quick with a smile. They've got the countryside charm going on! I'd recommend Taylor's Cafe for breakfast, brunch or lunch - this was a great first stop for our Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail experience. The only downside, perhaps, is that we were so full afterwards that we could barely fit anything else into our tummies for the rest of the trail - so let that be a word of caution, ha.

I'll soon follow up with we did for the food and wine trail. Stay tuned!



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hello from perth: brunch, biltong, bubble tea, and more!

Greetings from Perth!

Simon and I arrived a few days ago and have been enjoying a very leisurely time out in the Perth Hills. This is the first time I've visited Western Australia, while it's old hat for Simon, this being his hometown and all. For both of us, it has been a very nice holiday so far.

Winter in Perth is, for the most part, quite mild - perhaps almost like autumn in Melbourne. The temperatures are warm enough that there has been some days where I've happily taken off my coat and carried it around instead. Mind you, it's been rainy today and we're expecting even choppier weather over the next day or two, but it's supposed to clear up after that, so it's all good!

To be honest, we haven't been doing much in terms of sight-seeing... yet. However, we've been spending lots of quality time with Simon's family, who are so warm and welcoming. On our first day his mum cooked us a delicious lasagne, and the food has kept coming - as I type this, I am tucking into a gorgeous slice of lemon meringue pie.

Oh, and this is the view I get when I wake up in the morning. Not bad, eh?

The view from our room.

On Sunday, I had brunch with Simon and his family. We went to a place called Toast (Shop 21, 60 Royal St, East Perth). One of the allures of this place is the waterfront location where you can dine al fresco with lake views. The other is, as their namesake suggests, the different types of bread/toast that they offer.

The place is super busy and those waiting for a spot are given a rubber duck as a token. The colour of the rubber duck denotes your place in the queue, apparently. It was cute - gimmicky, but cute.

Once we had sat down and ordered, our drinks and food took a while to arrive, but they did, eventually.

I had the eggs florentine, which came with potato and parmesan toast. It was decent, if a bit pricey for what it was - you can see that the serving isn't very big, and it's not otherwise particularly fancy or elaborate, either. Still, the eggs had deep orange and runny yolks. The bread was soft in the middle, crispy around the edges, and gratifyingly savoury.

Eggs Florentine at Toast, East Perth. $15.90 or $16.90 - can't remember which.

Simon had the vegetarian full breakfast, which he seemed to enjoy. I procured a piece of his corn fritter, which was soft and fluffy and generous with juicy corn kernels.

I don't think Toast is special enough to warrant the weekend queues, and I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Having said that, we still had a fine time there with family.




We went for a stroll in Kings Park and Botanic Garden afterwards. It was very pleasant.

Kings Park and Botanic Garden.

Then we walked from there to the Perth CBD area.

Simon was eager to grab a refreshing beverage from his favourite bubble tea place, Utopia (71 Barrack St, Perth), a local chain which has been around since 2001. He opted for an apple green tea with grape jelly, whilst I selected a YETO peach tea with apple jelly. (YETO is some probiotic thing, similar to Vitagen or Yakult).

My YETO peach tea from Utopia.

We sipped on our teas as we sat at the tables, intermittently watching a screen that was playing Mandarin, Japanese and Korean pop song videos. I have to say I really like the bubble teas here -  tasty, and very generous with the jellies. The only odd thing is that my bubble tea with 25% sugar is about as sweet as Simon's with 50% sugar, and I could go a little less, but fortunately it was still alright for me. (Yes, you can customize your preference for sugar amounts, as well as ice). When all's said and done, I might even say it's quite possibly now my most favourite bubble tea place, too!




We also came across The Biltong Shop (21 Plaza Arcade, Perth) when we were wandering about, and decided to get a bag of assorted biltong (cured dried meat, South African style) in different flavours (peri peri, pepper, chilli and fatty). My favourite is the peri peri - it's not the "extra hot" it claims to be, as far as I'm concerned, but it definitely has a sufficiently spicy kick.

The biltong pieces from The Biltong Shop make a convenient snack.

The Biltong Shop also has droewors (dried sausage) and beef jerky, so if we're in the area again sometime, we might try those as well.




After a few days of settling down, I decided it was finally time to get off the couch and start doing some cooking with Simon, to give his mum a break. Together, we created this vegan soba noodle salad with roasted vegetables for lunch.

Vegan soba salad.

And we ate it while enjoying this view.

View from the Perth Hills - you can just spy Perth City in the distance.

That's all for now, but I've still got about a week to spend in Perth, so any suggestions or recommendations of things to see, do and eat, are welcome!

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mini vegan mandarin muffins / cakes

mini vegan mandarin muffins.

Last month, my workplace participated in Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. Here's the idea: we could choose to contribute by baking some treats to share with the office, or simply make a reasonable donation to partake in the delights. The funds we raise would all go to the Cancer Council.

It's a great cause, and of course, I decided to do both!

Mandarins are in season at the moment, and wonderfully cheap. If you go to the markets at the right time in winter, they can go for as low as 99 cents per kilogram. A total bargain. That, plus my love for all things citrus, soon brought me to the conclusion that mini vegan mandarin muffins were the obvious choice for this baking adventure.

So I whipped up about a dozen mini muffins the night before, and, of course, taste-tested them with Simon to make sure they were okay for feeding my colleagues. Our verdict was: most definitely. In fact, Simon was a little too enthusiastic about the tasting, and I had to shoo him away to protect my remaining muffins.

A few notes (and ramblings):

- I used the peel of one mandarin in this recipe, which suits me well, but if you really love the peel, you can probably use two mandarins' worth.

- The oven I used resulted in some muffins being browner on top than others. In my pictures of these muffins, the mandarin segments on top may look burnt, but they tasted perfectly fine, surprisingly. And I preferred their appearance to the paler ones, but taste-wise it was a much of a muchness.

- These are much lovelier, I feel, when they are still warm from the oven. I tried one the next day, and while it was still decent, it wasn't quite as alluring. They were just so addictive right after baking, with a little aromatic steam still wafting as you take a bite... so, yeah, eat them sooner rather than later, or, if they'd cooled down, perhaps heat them up in the oven again before serving.

- Also, sprinkling sugar to create crunchy tops was a fabulous idea. Because the tops were oh-so-crunchy. However, even though I cooled the muffins before storing them, they weren't quite as crunchy the next day. Any ideas on how I may improve on keeping them fresh? I guess, as per above, I could warm them up in the oven briefly again before serving.

- If you would like to turn these mini mandarin muffins into mini mandarin cakes, simply adjust the amount of sugar. 1/3 cup sugar makes them just mildly sweet, and reasonably healthy as muffins should be. If I am to transform them into mini cakes, I would probably go for 1/2 cup sugar, but it really depends on your personal preferences. I'm more of a not-too-sweet kinda girl.

- Being vegan, these muffins are naturally dairy-free and egg-free. They are also nut-free. You could potentially make them gluten-free, as well, using your favourite gluten-free flour mix substitute.

mini mandarin muffins, best eaten whilst still warm from the oven!

mini vegan mandarin muffins
(makes 12 mini muffins or cakes)

1.5 cups flour
1/3 - 1/2 cup raw sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
4 small mandarins (5cm/2" diameter each, or 300g / 10.6oz total ± 15g / 0.5oz), plus more for decoration
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced (180C regular).
Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a big bowl.
Prepare the mandarins. Remove the stem bits on top, and any seeds.
At this point, you want the flesh of 4 mandarins and the peel of 1 mandarin. Using a blender, blitz the mandarin flesh, mandarin peel, olive oil and salt until smooth. Stir through coconut milk.
Stir the mandarin mix into flour mix. Do not over-mix, a bit of lumpiness is fine. The batter will be very thick. This is fine, unless there are still streaks of flour, in which case just carefully add a little bit more coconut milk until it all comes together.
Divide the batter amongst 12 muffin wrappers slotted in a muffin tray. It'll probably only be enough to fill up halfway, hence the mini stature!
Top with a small mandarin segment and sprinkle evenly with a thin layer of sugar all over. (I also added a tiny bit of vanilla salt for kicks.)
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown on top.

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osaka-style okonomiyaki at ura, fitzroy

Okonomiyaki at URA, oh yeah!

I was excited. Very excited. A Japanese pop-up pancake shop, serving homemade okonomiyaki, Osaka-style. It's happening.

I first heard of this venture by URA (28 Johnston St, Fitzroy) through word of mouth, via Simon's housemate, who has some kind of vague acquaintance with Matsu, the owner.

URA is a shop that offers Japanese clothing, toys and other treasures hand-picked from flea markets in Osaka and Kyoto. This pancake thing isn't part of the business - it's an occasional, casual affair, and it feels a bit like you're over at your friend's place on the weekend, while they make pancakes for you.

The okonomiyaki menu at URA, Fitzroy.

It's all very simple. You can get a basic vegetarian okonomiyaki with cabbage, spring onion, okra, and deep fried beancurd. If you want to jazz it up, you can request additional items such as rice cake or cheese.

So. Much. Excitement.

Simon and his housemates ordered the basic okonomiyaki, but I was feeling indulgent, and asked for cheese with mine, because, well, why the hell not?

Tucking into the okonomiyaki.

I'll tell you this. Matsu's okonomiyaki is quite substantial and unabashedly excellent. I am yet to visit Japan, let alone Osaka, so I cannot vouch for its authenticity, but it certainly tastes like it should be the real thing - this stuff is delicious. So much better than the typical ones you get from the dime-a-dozen takeaway shops dotted all over Melbourne. It's made to order, with incredibly fresh, chunky ingredients, cooked till it's just right and served immediately, piping hot.

If this is what Osaka-style okonomiyaki is like, GIVE ME MORE.

While the affable Matsu doesn't put a price on his okonomiyaki, there is a donation jar, so be generous and show your appreciation for his hospitality, and those scrumptious hunks of savoury Japanese pancake goodness. He will surely be delighted if you take the time to browse the store, too - there are some cute, charming, strange and quirky odds and ends worth exploring - we took home some toys (you can see one of the figurines in the first picture up there).

URA's pop-up pancake shop seems to be a semi-regular monthly occurrence. The next one is this very Sunday, 7th of July! Go between 11am to 4pm. If you want to be in the loop, follow URA on Facebook so you don't miss out (last I checked, it seems that he has even started making his own okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise!). Additionally, there isn't much space, and I have no idea how many pancakes Matsu can churn out a day, so depending on how busy it is, you may or may not get lucky. But you can always try, and you probably should.

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recent delights: brazilian banana candy, orangina, cantaloupe jam, havarti cheese

Hello everyone, I hope you've been well.

I knew I was way overdue for a "recent delights" post when some of the delights aren't that recent anymore. So here we go! Another edition of various odds and ends I've encountered lately.

My capoeira instructor came back from a trip to Brazil earlier this year, and he brought back these Brazilian banana confections with him. It's apparently pure banana. That's right, banana is the only ingredient in this sweet, chewy candy called "bananinha". I have no idea how it's made, but I imagine the bananas are cooked down until they're all thick and caramelised, then poured into a tray to set, before being cut up into pieces. How's that for a guess? I've also received a very similar banana candy from a Thai colleague, though I think that one had additional ingredients, and as a result, a slightly more complex flavour profile. Either way, these are pretty nice snacks. Maybe I should try making my own one day.

Bananinha, a Brazilian sweet... basically,  banana candy.

The carbonated citrus drink, Orangina, is quite common back home in Malaysia but I rarely see it here in Melbourne, or anywhere in Australia, really. However, one of my local spots, Le Petit Français Crêperie & Café in South Yarra, serves it. Intrigued, I hopped online to find out more about Orangina's story. Two things: 1) I find out that it's actually Algerian in origin, 2) I'd always assumed that it was just a fizzy orange drink, but I now know that it also contains lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit juices. I'm a bit of a citrus fiend so I guess this explains why I find this beverage so attractive. That plus the nostalgia factor, no doubt.

Orangina, a sparkling citrus beverage.

Simon's housemates went to Daylesford a while ago, and they brought back some lovely fruit preserves. Our favourite one was the homemade cantaloupe and passion fruit jam by Dale's Delights. I don't know if I've ever had a melon-based jam before this, but I'm a total convert - it was fresh, dewy, charming, playful. This is the kind of jam that makes people happy.

Cantaloupe jam. So fragrantly delicious.

I've also recently fallen in love with Havarti cheese. It's mellow and creamy and nutty and almost mushroomy. I can be a bit of a wimp when it comes to cheese, but Havarti strikes a pleasing balance for me with sweet, rounded flavours that don't get too strong and crazy. It's popular as a dessert cheese, with fruit and wine, and I can certainly see why. Obviously I had to pair it up with that exquisite cantaloupe jam, on top of some garlic and herb water crackers. It was a beautiful match all around.

Garlic and herb crackers, Havarti cheese, cantaloupe and passionfruit jam.

What are some of your recent delights?

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