Theatre of Ideas (starring Nigella Lawson)

Just had the loveliest weekend in Melbourne.

I stayed at my beautiful best friend's newly built house.  She and her husband have the most AMAZING garden - fantastic veg, fruit, and the greenest grass you've ever seen.  Just gorgeous.  I was so happy to eat my fill of tomatoes, cukes, basil, and even raided her blackberry bush - YUM!

My accomplice, Samantha, & Blackberry bush



Yummy Breaky

 And I have to tell you about the fantastic dinner we had Friday night.  We went to a Vietnamese restaurant, Tien Dat , on Carrington Street, Box Hill.  Fresh, flavourful & authentic - my friends are in the know because they know the owner!



My favourite dish - "Bo La Lot" - beef mince wrapped in betel leaves, delicious.

 So much yummy food:


Red  Chicken Curry, Spicy Squid, Sizzling Chicken with garlic & ginger.

And what's more, I then got to go see more beautiful food made at The Melbourne Food and Wine Show.  I had a gold ticket to the Theatre of Ideas starring Anna Gare and the legend of all food legends:  Nigella Lawson!!  Anna Gare was very entertaining and had us cackling away while she made some delightful dishes - all of which I look forward to cooking, slightly adapting, and enjoying:  Scallop ceviche, Persian crusted Beef fillet, upside down salad (I have actually made this before) and Fruit Frangipane Tarts.



Alistair McLeod and Anna Gare

 And then the woman herself.  Nigella Lawson - *wild cheering*:

She was hillarious!  I think most of the audience was suprised at how funny she really is, and she can talk the legs off a table, she didn't stop for a second - so many stories, so much info and all delivered in a very self-deprecating manner.  The first thing she said when she came out was: " After I did the first session yesterday, I realised something about myself:  I am totally unsuited to doing a Master Class." Oh yes, she made a right mess of it at times, but it was so completely "her" that it made us feel even more priveleged to be witness to it:



Chatting with Matt Preston about Italian Cooking





Using all the KitchenAid applaicances



Coffee & Walnut Cake


Gosh I loved it, but I still left before it finished.  Only because I wanted to get in the queue early to make sure I got to meet her & get my new copy of "Kitchen" signed.

And thanks to my new friend behind me in the queue, I got a piccy too!

It was so worth the money, effort, everything.  Saw a few other food celebs there too but had to get a piccy with this man:


Me and Matt the Cravat (aka Matt Preston)

So many beautiful memories, and such a lovely time.  I was so thankful to my amazing husband who did an exceptional job minding all 4 kids while I was gone for 3 days, and my wonderful friend (and family) who looked after me so well, drove me everywhere and helped me hunt out the most fabulous pair of shoes ever:

THE END