Good Food & Wine Show, Sydney 2016 - Part 1

The Good Food & Wine Show in Sydney is my annual pilgrimage. It’s the one major event of the year that I look forward to and enjoy every single minute and this year I backed it up with a two day visit!

Arriving early on Friday the lines are already long but we are in the doors before we know it and purchasing our tasting glass and lanyard.　 As an FYI this year, if you were a Dan Murphy’s member you could ‘jump’ the line and enter in a separate line quicker and also receive a free wine glass (which I did on the Saturday). Thanks Dan Murphy’s.

Ready.....set....go..

Where to begin?　 Wine of course!

First stop is Bunnamagoo Wines.

 

 

Our second stop of the day was a absolute delight. Sampling the awesome Hartshorn sheep whey vodka and vanilla liqueur. 　How?　 By developing a technique to use the by-product (from making cheese from sheep milk (whey) from the family business at Grand Ewe cheese and distilling this to create a clean, crisp vodka is, in my opinion, brilliant.　

The bottles are gorgeous too being lovingly hand painted!　 The vanilla liquor is like vanilla icecream in a bottle!!!

So much to try and see.

We make our way through Barossa wines before landing at Bruny Island Cheese Co.　 I am a fan of the stinky cheeses and newly paired beers. Here we have The Saint and the Otto.  The Saint is [   and the Otto is a fresh cheese wrapped in prosciutto.

The Saint (left) and Otto (right) - Bruny Island Cheese Co.

Bruny Island Beer Co is brewing some awesome Farm Ale and dark beers too, which pair really well with stinky cheeses.
 

 

I’m excited about beer and cheese together (and there is more on that during Saturdays visit later).
I’m sensing more beer this year.　 Although I am not a big beer drinker (occasionally drinking beer when it’s hot), today I sampled some beers that may just change my mind a little.　

Over at the Australian Brewery I was surprised by a nice Pilsner (which is my Partner and Dad’s beer of choice) and their Ice Ice Baby (pilsner on ice on tap).

We may have spent quite some time over at Tamburlaine chatting with Mark Davidson.  This is one of my favourite wineries and love their GSM and their stickies and Muscat!

Tasmanian artisan brewery Moo Brew have a range of brews to suit your palette.  I really am liking the darker ales today!

 

Want something wintery and warming? Maxwell’s Liqueur Mead is heavenly and a bottle is  purchased!

Doc Adams is next.　 A friend has raved about their wine (specifically the 2013 GSM) and I have been wanting to try it before I purchased a case.　 Sadly, they are not sampling it at the show.　 I made some enquiries about purchasing a bottle before committing…and I left my details.　

 

A drool worthy moment with Miguel as he cooks a huge pan of paella.　 Cannot help myself and purchase a paella pan and a take home paella kit!  Pity he didn't come with the purchase! 

 

We stop by Sud Polaire for some gin….  I am not a gin person (it makes me cry) so I don't enjoy it as much as other spirits and I find tonic to be to bitter and grrrr....

 

So I  am surprised by this tonic!  I like it.

 

Whiskey and Porteen over at Melbourne Martini is sipped (and bring the Boy back the next day).

 

Cheers from us girls as we sip our way around the festival.

James Squire is offering a selection of their beers and we can not help ourselves, we have to sample all of them.　 I am a big fan of the Summer Swindler.　 The Jack of Spades Porter is palatable too!

The Wog with the Grog have a selection of European grappas and citrus based liqueurs.

I think it is clear what the Biltong Man makes and the mango and chilli one is a winner!

Over at Mr Black I fall in love with their cold drip coffee liqueur.　 I don’t think I have ever tasted something so delicious made from/with coffee.

Oregano bakery offering up some awesome scrolls.

 

Always stop by Stone's.　 I noticed the Gold is no longer available but there are a few other options.　 The reserve is quite nice.

Okay so there was some food involved (at some point!). hahaha

Jack Dillion’s was there again this year and offering some tasty BBQ sauces along with their lovely smoked garlic.　

The lovely people at Brixton gave me a bottle of their Jerk sauce and their BBQ rum sauce is awesome!!! (purchased a bottled the next day).　 Looking forward to making some jerk chicken with this.

 

 

The Smelly Cheese Club offer a range of just that (stinky) cheese from all around the world!　  So as per normal I purchase their selection. (in fact we had the le Delice de Cremiers on the weekend and loved this soft cheese)

 

We discovered Nick’s Jerky at the Deni Ute Muster last year and are fans of the dried stuff.

 

The aptly name Sticky Balsamic　 stall is a must.　 A lovely range of balsamic vinegars including a gorgeous pear balsamic.　 Miss B purchased the box set!!!!

 

Murray River Pork are taste testing their pork products and I arrive just in time for a slab of pork belly with crunchy crackling.　 Yum!

 

Tamar valley truffles is always a nice stop…one day I will purchase you lovelies!

 

There is lots of cider tasting this year too.  Elk cider is a traditional Swedish cider and they make a  nice apple cider!  I find pear to sweet.

 

Over at Cheese Ally, there is a lot to explore and enjoyed meeting Mrs Cheese from Hunter Belle Cheese.  Say Fromage!!!!  the cheese range is good too and purchase a few of the range including caramelised onion and hyme and cranberry and pistachio.  Their beer cheese is divine!

Our first day was awesome at the show and there were plenty of products purchased (lucky I took my Nanna trolley).

Damascus, Street Eats and Singing Underwear - eating my way through Syria - Part 1

It saddens me to see what is happening in Syria at the moment.  My heart goes out to a nation that is living amid a war, unthinkable acts against the people, a government regime that is destroying the country and faith in humanity!  I won't even try to talk politics or try to justify it, yes it needs to stop, but whose job is that?  Who should get involved?  What outcome could that possibly lead to?

 

So while this is going on I want to share my happy, amazing, wonderful trip that I took to Syria back in 2009, when the streets were safe(r) and freedom was a little easier.  I never really excepted to much from Syria.  I was more eager to discover Jordan, but like a few countries with low expectations when I visited have actually been the best! I did discover was a country that was amazingly friendly, full of culture, history, wonderful landscapes and fantastic food! (and I preferred it over Jordan)

 

It was winter in Dubai (okay still a balmy 25+ degrees) but winter nonetheless.  I had just hosted an Orphan's Christmas Brunch in Dubai, overindulging on good food and sparkles (as one does in Dubai).  Bleary eyed and slightly worst for wear we fly to Syria (I still make promises to myself I will stop flying hungover). 

 

Bulky, woolly warm coats and beanies in hand (buying them in Dubai was not easy), we arrived in Damascus to cold, blustery weather with a hint of snow in the air.  After a long hot summer, cool weather was welcomed (and a novelty).  Even though geographically, Syria is only a hop, skip and a jump away from Dubai, the weather couldn't be more different. 

 

The weather does not stop us hitting the streets of one of the oldest and longest continually inhabited city in the world.  I was immediately drawn into this old, walled city.  The hustle and bustle of  Al-Hamidiyah Souq does not disappoint.  Lane ways of clothes shops, spices, sweets, household items and singing underwear (yes you heard me correctly and more on that later). 

 

We came upon our first sweet shop, full to the brim with neatly packed towers of baklava, znood es-sett (pastry cigars filled with cheese),  halva (a sesame paste with fruit and nuts) and kenafeh (lace pastry with white cheese, nuts and oozing with syrup) to name only a few.  But its all nuts, fruit, sweet sticky syrup laden pastry heaven.  You can purchase by the piece, by the bag and even by the kilo!

 

towers of sticky, sweet heaven

 

 

nuts about pastries

 

 

fattoush

My eyes light up like a kid in a candy store, literally.  It's a lolly shop, but having a savoury tooth I was actually more interested in the chips, which turned out to be pasta!  Not sure why this combination of sales was chosen but it certainly makes you stop and browse!

lollies and pasta shop

A spice shop selling frying pans full of 'wax'.  I think something may have gotten lost in translation as the male shopkeeper tried to explain using body gestures that it was for waxing - but I think it may have solidified fat and used more for cooking purposes than spreading over ones body! (but then again singing underwear and all who knows!)

 

 

a giant coffee pot - I couldn't fit this into my bag!

mint and lemon juice

The middle east use lots of dried flowers in their cuisine, particularly in sweets.  The most famous would be rose and orange blossom.  Everywhere you look you can bottle bottles of heady scented rose water and orange blossom water.

dried rose buds, petals and other flowers

 

There is a line 3 people deep at this little stall and we need sustenance.  They were selling kibbeh (which is typically bulgar wheat, lamb mince, pine nuts,onions and spices and shaped into torpedos and fried).  You can also have it slab baked.  However these little balls looked very different. The casing was actually made from wheat (similar to bread).  Inside they were steaming hot flavourful mince and pine nuts.  Perfect finger food in cold weather while wandering the markets.

kibbeh

 This is a typical lane way in the old market.  Spices galore

   

Al-Hamidiyah Souq

 

I was very tempted to purchase Arabic scrabble and Monopoly but didn't.  If you are learning Arabic scrabble is the best way to practice!

fancy a game of scrabble or monopoly in Arabic

 

And as for that singing underwear?

 

 

 

singing underwear - be discreet , it's kept under the counter or in the back!

 

Syria has an exotic little secret - singing underwear.  There is a whole lane way dedicated to the sexy, lacy, satin, frilly undergarment and sales are booming.  Inside the intimates are little hidden electronic devices playing different tunes, some vibrate, some have fairy lights and flash and some have remote controls to fall off the body at the push of a button.  It's doesn't stop at knickers either bra and knicker sets and sheer lacy babydolls too.  Definitely something to spice of the honeymoon and bedroom.

 

...............and fyi I did buy a pair of singing knickers that vibrate! (and still sitting in my drawer never worn!)