PRESS RELEASE: Serving up the Flavours of Australia for Christmas
It took a man from Scotland to showcase our native Australian ingredients in cooking, and it is with great sadness that the Australian public and national hospitality industry continue to mourn his death. In an ode to Jock Zonfrillo and a nod to his legacy, the 2024 edition of the Flavours of Australia cookbook has produced over 100 recipes from chefs around Australia who want to continue his drive to champion native ingredients in Australian cooking.
Already awarded the Best Cookbook in the South Pacific in the International Gourmand Cookbook Awards, Flavours of Australia brings chefs around Australia out of the kitchen and serves up their stories for everyone to enjoy. Favourite chefs and venues are selected for inclusion to be showcased and honoured for their dedication to Australian cuisine.
From the heart of Melbourne and Sydney, the stories come from far and wide. NSW is well represented with recipes from the heart of Sydney out to Mudgee and up and down the coast, from Berry to Byron Bay.
Stories from South Australia include the outback Arkaba Conservancy in the Flinders Ranges, the Enchanted Fig Tree on Kangaroo Island, and the winery Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale. From the Northern Territory, we discover chefs and stories from Uluru at Longitude 131°, from the Top End at Bamurru Plains, and from Darwin itself.
Canberra dished up its best with Les Bistronomes, voted the Best Restaurant in Canberra, and The Cupping Room, from renowned World Champion Barista, Sasa Sestic. Of course, the line-up from Victoria includes Rutherglen to Richmond, Red Hill to Milawa, and Daylesford to Ballarat. Iconic venues like Lakehouse, Polperro, Brown Brothers and Lucy Liu all provide the best Australian recipes to showcase their talented chefs.
Western Australia produced some stunning Perth venues using native ingredients in their daily line-up and WA’s iconic El Questro Station. Tasmania came through with venues from Launceston and Hobart.
Chef stories include some of Australia’s revered stalwarts, including Darren Robertson, Alla Wolf-Tasker, Neil Perry, Joel Bickford and Scott Pickett, but we also see newcomers jumping from the starting gates, including Gayan Pieris from Many Little, Tom Gorringe from Aria, Jason Barratt from Paper Daisy, and Kyle Bowett from the Zin House. You will discover what makes over 100 Aussie chefs tick from reading their stories about what inspired them to cook.
In a country “girt by sea”, seafood recipes abound. From Kakadu in the Northern Territory, Matthias Beer, Head Chef of Bamarru Plains, plates up a Paperbark-Smoked Gold Band Snapper with Caramelised Desert Lime Summer Salad. From Kangaroo Island South Australia, Alana Brabin, Head Chef at The Enchanted Fig Tree, provides the recipe for Seaweed-Smoked Oysters with Boobialla Dressing.
Of course, one can’t do an Australian cookbook without the obligatory kangaroo. Max Vloet, owner of Geronimo restaurant in Launceston, provides a recipe for Char-Grilled Wallaby Porterhouse with Tasmanian Pepper Berries, Carrots & Pine Nuts. And Head Chef, Shin Kato, from Melbourne’s Japanese Ishizuka Restaurant provides a Kangaroo Tail Consomme with Autumn Terrine.
Lovers of all things sweet, dessert recipes also flourish with inclusion from Aria, the next-to-the-Harbour-Bridge’s Aria Restaurant, providing Head Chef Tom Gorringe’s Raspberry, Strawberry Gum & Elderflower Choux. Not to be outdone comes the inclusion from El Questro in outback Western Australia, a Green Ant Brulee Tart
with Raspberries & Caramelised Miso Ice Cream.
It is never easy to define Australian cuisine, but this edition of Flavours of Australia has encapsulated the best of the best chefs, venues and recipes. After your first read, you will want to keep coming back for more.
