Not Quite NigellaThe cooking, eating and travel blog of a hungry blogger from Sydney, Australia featuring original recipes, interviews and articles on all things food @

Adriano Zumbo – A Day In The Life

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:00:21 +0000

Zumbo’s Willy Wonka tattoo The first time I came into contact with Adriano Zumbo‘s creations was in November of 2007. I remember being so excited when I saw them in the store that we drove them home nursing them gingerly like newborns. We took them to my parents’ house eager to try them together and I then [...]

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From The Farm To A Dinner Plate At Concrete Blonde

Not Quite Nigella — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:00:35 +0000

Mondays are my day in. The weekends are always hectic and whilst I still work on Monday I rarely venture out of the house as that requires a kerfuffle that I just can’t muster. But when the email arrived in my inbox to ask if I would be interested in more than a dining experience [...]

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A Foray Into The World Of Food Judging

Not Quite Nigella — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:00:47 +0000

Hardy Suangin of Harrison’s It was an offer sent to me via email a few months ago. As soon as I opened it I was instantly intrigued. It involved twenty four meals, six hours and the chance to imitate the daffy judges on Iron Chef Japan. Yes please! Answering the invitation to judge the Taste Paradise [...]

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Sex, Earth & Old Socks: The Search for the Elusive Black Truffle!

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:00:32 +0000

Sex. Earth. Dirty laundry. Old socks. A male swine’s sexual scent. These are all words or phrases that have been used to describe truffles (tuber melanosporum). Truffles, and I mean the mushroomy type and not the chocolate type (also worth pursuing) are a relatively new addition to the Australian scene especially when compared with the [...]

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A Salty Journey: Behind The Scenes of How Salt Is Harvested

Not Quite Nigella — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:00:35 +0000

Not a mountain of snow, but a mountain of salt… I lick my hand. I taste salty. I taste exactly like Mr NQN does after he has been out all day sailing (although he usually also smells like rubber wetsuit which thankfully I do not). Where am I? I’m discovering how salt is made. A [...]

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My Life in 10 Dishes

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:00:13 +0000

Dearest Reader, what would you say are the most significant dishes of your life? The ones that if given to a stranger, would provide them with a glimpse into who you are, where you’ve come from and what you’ve done in life in the absence of photographs and video. Your food biography if you will. [...]

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My Little Secret: The Not Quite Nigella Book, Published by Penguin Books!!!

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:00:54 +0000

My Dearest Darlingest Readers. I have some news today that I am very excited to share with you. Drumroll please… I have recently signed a deal with Penguin Books and the Not Quite Nigella book will be published in 2012!! Sorry I was busy jumping up and down with happiness for a moment. Please allow [...]

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Rescuing Food: A Day With OzHarvest!

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:00:08 +0000

Regular readers will know how much I hate wasting things. I may be extravagant with purchasing but I am also the polar opposite when it comes to wastage. Mr NQN can attest to that. When I recently made 6 litres of blue jelly in the pursuit of a jelly cake, he was left to ingest [...]

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The World’s Best Chef Rene Redzepi, The Opera House, Sydney

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:00:31 +0000

I was coughing, spluttering and the warm Spring weather had turned colder. I was dying to go to the Opera House to hear Rene Redzepi speak and I was clutching my invitation with a frail hand and whilst the mind was willing, the flesh was weak. I was chatting to my friend Liss from Frills [...]

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Behind The Scenes of Cafe Sydney, Circular Quay

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:00:19 +0000

There is the “normal” way that one usually visits a restaurant. That is, to make a dinner booking for say 7:30pm or 8pm, arrive and sit down and have a meal. I think it’s safe to say that normal is not a word I hear to describe myself and when Cafe Sydney asked me if [...]

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