Which Blog Posts Did You Like In 2017?

Recipes

I must admit I breathed a sigh of relief that the ultra healthy recipe trend seems to have abated and that people are returning to a more balanced way of eating. The top story was the humble but utterly delicious zucchini slice, the recipe given to me by a reader who became a friend called Jaqi. I also love that you all were curious enough to read how to make an authentic bolognese sauce (and perhaps also to make it :)). And don't worry Dear Reader, I hear you loud and clear that you like easy chicken recipes with three out of the top 10 being easy chicken recipes!

1. The Incredible Very Edible Zucchini Slice!
2. Ever Wanted To Make Authentic Bolognese From Bologna?
3. The Cream of The Crop: My Mother's Chinese XO Sauce
4. Balls Balls Balls! Ricotta & Spinach Balls in Tomato!
5. "You're My Unicorn" Rainbow Cake!
6. Do The Adobo! Easy Chicken Adobo
7. My Mother's Shandong Chicken
8. Lena, the Incredible Baumkuchen Tree Cake
9. The Sponge Cake Challenge: Sophia The Castella Cake
10. A 5 Minute Prep Meal - Caprese Chicken Tray Bake!

Restaurants

There was a real mix of popular posts in the restaurant category and of course I know so many of you love the epic food challenges. I've been a bit slack on these this year as they do take a lot out of you but I promise next year there will be more. Poke was the dish that took Sydney by storm in 2017 and I'm glad because it is delicious and suits our appetite and lifestyle well.

1. Poke Me! The Challenge to Find The Best Poke in Sydney!
2. A Tale Behind Saga, Enmore
3. Don't Go Breaking My Tart! Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart
4. Chin Chin Comes To Sydney!
5. Chowing Down At Queen Chow, Enmore
6. Sushi Donuts: A Hole Lot of Fun!
7. Table For Ten at David Jones' New Food Hall & The Science of Store Design
8. The OzHarvest Supermarket Where You Pay What You Want!
9. The Bustling Bistro Rex, Potts Point
10. A Tale Of Two Restaurants: Park House, Mona Vale & Pazar, Canterbury

Travel

This is the section that was the most serendipitous for me. Three of the top 10 travel stories were sponsored posts (Newcastle at #1 and two Olympus posts at #5 and #10). This means a lot to me because that means that you are cool with sponsored content (which I need to do to keep the blog afloat and free to access) and hopefully I'm doing it in a way that doesn't seem overly sales pitchy and that it remains authentic. There was definitely a trend towards travel in Australia, particularly day trips within NSW which was a change from previous years!

1. The Ultimate Food Lovers Guide to Cool Newcastle!
2. 10 Amazing Reasons to Visit Orange
3. 16 Fascinating Things You Didn't Know About Hotels From A Hotel Insider!
4. Three Of The Best Of Blue Mountains Cafes
5. Ten Secrets & Tips For Amazing Travel & Portrait Photographs From The Experts!
6. An Absolutely Dreamy Weekend in Huskisson and Jervis Bay
7. Flight Review: Qantas Business Class Sydney To Santiago
8. 13 Delicious Things to Eat in San Francisco!
9. So Frenchy, So Chic: A Look Inside The Brand New Sofitel Darling Harbour!
10. Queenstown Eats & How To Take Great Food Pics While Travelling!

And I leave you with this little video that another food writer friend and I shot while in New Caledonia where we tried some of the fun snack foods available there!