From as far back as Homer’s penning of his epic poem “The Odyssey” in the 7th or 8th century BC, maritime novels have been a notable literary genre. They’ve created their own niche, attracted legions of fans, inspired movies, television shows and other adaptations, not to mention sparked dreams in the minds of the impressionable about running away to sea or becoming a pirate. If just the thought of being aboard a tossing ship makes you seasick, it’s hard nonetheless not to be lured into the romance, mystery and grandeur of stories about men who “go down to the sea in ships, that do business i ..read more

I’d never heard of Summer Pudding until some time back in the 80s when I was taken to lunch at the acclaimed Adelaide Hills restaurant, The Uraidla Aristologist (now called  The Summertown Aristologist.) It proved a memorable occasion, not only for the taste revelation of summer pudding but because halfway through the lunchtime rush, the kitchen lost all power. I remember the staff appeared to cope admirably. If panic was erupting behind the scenes (as I’m sure it was) all remained serene in the dining room. The Uraidla Aristologist made its reputation on what were at the time novel prin ..read more

Women of a certain age is a polite phrase to describe older women. The Urban Dictionary helpfully sheds more light on it, as follows: “Ironically polite term for a woman who does not want her actual age known, e.g. one who is close to or just over the menopause.” Clearly it was a man who supplied this definition, convinced as many of them are that changes in women’s lives are entirely hormonally driven. The entry goes on to say “things which define women of a certain age are: exceptionally gaudy clothing, homeopathy and aromatherapy, sensible haircuts, books on feminism, affairs with paper bo ..read more

Anyone who’s familiar with my erratic writing history, will be aware Alice Toklas consumed much of my time and energy over a number of years (how many I’m not brave enough to admit). Partly because of her fascinating history and her love of food, but more significantly because I tried to write a book about her. Like Banquo’s ghost, that project returns to haunt me now and then. [As an aside, there’s a book I just discovered called “On Writing and Failure: Or On the Peculiar Perseverence Required to Endure the Life of a Writer“ written by Stephen Marche, in which he says “writing is an act def ..read more

Isabella Mary Beeton may not have considered herself a domestic goddess but unwittingly she set the precedent. Mrs Beeton is best known as the author of “Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management” published in 1861, a tome which has become synonymous with the housewifely arts. Mrs Beeton’s book was far more than a guide to running a household. For the Victorian housewives who were its readers, it became a veritable bible. It also sold over 60,000 copies in its first year of publication. Encyclopaedic in scope and extravagantly illustrated, it covered every conceivable domestic matter from “Ar ..read more

It was Virginia Woolf who, in her 1929 essay “A Room of One’s Own” stated the prerequisites for women who aspired to be writers. “It is necessary,” she wrote, “to have five hundred [pounds] a year and a room with a lock on the door if you are to write fiction or poetry.”   A private income and a private room are certainly helpful, but any woman with literary ambitions needs a good deal more, talent for one. Even a modicum of Woolf’s genius would help. However, the point she was trying to make was that women were far less free than men to pursue the creative life, encumbered as they ..read more

Casseroles are the underrated heroes of the culinary world, the humble, unappreciated equivalents of daisies in the horticultural one. As a dish they don’t have much cachet, which might explain why you rarely see them on restaurant menus. Even cassoulet, their  more sophisticated French cousin, is in fact a stew not a casserole. (For an explanation of the difference read on). But if casserole, for you, conjures up memories of overcooked, dry, flavourless brews of tough meat and watery vegetables, or  hodgepodges of tuna, beans, canned soup and gluey cheese, they’re in need of rede ..read more

Alex Miller writes about life and love with the eloquence and sensitivity that we’d expect from a novelist who’s won the Miles Franklin Award (twice), the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award (also twice) and was awarded the Melbourne Prize for Literature. His decades long literary career shows no signs of dwindling even in this his eighty-seventh year.  His latest novel “A Brief Affair” has attracted critical attention, most of it positive. One exception was the review in ABR, in which the reviewer, Penny Russell, suggested that comments attributed t ..read more

Imagine a cheesecake so good, you can still imagine the taste weeks after eating it. Recently I offered to take a dessert to a friend’s dinner party and my mind immediately went to cheesecake, which has been my favourite dessert from childhood. It’s something about the pairing of crunchy, nutty crust and rich, creamy slightly tart filling, textures and flavors that complement each other perfectly, that makes it irresistible. And that thrill of eating something entirely decadent just for the sheer indulgence of it. There are of course cheesecakes and cheesecakes. Some are baked and others ar ..read more

Solitude has a bad reputation in today’s world. Many see it as a state to be avoided at all costs, equating it with loneliness or rejection or even solitary confinement. An article in Psychology Today called “The Joy of Solitude” reports that based on recent research, given the choice between a mild electric shock and solitude, many people opt for the electric shock. Thanks to advances in technology, solitude, whether you want it or not, is becoming increasingly hard to find. We’re crowded and jostled on all fronts by the “electric shock” of countless other voices. Boundaries between us and t ..read more