When we started planning a last minute mini holiday to celebrate Wills graduating his Bachelor of Science, and to give ourselves a few nice, relaxing nights before we dove into major house renos, we thought ‘What better place than Phillip Island’… Actually I could have come up with a few nicer places to be in mid-Winter, but considering their all up North, and we’re not allowed to cross any borders out of Victoria right now #covid19, Phillip Island it shall be! Not to take anything away from Phillip Island, It’s a beautiful place! I’m just not much of a fan of freezing cold Victorian Winters ..read more

Third times the charm. Every food blogger needs their own version of Banana Bread, no two people make it the same, infact, this recipe is actually a culmination of many techniques shared with me by my co-workers while they chowed down on my trial bakes. There was never a single morsel of this bad boy left by the end of a shift, so if that doesn’t go to show just how amazing it is (or maybe it just proves to my co-workers have big sweet tooths?) then I don’t know what will! The addition of the dulche de leche caramel and the walnuts just makes this banana bread! The walnuts add a gorgeous tex ..read more

We’re BACK! It has been a while, and this recipe took me twice as long as usual to write because I had forgotten how to use all of my programs, but here we are, a new recipe in a new year! Oh yeah, Happy New Year everybody. I also went on hiatus over Christmas, which is a major food blogger no no, seriously, Christmas is all about food! What was I thinking!! So Merry Christmas for 2 months ago also. Yikes, I’m way behind. Anywhoo, this recipe has been so much fun to work on. William purchased me a Madeleine baking tray for Christmas because I have been talking about them for AGEEES and he lo ..read more

5/5 Dayni Rating Baby Black Espresso Bar, you'd be forgiven for missing this hidden gem in amongst the hustle and bustle of Bacchus Marsh. It appears from the outside, as an old miners cottage build in 1866, but on the inside, it's soo much more! As soon as you pass through the doors at Baby Black Cafe you're transported into a quirky little dessert lovers paradise! Although small, this cafe is most certainly mighty! With three different sitting rooms it's a little bit of a labyrinth, but it all adds to the quirky charm, and in each, the walls are lined with all things random. Music posters ..read more

I am somewhat nervous that my naming this recipe ‘Australian Pavlova’ may be slightly controversial. Why? Because both we Aussies and our close neighbours the Kiwi’s (from New Zealand) claim the Pavlova as our own... According to Culture Trip in their article titled “The History of Australia and New Zealand’s Sweetest Rivalry, The Pavlova” The New Zealand story goes that during Anna’s visit in 1929, a chef at the Wellington Hotel was said to be inspired by her tutu, creating this ‘billowy dessert’ in her honour. Featuring a meringue with marshmallowy-insides with cream and slices of kiwifruit ..read more

5/5 Dayni Rating. L’espresso has been a key feature on Ballarats Sturt Street for as long as I can remember. It’s a quaint little space that’s very cleverly laid out with the entrances leading to separate sides of the cafe that are divided by shelves filled with vinyl records, CD’s newspapers and magazines. The age of the building shows in the ornamental roof, moody green wall paint and the 70’s look wooden tables, chairs and front counter, but the creative decision to have low lighting really plays into the retro feel of the cafe in a very clever way. It feels warm, and cozy, and, and even on ..read more

Spring has sprung here in not so sunny Ballarat, and although many may associate spring with flowers, I associate spring with bees, so naturally, today I’m baking with honey. Every time I walk through the international section at the supermarket I eyeball the Dutch Honey Cake, but I always opt to leave it because the version available in the supermarket always looks overly processed, dense and dry, so today, I made my own! and I can assure you that it is neither overly processed, dense or dry! It even got the tick of approval from hubby! But, that was because he thought it tasted like ginger k ..read more

5/5 Dayni Rating Hydrant Food Hall was a cafe/hall that has been invading my Instagram feed for months on end, all my fellow foodies were swarming to the place and the photos coming out of this old Fire Hydrant Factory were gorgeous to say the least. So today, when my folks asked me where I wanted to head for lunch… of course I said Hydrant Food Hall! Nestled down a historic little blue stone alleyway that is very reminiscent of Melbournes famous alleyways, sits this hidden gem of a cafe. As you walk through the door you’re greeted by a rustically chic interior, the ventilation tubes and old ..read more