Australia On A Plate*

Today is Australia Day. It marks the "anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788".

I'm not Australian but I feel pretty fortunate to be able to live here. You would too if you love to eat as much as I do.

Good produce, the core of a great meal, is in abundance all year round whether you choose to cook them at home or have them prepared for you in the many top-notch restaurants. Just take a look at what we had for brunch today...

The cherry jam I made with fruits from Koala Country Orchards in Yarck, Victoria and port by Penfolds Wines in Magill, South Australia. The cream is from King Island Dairy in Tasmania. The figs are grown locally in Sydney by a man called Joe Oliveri who supplies them to Harris Farm Markets where we shop. The crumpets were made here too from local ingredients.

This will be our seventh year living in Sydney and the novelty of having a meal made from all local produce has not worn off. If you've lived most of your life in land-scarce Singapore, where almost everything has to be flown in, you'd understand.

*I borrowed the post title from a food company called Australia On A Plate. They stock a lot of made-in-Australia goodness.