Treat yourself to talks, tours, tastes and hands-on workshops

Now that we’ve all recovered from a month of festive feasting, February has something to offer every foodie. Kung hei fat choy! Chinese New Year kicks us off with a very special hands-on events at the Museum of Sydney. We’re inviting you all to help plant out our Chinese market garden on Saturday February 1, from 10 am till 4pm in the forecourt of the museum on Bridge Street. On the same day there’s a fascinating talk from Lucienne Fontannaz on the origins and history of that most favored of chinaware decorations in The Tale of the Willow Pattern. It’s also great opportunity to visit Eat your history: a shared table if you’ve not had a chance to see it yet – time’s running out!

Pop-up cooking school at Vaucluse House

Other hands-on food events include a series of Real food, old ways pop-up cooking school exploring traditional food practices that were essential domestic arts in the 1850s at Vaucluse House, in association with Real Food Projects. The series of specialised workshops and luncheons begins with an exclusive opportunity to venture into the world of food writing and photography with renowned food journalist, educator and critic, Barbara Sweeney and iphone photography expert Anthea Williamson on February 2nd at Vaucluse House.

Stories from the cellar

Later in the month the gang from Wildwon and the Youth Food Movement take over the cellars at Elizabeth Bay House to host a journey through the history of food preservation methods from indigenous, colonial and migrant cultures in Australia, with lots of demonstrations, talks and tastings. Upstairs in the glorious 1830s saloon we’ll be entertained with live music and fabulous food as twilight weaves its magic across the harbour. Local cheesemaker Kristen Allen has been weaving her magic in the cellars already, with her handmade milk-babies maturing in readiness for the event on February 23.

Meet Martin Teplitsky

This Cook is very excited about meeting Martin Teplitsky from Take 2 Eggs cooking school who continues our My food history talks series at Museum of Sydney on February 5. Now an accomplished international chef, Martin grew up living next door to Rose Seidler house, where his mother Gretta Anna Teplitsky ran her state-of-the-art cooking school in the 1970s, and where Martin now holds his own classes. What better pedigree can a local chef have?

Scholarly musings, a free talk at State Library NSW

… we find ourselves taking tea with the convicts, dining at Governor Phillip’s table and engaging in social and diplomatic exchange with Aboriginal people.

I’m very flattered to have been invited to speak at the State Library or New South Wales as part of their Scholarly musings lecture series. This talk, 11am on February 4, draws on the library’s rich collections  of manuscripts, artworks and ephemera which are invaluable resources for my research into food during the first fleet settlement period in Sydney. Through these items we find ourselves taking tea with the convicts, dining at Governor Phillip’s table and engaging in social and diplomatic exchange with Aboriginal people. See you there!