Not Belgium... but Singapore to a tea..

As president of an Australian organisation representing people who write and communicate about food and farming, Liz is meant to be in Belgium this week meeting with peers from around the world. But thanks to volcanoes in Iceland, she found herself trapped en route in Singapore for four days before aborting her plans altogether and coming home unexpectedly early.
What to do as compensation? High tea at Raffles was on the agenda until a Singapore resident warned her they now use tea bags - a completely unacceptable development to a keen tea drinker who also collects tea pots!
Instead, Liz discovered two treasures that were almost compensation for missing out on all that Belgian chocolate - high tea at the Shangrila Hotel (102 kinds of tea offered to accompany an amazing selection of savoury and sweet dishes in elegant surroundings); and the TWG Tea company, which sells more than 200 kinds of tea including a fabulous Singapore breakfast tea and hard-to-get first-flush, finest orange pekoe picked from the highest altitudes of some of the world's best tea estates. Nothing like a good cuppa to soothe the travel-tortured nerves.

And from London to Texas... and barbecue

Life is nothing if not diverse for Liz. Apart from being an author, she also works as a journalist and communicator within the rural sector in Australia, and represents the country on the executive of the International Federation for Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) which brings together the world's rural press clubs and professional guilds for media and communicators who specialise in food and agriculture. The IFAJ has just held its annual congress in Texas, where Liz got to try barbecue - Texas style. The cook responsible was Sam, who actually works as a cowboy on a nearby ranch. The barbecue beef was a treat, served with a rich potato salad made with mustard and real home-made beans in a smokey barbecue sauce.

From Paris to London

After attending the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris, Liz travelled on to the UK where she caught up with friends, and on her way home this week, made a visit to the famous Fortnum and Masons store in London. The store is famous for its fine foods, particularly tea, and its fabulous window displays. But after spending so much time admiring fruit cakes in show competitions across South Australia, what really caught her eye was this magnificent display of tinned fruit cakes in the main food emporium.

It's a what?

Liz was fortunate enough to be a guest of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists in Great Britain this week, at the last ever Royal Show in England. The annual event held at Stoneleigh Park, near Stratford on Avon, has been running for 160 years but the society has decided to call it quits and hold smaller, more focussed events for the country's farmers instead. The show is quite different to royal shows in Australia - no side shows, no indoor competitions for general classes like cookery, crafts and art, no show bags. The primary focus is livestock, and what an amazing collection of popular and rare breeds were on show at the last event. For Liz, the highlight was undoubtedly discovering the 'woolly' pig - yes, a breed of pig with a thick, curly coat, originally from Hungary. For a collection of photographic highlights visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113128&id=720821758&l=2bae472653

Slow Food experience

During her stay in Paris, Liz caught up with members of Slow Food, the international organisation which encourages people to explore and preserve traditional food cultures. Members of the Bastille Convivium took her to see a community garden they have established in a residential area in the heart of Paris. Volunteers from the energetic group also cook for their own community restaurant, set up at a local food market. Pictured in the community garden are convivium president, Diane Marshall, an Aussie girl, who left Melbourne about 20 years ago to live in France, Marion Desmartin, who is a publisher, and graphic designer, Corrine.