Stories

If you're someone who gets just as excited for your daily coffee as you do for Christmas then you and I have that in common! It's okay to treat yourself to the best barista made beverages and be a bit of a coffee snob sometimes!  Hard Luck Coffee Co is one of my favorite coffee stops in town, owned and run by two lovely souls that are not only great Baristas who have found their niche in the coffee buiz, but have created a friendly, inviting atmosphere that gives you a great industrial yet homely first impression with a funky hipster vibe!The beautiful pastel colour palette is illuminated by warm lighting throughout the interior, bringing the old building to life - accompanied by...

Wintertime in the country can be a world of fun! especially if you've got access to a 4WD. This month friends and I went on a road trip South-East of Yarrawonga/Mulwala to Victorias beautiful High Country. On a fine, sunny Winters Saturday morning we headed down through Benalla onto the Midland Highway passing through Swanpool, past Lake Nillahcootie, through Mansfield and onto Mt Buller Road - High Country bound. We started our journey through the hills on Mt Sterling Road, an easy 2WD road with amazing views of the surrounding mountains - standing out among them all was Mt Buller, with its white snow caps shinning brightly on a beautiful, clear day - almost ready to kick off the snow season.  We continued around the...

There are real benefits to buying and cooking Fruit and Veg in the season that they are grown and harvested. Eating 'seasonally' is healthier in that you can be confident that the produce you're buying hasn't been sitting in refrigerated freight trains/trucks for several weeks before being dusted off and popped on the shelves with the 'fresh food' label attached to the display basket. The out of season (in your area) produce normally has to travel a long way to get to your local supplier - sometimes from overseas! This is usually picked earlier than its ultimate ripeness stage to give it time to ripen during it's travels. Unfortunately you don't get the same nutritional benefits and taste from produce picked...

I love cooking with wine! it adds a rich flavour and so much body to a winter meal.. accompanied by a glass to sip away at of course!These recipes are great if you have a little bit left in the bottle that isn't ideal for drinking anymore to avoid wastage. These are perfect winter warmers that I make all the time! Ingredients are mostly sourced from local grocers and butchers. I also get house made pasta, sauces, oil, gormet Murray River salt falkes and a lot of seasonal vegetables from the Richglen Olive Farm on the Murray Valley Highway. You can also get a great drop of wine from all of the wineries in surrounding towns, some are on offer at local bottle...

Things are a little different and quirky at one of Belmore streets most recently opened Cafes 'Thyme for Coffee', these guys aren't afraid to mix your traditional Cafe brekky and lunch menu up a bit!So step aside smashed avo.. Thyme have created a breakfast/brunch menu containing a whole new range of mouth watering assemblages of food groups in single dishes on top of your normal crowd pleasers.In my most recent visit I treated myself to some toasted sourdough topped with avo, roasted and spiced pumpkin, feta, spinach, a poached egg and grilled local tomatoes garnished with fresh stalks of Thyme accompanied by a big delicious big mug of coffee of course! I was very tempted by the spiced ricotta with roasted vegetables...

There's something about street art that never fails to amaze and inspire me. The talent behind the paintings accomplished on such a huge scale is so impressive! this is difficult, time consuming work and these artists make it look like a breeze. I was recently lucky enough to witness some street art being plastered all over the walls of Benalla Victoria (Roughly a 45 minute drive South of Yarrawonga) by both local and Melbourne artists at this years Wall to Wall Festival. The Art Festival is a community development program with a focus on building stronger and more diverse communities by using a more hands on approach to regional art and development, encouraging people from Benalla and the broader community to participate....