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Food and Cooking

What ever happened to the golden age of motel dining?

Across Australia many motel restaurants once a hive of activity 50 years ago are being used as storage, conference rooms, or common rooms. But what changed?
A retro motel in the 50's, large American styles signage decorates the front and an old car is parked out the front

Have you heard of tayberries and jostaberries? Some of the least-known berries are the best, according to this Tassie farmer

There are lots of berries to discover beyond blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, Tasmanian farmer Olivia Rundle tells her visitors.
Updated
A woman with short hair smiling as she holds up a bucket filled with gooseberries.

More Australians are living alone — so why are recipes always 'serves four'?

Cooking might seem like a chore — but some argue creating space to make a time-intensive meal from scratch is an act of self-care and can even help you heal through hard times.
Updated
A middle-aged white woman with long curly red hair and wearing a denim jacket

analysis:WA has limited ham being sold in school canteens, leaving parents confused. Here's why

Western Australia has new guidelines limiting ham in school canteens. Parents are reportedly confused and frustrated. So what has changed and what evidence is it based on?
Updated
A toasted sandwich on a paper plate sitting on a blue table

Young couple call time on gourmet mushroom business amid tough economy, failing infrastructure

The business a young couple crowdfunded to grow a head-turning array of tasty, colourful fungi closes as failing machinery and crop losses due to constant rain prove too much to overcome.
A split image of a young man and woman in a cool room, and the view inside a box full of colourful mushrooms.

Social enterprise offers nutritious lunches to students

School tuck-shop menus are increasingly focusing on nutrition and a social enterprise in regional Victoria is re-imagining the canteen by delivering veggie-packed lunches to students.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 24 seconds

From fine dining to dragons and dumplings, this is what's on at BrisAsia 2024

This year's BrisAsia festival features several new events, including an Asian street food festival and a children's program.
Updated
A close up of oysters on a plate with granita and roe, and another dish with orange coloured sauce and green leaves to garnish.

Sara Lee bought by same family that saved Darrell Lea

Dessert manufacturer Sara Lee is being sold after it went into voluntary administration last October.
Updated
Sara Lee sign in Lisarow.

Meet the Perth chef whose kitchen is giving a helping hand to those having a hard time in life

A business in Perth's south is flourishing by providing employment to the disadvantaged as well as selling products that help customers feel like they're making a difference.
Updated
Two women working in a kitchen smiling.

Tips on making a healthy lunch that is not too heavy on the wallet

It is back to work, back to school time and a conundrum each day is what to pack for lunch? Alice Zaslavsky is here to give you options for an interesting, healthy and pocket friendly lunch!
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 32 seconds

Wet summer threatens to create a shortage of Australian-grown dried fruit

Lovers of dried fruit could face shortages of some Australian-grown products this year as unfavourable weather conditions create a global decline in production.
Kris Werner's fair middle-aged hand fingers a dried apricot on a wooden pallet drying rack in the sun.

Chinatown businesses bounce back from COVID as historic Sydney precinct looks to a brighter future

As restaurants within Sydney's Chinatown bounce back from the pandemic, a $44 million revitalisation plan is set to completely "transform" the historic precinct.
Updated
artist rendering of vibrant streetscape

'Fighting inflation' is priority says Prime Minister on appointing lead for grocery code review

The federal government has appointed a former Labor minister to lead its review into how supermarkets conduct their business, as it threatens to use all options available to it to bring down grocery prices.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 5 seconds

With meat on the menu, is it the end of the fish-and-chip shop as we know it?

Eating fresh fish and chips beside the sea is an Australian tradition. But dwindling supply and rising industry costs mean other meats are now being sold at many seafood shops.
Updated
Cooked fish and chips with lemon

'Our dream of growing old together': Jock Zonfrillo's wife shares emotional posts for missed anniversary

Lauren Fried shares a video montage marking eight years since their wedding as she documents the family's missed milestones since her husband's death in May.
A woman wearing a wedding ring has her hand on a man's chest as he wraps his arms around her.

analysis:Sourdough, toasted. Avocado, smashed. Salt and pepper, sprinkled: The simple recipe that took Australian food to the world

Thirty years ago Bill Granger put a dish on his Darlinghurst cafe menu. It came to represent so much more to a generation locked out of the housing market, writes Leigh Tonkin.
Updated
Avocado toast and a coffee on a table.

Renowned chef Bill Granger has died, aged 54

The self-taught cook was one of the most successful food writers and restaurateurs Australia has ever produced.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 38 seconds

analysis:There's a science to the ideal salad dressing — and you can nail it at home

Most salad dressings are temporarily stable mixtures of oil and water known as emulsions. But how do salad dressing emulsions form? And how can we enhance our emulsions for better salads and more?
Salad dressing

'Bloody great guy': Celebrity chef Bill Granger remembered after Christmas Day death

Bill Granger has died in hospital in London, his family has announced. The renowned chef and food writer ran 19 restaurants around the world.
Updated
A man smiling.

Why does alcohol make my poo go weird?

As we enter the festive season it's a good time to think about what all those celebratory alcoholic drinks can do to your gut, writes Vincent Ho.
A woman in a pink jumper holds a bunch of toilet paper rolls

analysis:The rise of the snot block: The fancy European origins of the humble Aussie vanilla slice

With similar versions across the globe, it is impossible to trace the genealogy of Australia's vanilla slice, but the combination of crunch and cream clearly has universal appeal, writes Garritt C Van Dyk.
vanilla slices

Fishing co-ops ready for 'absolutely insane' run to Christmas Day

Recent heavy rain and flooding in NSW and Queensland slowed production and delivery, but co-op managers are confident plenty of local prawns and oysters will be on Christmas plates.
A tray full of prawns for sale

International students share tastes of home in a collection of favourite family recipes

Migrants studying English at a regional TAFE create a mouth-watering collection of dishes from across the world in a project to help them build connections in their new hometown.
An smiling, bespectacled Chinese woman in a kitchen holds a plate of succulent chicken towards the camera.

Microbiologist shares food safety tips for Christmas leftovers

Dr Enzo Palombo, a food microbiologist from Swinburne University explains the dos and don’ts of food preparation, storage and reuse to avoid getting sick after eating some bad leftovers from Christmas lunch.
ABC News Current
Duration: 4 minutes 40 seconds

Tips for Christmas lunch when catering for dietary requirements

Resident foodie Alice Zaslavsky shares some scrumptious recipes that you can make at home, and which cater for a variety of dietary requirements so everyone can enjoy a meal together over the holidays.
ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 34 seconds