ExtraVirgin Food & Travel

Our guest Julie Tjiandra turned her love of food and reading about food into a profession. Her bookshop, Scrumptious Reads, is a paradise for book-loving foodies with everything from cookbooks to culinary history.

Julie says demand really took off with the popularity of cooking shows and the rise of celebrity chefs. With literally millions of culinary books out there, Julie talks to us about her favourites as well as what’s up and coming. One recent publication is so beautiful, you’ll want to keep it on your coffee table when you’re not using it in the kitchen.

She’s also got a hot tip for the best cookbook to give to that young person you know who’s moving out of home for the first time, and a theory as to the popularity of Ottolenghi.

Julie hosts a Cook Book Club with chef Danielle Dixon, in which they choose a cookbook and test the recipes. To find out which Australian MasterChef alumni wins top points for having his recipes always work out exactly as they should, listen here.

Pondering your travel options for 2019? In this episode of ExtraVirgin, Sam chats with Natascha who reveals three of her favourite travel destinations - places you might not have considered but she thinks you should put on your adventurer’s bucket list.

So what about you? We’d love to hear more about your future travel plans and any of your discoveries; whether they're local secret spots or off the tourist track destinations overseas. You can leave a comment on below or on our insta: @extravirginpodcast, facebook: extravirginfoodandtravel or twitter: extravirginftw or email us at [email protected]

As tourism booms around the world, animals are often treated cruelly in attractions aimed at visitors. Unsuspecting holiday-makers may not realise the price of an elephant ride or a selfie with a precious tiger, monkey or dolphin may be the safety and welfare of the animals themselves.

In this episode of ExtraVirgin, we talk to Ben Pearson of global organisation World Animal Protection. Ben explains the cruel treatment of animals used in these sorts of attractions around the world and advises what animal-loving travellers can do about the problem.

Travel writer and veteran cruiser Caroline Gladstone has been on more than 60 cruises - from the Antarctic to the Pacific islands and thus knows pretty much everything there is to know about shipboard life. 

In this episode of ExtraVirgin, we explore the cruising lifestyle with her - who does it, why you'd want to do it, how and where to do it and how to get the best deal. 

Whether you've already booked your dream cruise, or are just thinking about whether a cruise is for you, you're sure to pick up some useful tips from this cruising maven. 

And if you'd like to read more about Caroline's high seas adventures, so can do so on her blog at www.carolinescabinfever.com

Supported by a growing interest in food ethics, sustainability and health concerns, veganism has made a shift from dwelling on the culinary fringes to becoming one of the fastest-growing food movements in the world.

If you’ve ever considered going vegan, there are some vital things you need to consider. In this episode of ExtraVirgin, we talk with vegan dietitian Kiah Paetz about the pitfalls, the tricks, tips, the possible health implications and the benefits of adopting a vegan diet.

On Boxing Day 2004, travel writer John Maddocks woke to his partner Cheryl's’ screams; “a noise that sounded like a jet engine,” and a massive wall of water heading straight for their beachside cabana on the south coast of Sri Lanka. In this episode of ExtraVirgin, we talk to John about how they survived the world's worst tsunami, the post traumatic stress that followed and the catharsis he found in writing about the experience.

We chat with chef Minh Le about the highs and lows of owning his own restaurant, his career that’s ranged from prison kitchens to the heights of fine dining, and how a city kid has found peace in the bush.

When he's not cooking up incredible food at The Peak restaurant at Spicers Peak Lodge at Maryvale west of Brisbane, you'll find him trail running and doing yoga. Minh shares his inspirational story which begins when he was just a young boy when his mother taught him to cook simple Vietnamese food for his younger siblings.

How does a former English language teacher from Wollongong end up as global nomad, working remotely from some of the most exotic destinations in  the world?

A travel enthusiast from way back, Matt Moffitt started a modest blog to answer the questions that family and friends asked him most often, and through it, discovered he loved writing about travel almost as much as he enjoyed doing it. As a frequent flyer who relished the challenge of getting the best return for his points, Matt became a contributor to pointhacks.com.au,  a website that demystifies the world’s frequent flyer programs and gives readers tips and tricks on how to best earn and use frequent flyer points. Today, he’s managing editor of the site, and spends about half the year in Austin, Texas and the other half on a plane (the pointy end of course!)

In this episode of ExtraVirgin, we get the lowdown from Matt on how to best work your frequent flyer points to travel more often and in a style you’ll quickly become used to.  

Camel milk latte anyone? What about a slice of camel milk cheddar with your crackers?

Forget kimchi and kale - camel milk may just be the mother of all superfoods. Not only is it rich in vitamin B1 (thiamin), calcium, potassium and phosphorus, but it’s packed with healthy probiotics that assist good gut bacteria growth.

Even more exciting are worldwide studies showing positive results in its use in the treatment of diabetes, autoimmune skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema and a raft of other illnesses.

In this episode of ExtraVirgin, we talk to biochemist and nutritional immunotherapist Jeff Flood, CEO of Australia’s largest camel dairy, Summer Land Camels about how his search for better health for his patients led him to camels, why people who can’t tolerate cow, sheep or goat’s milk can benefit from camel milk and the future of camel dairying in Australia and the rest of the world.

Despite the Irish brogue, chef Alastair McLeod has deep links to Australia. While his father was an Irish publican, his jazz singer mother's family came from Erub Island in the Torres Strait. Raised in Belfast at the height of The Troubles, Alastair was classically trained in Europe but has chosen Brisbane, Queensland as his home.

He is a presenter with Channel Seven’s Queensland Weekender and Network 10’s Ready Steady Cook, as well as being the MC for the Good Food and Wine Shows around Australia.

We chat with Alastair about his early days stuffing too many mushrooms, Nigella's marmite pasta, our changing dining habits, and why vegetables are the new star on our plates.