ExtraVirgin Food & Travel

What are the best foods to put in your shopping basket for your health and for the planet? Is it necessary to cut out meat or go organic? In this episode of ExtraVirgin Food & Travel, Natascha Mirosch asks those questions and more, of bestselling author and 'ultimate gentle activist' Alexx Stuart. They discuss how dietary advice (including the food pyramid model) was hijacked and how many farmers came to depend on unsustainable farming methods. But they also look at the positive changes that are undoing those decades of misinformation and unhealthy growing practices - from regenerative farming to minimising waste and how each one of us can play a part by making even the smallest of changes to how we think about food.

It's one of Australia's most loved holiday destinations - for good reason. Noosa in Queensland, Australia, is home to some of the country's most unspoiled coastal landscapes, with forest-fringed beaches, tranquil rivers, and even one of only two everglade systems in the world.

This postcard comes from magazine editor Deb Caruso, who's called Noosa home for around 20 years. Deb gives us all the local intel - from where to catch the best waves, to where to top up your all-over tan, as well as all her favourite, drinking, eating and sunset spots.

So sit back, relax and let this ExtraVirgin Postcard transport you to beautiful Noosa.

Do you want to be a food writer? Do you think you have what it takes to have your food stories published in magazines or newspapers? Or, perhaps you're an instagrammer or blogger keen to polish your food writing skills?

In this episode of ExtraVirgin Food and Travel Podcast, Natascha Mirosch talks to Barbara Sweeney, a food writer, former food guide editor, writing teacher and organiser of Australia's only food writing festival, 'Food & Words.'

We discuss everything from how to pitch to an editor, how to be a better writer, restaurant reviewing and other food writing genres, and even what you might expect to be paid as a professional freelance food writer.

This episode of ExtraVirgin Food & Travel Postcards comes from Dubrovnik in Croatia.

Working as a tour guide, location scout and photographer, our guest, Ivan Vukovic couldn't be better placed to share the insider secrets of this beautiful medieval walled city on the Adriatic.

Ivan tells us about his favourite restaurants, off-the-beaten-track but "must-see" sights and shares lots of useful tips.

So, whether you're planning a visit or just armchair travelling, come along with us to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Most of us have stayed in an airbnb once in our lives, but have you ever thought about what it would be like to run one yourself?

In this episode of ExtraVirgin Food & Travel Podcast, Natascha Mirosch talks with Lucy Cousins, owner of the gorgeous "The Artist's Cottage," in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney Australia.

They discuss the everything from why you'd do it, to how to do it, - the perks and the pitfalls of airbnb ownership, including Lucy's own experiences - from nearly losing the cottage to bushfire, to being gifted paintings of naked guests.

Brooklyn-born Jewells Chambers, the creator and host of the award-winning All Things Iceland podcast and YouTube channel met her husband Gunnar when she was in college, more than a decade ago. In 2016, she moved to be with him in his home city of Reykjavik in Iceland.

In this ExtraVirgin Postcard, she tells us what it's like to go from living in a city of more than 8 million to one of less than 125,000. Despite its small size, however, Jewells says there is a lot to offer in Reykjavik, including a strong music and art scene.

If you're interested in visiting Iceland, or just want to know more, this Postcard will bring you up to speed thanks to Jewell's unique, quirky and very informed insider's view on everything from the country's geological wonders to why you'll be on your own if you hit the nightclub before midnight.

Do know what a food stylist is and what they actually do? Are you a good cook or is the kitchen a place of trepidation and anxiety?

In this epsiode of ExtraVirgin Food & Travel, Natascha Mirosch talks with Lucy Tweed, author of cookbook Every Night of the Week and a professional food stylist who both gives us a peek into the life of a food stylist, as well as offering solutions to kitchen conundrums.

Natascha and Lucy discuss essential kitchen kit, what to have to hand in the pantry and fridge, typical cooking mistakes and how to make your food look good.

A busy mum of three kids, Lucy offers us plenty of down-to-earth tips and tricks as to how we can all be better cooks, whether we're raw beginners or confident in the kitchen.

In this episode of ExtraVirgin Postcards, we visit The Eternal City - Rome. Our guide is Erica Firpo, an Italo-American travel and lifestyle journalist and editor, author and podcaster at 'Ciao Bella,' who has called Rome, "home" for the past 18 years. Erica shows us around 'her' Rome, pointing out its ancient architecture, history and cultural delights and epicurean riches. She reveals some of the surprises of Rome, like its futuristic architecture, its large green spaces and famous artworks found in unlikely places. She tells us the best places to eat specialities such like carbonara or suppli, and how to best experience "la dolce vita."

Konnichiwa! Whether you love Japan or are planning your first visit, you need to listen to this episode! We have not one, but two guests, both of whom have lived in Japan. Amanda Kendle, travel writer, social media lecturer and podcaster at The Thoughtful Travel Podcast was an English teacher in Japan, while Jane Lawson, cook book author and travel writer who also lived there, now leads tours to the country.

In this fun, tip-filled episode we discover their favourite places to visit, eat and stay and how to navigate the sometimes confusing cultural mores of this fascinating country.

Our guest on ExtraVirgin Postcards this episode is Noriko Silvester, the owner of a design communication company in Toyko, Japan.

Noriko lives in Komae, in the Western section of Tokyo metropolis. It is, she tells us, a very safe, green and peaceful part of Tokyo, famous for its movie studios and the local and international actors who frequent it.

Noriko tells us about a few of her favourite restaurants, shopping areas, museums and parks, how she spends her weekends and urges visitors to Tokyo to get out into the suburbs to see how Japanese people live.

So whether you're planning a visit or just armchair travelling, let this postcard from Tokyo take you away.