Fast Fabulous Food with Lyndey Milan
Sydney based TV chef, award winning food writer and author Lyndey Milan will host two swift, simple and delicious cooking classes at the NZ School of Food & Wine this September.
The classes will highlight speed, simplicity and affordability for busy people, says Lyndey. Lazy Baking will cover five recipes in 90 minutes while Fast & Fabulous will cover some sweet and savoury dishes including porcini risotto cooked in the microwave – “This is my type of fast food but you’ll be wealthier because it didn’t cost as much as fast food, healthier because you know what’s in it and friendlier because you’ll feel good about it,” says Lyndey, who simplifies food while retaining the integrity of the ingredients.
“Everybody is busy. It’s a matter of getting food on the plate that’s delicious and enjoyable to cook and share, while using good ingredients – my great belief when it comes to food is that it’s all about the shopping - buying fresh food and quality ingredients.”
Lyndey was born into a family that lived and breathed hospitality - “There was always room for one more at the table when I was growing up and when I did a double major in History and Fine Arts at the University of Sydney, I cooked and entertained a lot because I loved preparing food and its social aspects.”
This laid the groundwork for her future career as a chef, caterer and food communicator in magazine columns, regular radio slots, books and her own TV company
company after many years cooking on all Australian TV networks.
Lyndey’s passion for food was fuelled when living in the UK with her husband when she graduated from university. The couple bought a VW combi’ van and drove around Europe for three months where Lyndey loved shopping for food in the markets and cooking. When she returned to London, she stepped into the role of general manager for an advertising company where she organised caterers from Le Cordon Bleu - “That’s when I thought ‘I can do this’.”
Three years later Lyndey was back to Australia, working in advertising again and found the in-house food appalling, so after her first child arrived, she pitched for the catering contract at the advertising firm she had worked for, “And my business in food grew like topsy from there”, she says. Her background in business helped enormously with establishing a catering company, which snowballed and extended into a café.
Lyndey Milan’s book, Taste of Australia, won Best TV Chef Cookbook in the World (in English) & Best Culinary Travel book in Australia at The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2014 (Hardie Grant 2014), going on to win third place at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair’s Best of the Best for the last 20 years.
In 2014 Lyndey received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to food, wine, hospitality and the community. She also holds honorary roles, such as chair of the Sydney Royal Wine Show.
LYNDEY MILAN’S 10 MUST-HAVE PANTRY INGREDIENTS…
- Australian extra virgin olive oil – Cobram Estates is a favourite because it’s widely available in Australia and New Zealand in supermarkets and is affordably priced.
- Free range eggs – “If you’ve got eggs you can always make a meal.”
- Greek style yoghurt (“Never low fat because it’s full of texturisers, emulsifiers and sugar and Greek yoghurt is only 10% fat anyway”) – “every bit of research that I’ve ever read shows the closer we eat things in their natural state and without guilt or additives, then the better off we’ll be.”
- Butter – real butter.
- Dried porcini mushrooms – “We’re just starting to get Australian ones.”
- Grass fed beef or lamb, free range chicken, line caught fish.
- “You’ve got an amazing dairy industry in New Zealand. Why would anyone not want to eat beautiful dairy?”
- Murray River salt or salt flakes.
- Fresh lemons – “I have a hot lemon drink every morning.”
- Coffee – I grind my own coffee and have an espresso machine at home.
Lyndey’s aim at the New Zealand School of Food and Wine’s W&F Celebration in September is to empower people to make great tasting, home cooked meals, from fresh ingredients, without spending a fortune or long periods of time in the kitchen - “I will share some great techniques and provide tips and ideas on how to make fabulous home cooked meals, which taste far better than the best shop bought food.”
Find out more and book tickets online at:http://event.foodandwine.co.nz/Presenters.html
