Travelling the world

Two years ago I set off on an adventure around the world. Quite simply, it was the experience of a lifetime. I met incredible people, ate food that made my taste buds sing, witnessed indescribable sights, trekked through jungles, sky dived over national parks, camped in the desert, snorkelled in the clearest waters, caught fish and octopus with a spear gun, drove on route 66, hiked on glaciers, went on bush walks with a medicine man, went to surf camp, swam in undisturbed waters and so so much more.

Here is a little snippet of that time.

Sky dive, Abel Tasman national park, New Zealand

Monument Valley, USA

Fergburger, Queenstown, New Zealand

Volunteering in a Thai orphanage

Stunning food in Bali

Freshly caught and bbq’d fish on Mana island, Fiji

Rolling cinnamon incense on the road side in Vietnam

Franz Josef Glacier ice hike

Ubud, Bali

There are simply too many group photos and close friends made, for me to post pictures of. They will never be forgotten and continue to be a big part of my life.
I have returned to the UK (for now). Expect many more food, travel and baking related blog posts to come.

Peace and loaf 🙂

Sugar cane in Fiji

One of the main exports in Fiji is sugar cane. You see the crops growing as you drive around the mainland and trucks packed full of it along the roads.

If you see a truck behind you, get out the way, they are oversize and you,re likely to get scratched.

Sugar cane train. The only train throughout Fiji. Locals use busses to get around.

The sugar cane crop ready for harvesting.

A goat standing ontop of the truck the entire journey. Too funny to miss.

Hope you enjoy. Peace and loaf  from the pacific. BULA!

Life as a roadhouse pub, chef/barmaid in the Australian outback

I have just left my job as a chef and barmaid in a tiny town in NSW called Hermidale. It has a population of only 25 but is a place where miners and drillers who work nearby come to eat all their  meals and have a relaxing drink at night.

The meals were huge and always based around meat. Lots of meat.

This is a photo of the steak cooking as u can see compared to the size of a hand just how huge they are.

All steak sandwiches and burgers come with lettuce, tomato, beetroot and onion. Many would come in and ask for a burger with the lot. These came with lettuce, tomato, beetroot, onion, pineapple, bacon, egg and cheese. They towered high but seemed to be very well enjoyed.

Making some rissoles. These are a type of meatball. They contain beef, carrot, onion, cheese, tomato sauce, bbq sauce, hot sauce, dried parsley and egg.

We took took turns at working the breakfast shift. This was from 3.50am till 10.30 am. You would do this alone preparing the breakfast for the miners and any truckers who might come by. This would always be snags (sausages), bacon and egg. You could play around slightly with the type off egg and occasionally do the snags in a tomato and onion sauce. We also served it with either spaghetti hoops or baked beans.

The regular day shift was from 10.30 am till approx midnight (with only a 1.5 hour break) when the pub closed at which point you still had to hoover and clean up. We worked 7 days a week everyday straight. After 2 months I was pretty tired. But it was a great experience and something different I can say I will probably never do again. I also got to work with the other backpackers who are brilliant hard working women and I would consider friends for life.

There was nothing else around. The nearest town was a 25 minute drive away. Here’s the view from the pub.

So this is it. My life for the last two months. I hope you enjoy.

Peace and loaf
Danya

Vietnam

Enjoy 🙂

Thailand

Fruit shakes – a daily staple

My first month of travel I spent exploring Thailand’s myriad of culinary treats and street food.
The food is very sweet, sour and spicy.
I love it.

Barbecued bananas

Dried Fish

Barbecued meat mmm yummy

A hardworking but happy street seller

Peace and loaf
🙂

The Bread Has Baked……….

Well what can I say….. Firstly sorry for neglecting my blog in the last few month. So much has happened.

I have now Graduated from my degree in Baking Technology Management BSc with First Class Honours.

The torte I designed and created for my final piece

Strawberry bavois

Lemon curd cheesecake gateaux

Dobos caramel torte

The raspberry coliseum cake

The second lot of news it, I’ve decided to go travelling for a year. I am aiming to post a least once a month with an update of the country I am in and the local delicacies I have managed to find.
I cant wait for my trip and am eagerly awaiting the baked goods I will explore from different countries of the world.

Enjoy and stay posted for the adventures to come! 🙂
Peace and loaf

Bakeries In Hot Countries

Every country I visit I like to go to a local bakery and see what types of products they have. The abundance of different and delicious sweet and savoury products always amazes and intrigues me. I have found that generally in hot countries they have mainly pastry products, such as, puff, filo, shortcrust, fried batter and yeast cakes with syrup. This of course makes sense as butter-creams and frostings wouldn’t stand the heat. Here are some of the delectable products I found in a bakery in Eilat, south Israel.

Fried batter syrup sweets

Yeast cake with syrup glaze

Yummy
Peace and loaf

Going To The Market

I love markets. There’s something special about them, particularly in hot countries. The fruit and vegetables are always seasonal and thus the more appealing. I am currently holidaying in Israel and yesterday went to an everyday market in a southern city called Beer Sheva.

The colours are amazing and very appetising! 🙂

These are fresh almonds, I had never seen them before.

Enjoy
Peace and loaf 🙂

A packet of beans that will make you roar with laughter!

Firstly, thank you to everyone who filled in my survey, it is now closed.

So I was making a Minestrone soup the other day, and decided to use dried beans instead of from a can.  I had never done this before so checked on the packet if they needed soaking.
Did you spot it??

Hahahahahahahaha
Funniest packaging I have ever encountered! They must have found a recipe on-line or something, not even checked it and printed it on the side of their packet of DRIED BEANS!

Well I didn’t have time to soak them so I boiled them for an hour and added them to my soup. They were perfect. Which also proves that unlike chick peas they didn’t actually need over-night soaking.

Hopefully this will make you smile and laugh like it did for me!

🙂

Peace and loaf

Bakery Market Research

It is getting into the last few months of my course. This causes my emotions to change almost daily. I am excited, happy, scared, proud and many more.

I am finishing the last of my assignments, and need some market research for one.
I made a questionnaire on-line and it really doesn’t take longer than a few minutes to complete.

I would be so grateful if you could fill in the questionnaire for me.

You can answer by clicking the link below:

http://www.surveyshaker.com/shaker/s/rzxmme

http://www.surveyshaker.com/shaker/s/jqemsh

Thanks again!!

Peace and loaf 🙂