FOURTEEN YEARS OLD

Happy Birthday!

Although we are not really into numerology, My husband, Gordon (who is a whiz with fixing computer problems) and I thought this would be a fun idea...so, at 10:10pm (EDST) on October 10th, 2010 - making it 10:10, 10/10/10 - we hit the launch button for this website.

So now, FOURTEEN years on, it’s still a fun ride. I’ve learned to upload text and pictures. Including the Home page. There are modules that stay more or less updated regularly and each week I post up quotes that fit our themes of travel and food. Daily we keep track of which country is celebrating its national day, along with its flag, a link to details of its cuisine, and some trivia. There are links to events that concern food or travel as well, and also to what in history is connected to each date.

A useful feature on the left-hand side of the Home Page links to a selection of links to helpful travel sites with hints about visas, safety issues for various countries, what 'jabs' you might need before travelling to various areas - and much more.

You will notice that there are no ads on this site. Preferring to keep things simple I upload everything myself. I write the features, edit and assemble the pages which are a roundup of various themes - Weird and Wacky, Travel Tipoffs, Taste the World, and others – and the pictures on the feature stories are usually mine, while the classy videos come from Gordon. He even composes the music for some of them!

Thanks to all those who have given feedback and assistance, and most thanks of all to my IT-guru-husband-friend Gordon.

Thanks for staying with us - much more is planned for the future.

Sally 

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ABOUT THIS SITE

Welcome to a continuing exploration of our fascinating world and its endless variety of foods!

One of the most interesting aspects of travel is experiencing new foods and drinks. We call it ‘tasting the world’.

Currently, there is so much travel information available – guidebooks, websites, apps, newsletters – it seems there is actually too much information around. It almost confusing, and to assemble a clear idea of your destination you often have to go from one site to another to collect it all.

That is why we have pared back the instructions and extra information, to provide just small bites, a degustation of each featured place, with the thing all food travellers want, details about what to order when you eat!

Think of this site as the first place to come for worldwide food and travel information. Generous links to other sites have been added where there will be much more detail, as well as to Sally's articles for an added insight into your destination.

There's also a way for you to interact with your comments, suggestions, observations and interesting finds, so that we can all learn and help each other.

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WINNERS

See here....>

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ABOUT US

Working hard behind this site are Sally and Gordon Hammond

Sally is a food writer and a 'cook who travels' – not a travel writer who eats. 

When you think about it, that makes an important difference to the way she looks at food, wherever she finds it – whether it’s in a shop in Beijing, on a restaurant table in Paris, or in her own kitchen in Sydney, Australia.

Her food and travel writing experience extends over four decades and she really understands all aspects of food. She has written extensively about nutrition, compiled several cookbooks and contributed hundreds of restaurant reviews.

In Australia or other countries, you’ll find Sally delving into remote corners of local markets or cluttered food stores. If she doesn’t know what something is, or what to do with it, she finds out. Her blog, Toffee Tomatoes, celebrates some of the world’s weirder and more unusual foods. A newer one World Baking celebrates the breads of each country on its national day.

Always close at hand is her husband and colleague, Gordon, taking photographs and videos of anything and everything. Together Sally and Gordon travel Australia and the rest of the world, enjoying learning more about each place  and its people – and of course tasting its food!

As a professional team, their bread and butter quite literally comes from the sale of photographs and articles, usually appearing in print together. Editors of travel or in-flight magazines, newspaper travel supplements or anyone else who is interested in purchasing good travel writing accompanied by top-class pictures, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it OR This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it /.

Sally’s greatest joy (OK, apart from the occasionally surprise upgrade to the pointy-end of an aircraft) is to share with others the excitement and interest she has in discovering new foods and new places. That, and talking about food and cookery to like-minded people.

That’s what this website is all about. A conversation about FOOD & TRAVEL with a side serve of trivia, sprinkled liberally with interesting highlights that only someone familiar with all about a destination can provide.

Consider it a journey with passionate food-loving friends.

SALLY'S FOOD INDUSTRY BACKGROUND

Sally Hammond has worked for many years in the food industry in Australia. She has been a respected food writer for 30 years, and has reviewed restaurants for many years.

Her experience includes:

• Owner-manager of suburban health food takeaway shops for three years.

• Owner-manager of commercial pastry kitchen for two years.

• Restaurant reviewer for Australian Gourmet Traveller, Sunday Telegraph and FPC Courier Group.

• Judging for Restaurant and Catering Association (NSW).

• Contributor of recipe sections to several magazines.

• Author of five cookery books.

• Owner-teacher, Sally’s Kitchen Cookery School, teacher TAFE cookery courses and at Sydney Adventist Hospital.

Her restaurant guides and directories include:

• Australian Regional Cookbook, New Holland 2006

• Fabulous Food Finds, Lothian, 2005

• Australian Regional Food Guide, New Holland, 2004

• Daily Telegraph Sydney Restaurant Guide, Harper Collins, August, 2000

• Tourism NSW  Food and Wine Media Guide, August, 2000

• Top 250 Cafes in Sydney, New Holland, August 2000

WRITING AND BOOKS

Books written (or contributed to) by Sally and Gordon Hammond

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Sally Hammond has written thousands of articles which have been published widely in newspapers, magazines and on the internet.

Her 25+ books include travelogues, cookbooks, directories and guides and, in addition to this website and the Australian Regional Food Guide website - now a Twitter account (@arfguide), she has also contributed to several other sites.

Her food industry experience includes:

• owner-manager of two Sydney suburban health food takeaway shops
• owner-manager of commercial pastry kitchen
• founder and teacher of Sally’s Kitchen Cookery School.

In addition she has taught cookery at TAFE colleges and Sydney Adventist Hospital; been a restaurant reviewer for Australian Gourmet Traveller, Sunday Telegraph and the FPC Courier Group of newspapers (also contributing a weekly travel column to the latter for several years); a judge for food and dining awards; and contributor of recipe sections to several magazines, and for many years contributing the dining section to Travel & Living.

Australian Regional Food Guide Paperback | Second Edition 2005 | New Holland Publishers (Australia) | Food industry and trade – Australia – Directories | ISBN 1 74110 147 6 | $29.95 Take a journey of discovery, region by region through EVERY Australian State and Territory, and see the countryside unfold as you read. Or better still, take this book with you as an invaluable guide when you travel. Among the over 1500 entries you will find: • Farmers who raise everything from quail to buffalos • A micro-climate that allows tropical fruit to flourish in southern NSW • Dozens of country restaurants that proudly use local produce • The country’s fledgling super-gourmet industries of truffles and saffron • Where to find everything from sourdough to spuds or smoked salmon Discover, too, superb local cheeses, chillies and cherries, and where to dine on organic beef or the freshest seafood in Australia. Participate in bush food tours, or take part in festivals that celebrate the wealth of the local soil. Join this culinary safari. The trip is long, but you’ll return enriched, and with renewed admiration and a better understanding of what this great country - and its equally great people - can do. It will make you proud to be Australian. And almost certainly it will compel you to go and see for yourself!
Australian Regional Food – The Best Chef's Recipes Paperback |2006 | New Holland Publishers (Australia) | Travel – Miscellanea – Curiosities and wonders | ISBN 1 74110 394 0 | $29.95 We are delighted to bring you recipes, ranging from some of the top chefs in the land to small companies producing unusual food. From the passion and experience of writing her best selling Australian Regional Food Guide, Sally Hammond asked a variety of chefs to put together their favourite recipes bursting with the richness and variety of Australian cuisine. All the recipes come from people who make their living creating Australian food – café and restaurant chefs, cheese-makers, bakers, chutney bottlers, wine makers and olive farmers. Create your own Tasmanian Venison Carpaccio or Steamed Rock Oysters with Kaffir lime and Tamarind from Byron Bay. Over 30 regions in Australia are represented. These recipes will not only make your mouth water, they will send you to the kitchen to try them for yourself.
Bamboo Paperback |2007 | New Holland Publishers (Australia) | Cookery Chinese - Cookery, Tourism and Gastronomy, China – Description and Travel | ISBN 978-1-74110-569-8| $35 Bamboo - a journey with Chinese food, by Sally Hammond & Gordon Hammond. Release date: October 2007, rrp $35, paperback. TAKE A REGIONAL FOOD TOUR AROUND FASCINATING CHINA, SAMPLING THE DELIGHTS OF THIS COLOURFUL COUNTRY. Bamboo is a food lover's and traveller's delight, with magnificent photography by Gordon Hammond and Sally's entertaining insights of this ancient land. East to west, north to south, here is a taste of China's huge variety of regional cuisine set out in easy to follow recipes accompanied by gorgeous recipe shots. Bamboo puts China in your hands with tips and inside knowledge on travelling and dining in the 'land of dragons'. Although some of the recipes in this book may call for a trip to a Chinese market or Chinatown to collect some ingredients, but it will be worth it. More likely you will plan to do even more. 'Why not go to this fascinating country and see and taste for yourself?' says Sally.
JUST A LITTLE ITALIAN Paperback | 2006 | New Holland Publishers (Australia) | ITALY – Description and Travel | ISBN 1 74110 395 9 | $24.95 "There is a real energy to the Mezzogiorno – the south of Italy. The people are as warm as the sunshine and the cuisine is sublime." Sally Hammond and her husband Gordon were determined to explore the south of Italy, despite warnings that is was dangerous and there was nothing to look at. But in amongst the palms and pergolas, the generosity, spirit and hospitality of the southerners seduces them as they explore the heel and boot of Italy. They discover a treasure trove of sights, characters and fantastic food. Just a Little Italian has tales of mouth-watering meals and recipes from sunny courtyards, crazy mountain passes and sublime wines. This is the perfect book for people who want to explore the south of Italy. Accommodation details
Just Enough French Paperback | Second Edition 2005 | New Holland Publishers (Australia) | France – Description and Travel | ISBN 1 74110 408 4 | $24.95 When Sally and her husband Gordon decided to spend a month in France, they were determined to make contact with rural France and its people, despite the language barrier Just Enough French is the engaging and entertaining story of their journey: from visits to patisseries and cafes to encounters with cheese-makers and petanque players, Sally describes their experiences in vivid detail. With tales of mouth-watering meals around kitchen tables and in sunny courtyards, scenic drives over mountains and alongside vineyards, this is the perfect book for Francophiles, travellers and gastronomes alike. A third updated edition was released in 2016.
Pardon My French Paperback | 2007| New Holland | Cookery, French – France – Description and Travel |ISBN 9781741103960 | $24.95 | reprinted Sept 2007 With notebook in hand, food and travel writer Sally Hammond sets off around the romantic and seductive country of France. Pardon My French! is Sally's travel journal as she samples the local food, stays in local places (both on and off the beaten track), struggles with the language, discovers history and mysteries, and, of course, collects reciipes en route. From Paris to the snowy Pyrénées and back again, Sally and Gordon Hammond go in search of delightful food and charming company. So sit back and enjoy an entertaining and delicous tour of France. Bon appétit!  Now available as an e-Book, details.... Accommodation details
Playing Chopsticks Paperback |2006 | New Holland Publishers (Australia) | China – Description and Travel – Cookery , Chinese | ISBN 1 74110 397 5 | $24.95 Playing Chopsticks is a light-hearted visitor’s view of a vast country with a long and revered history. Sally Hammond shares entertaining and informative stories about her visits to China: strolls through a Kashgar cattle market, meeting with nomads and searching for a western-style loo in the wilds of China. Read about yak’s butter in Tibet, and her experiences on the Silk Road, the Great Wall, Macau, Hong Kong and Beijing. There are tips on chopstick etiquette and how to cook rice as well as recipes for delicious regional dishes. Anyone interested in life in modern day China, planning a visit there or wishing to recreate authentic Chinese cooking will find this an entertaining and informative book.
Weird and Wacky Paperback |2005 | New Holland Publishers (Australia) | Travel – Miscellanea – Curiosities and wonders | ISBN 1 74110 180 8 | $16.95 If you want to travel with a smile on your face Weird and Wacky is for you. Have you ever considered taking your coffee five metres into the air to sit and drink it? What about a visit to the world’s first (and only) underground post office? Perhaps you like the idea of spending a night in an underground cave that doubles as a hotel? No? What about one made completely of ice, or one that floats, or there’s even a hotel submerged in water with a view of fish? If that still doesn’t tickle your fancy maybe you’d be better off entering the annual wife carrying festival, taking a turn a bog-snorkelling or attending the Road Kill Cook-off? Weird and Wacky contains a collection of over one hundred similarly wonderful and outrageous destinations, events and travel ideas for the zany, and lets face it, downright kooky, traveller in all of us. To help you get started we’ve even included contact details for each entry so that you can check them out for yourself. What are you waiting for? Weird and Wacky is full of places and things that you’ll hardly believe.

PHOTOGRAPHY ON THIS SITE

Gordon Hammond is an award-winning photographer whose work appears with most of Sally’s published articles as well as on their two websites. He has authored several books and has supplied images to a number of travel and tourism organisations.

Gordon’s aspirational and mouth-watering pictures bring the experience alive. His passion is authenticity and his skill is in capturing the moment. There is nothing contrived or artificial about his photography. The essential components of his images are a well-developed sense of timing and a good understanding of natural light.

When it comes to people shots, the secret lies in being able to connect with others instantly and capturing the essence of the interaction. These days the technical side of photography is largely covered by sopisticated equipment that takes care of the 'how' of capture, leaving the photographer to focus on the intuitive aspect of creative photography.

In recent years Gorodn has mastered the world of videography and these add an extra facet to his skills and this website.

Sally is also very handy with the camera. Many of the articles on this site feature her unique view of the world.

(Click on the thumbnails to view larger images)

Portraits

The Natural World

A Slice of Life

Still Life

The World We Live In

Black & White Studies

FOR EDITORS SPECIALISING IN FOOD AND TRAVEL

Welcome to my (digital online) office!

Thanks for dropping by. I would like to invite you to have a quick look at a summary of our latest travels. Just click here

Take as much time as you want to browse and look around this site. Make yourself at home – and please give me a call, or email me, if there is something that you don’t understand or that you’d like me to explain.

If you have come this far in the website you will understand that I am serious about writing, and keen to market my work more widely. A full CV is available here.

You will notice that I have posted many entire articles. They will give you an idea of my style and the sort of content I usually include. They are copyright, but with permission, and after payment, any of these are available for reprint. They will be thoroughly fact-checked and updated, and a current fact file can be included if requested. The length can be adapted to suit the needs of each publication.

Some articles may have already been published in Australia. With these I will have sold ‘first Australian serial print rights’ but all other rights (including digital – internet reprint rights) are still generally available.

Costing and method of payment are by direct negotiation. Contact me and we can discuss the fee.

Feel free to browse the articles and please also contact me to discuss commissioning other work for your publication or website. 

As you can see my husband and work-partner, Gordon Hammond, is an accomplished photographer. To view galleries of his images visit www.gordonhammond.com.au His images may be purchased to independently accompany other articles in your publication. There is a discount if they are to be published with my work.

This site is a work-in-progress, so do keep checking what is available. The destination list gives an overview of available content.

Uploading material on a website is a time-consuming extra task in an already busy writing life, so please feel free to contact me if you would like to know if I can provide an article on a subject not already showing here.

In the many years I have been a fulltime freelance writer, I have exercised a number of writing ‘muscles’ and have also written profiles, humour, and lifestyle pieces, which I am happy to discuss with you as well.

My other main area of expertise is food writing. I am an established restaurant reviewer in Australia, and the author of several cookbooks and many food and dining guides. I have posted some of these articles on the site as well, drawing from an extensive background of writing on food and nutrition for magazines in Australia and overseas.

Please enjoy browsing this site and contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to know more. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Download any of these PDFs to view samples of Sally and Gordon's published work.