Mediterranean cooking has a way of making everything feel like a long lunch in the sun, even when you’re standing in a Brisbane kitchen at seven on a Tuesday night. It’s the olive oil, the fresh herbs, the tomatoes that have actually been treated with respect. The kind of food that looks effortless because the philosophy behind it genuinely is: buy the best produce you can find, season it properly, and get out of its way. I’ve been cooking this way for nearly thirty years and the appeal has never once worn off.

Growing up in south-west Sydney meant Mediterranean flavours were woven into everyday life long before I understood the geography behind them. The Italian nonnas, the Greek neighbours, the food that showed up at every gathering without anyone making a fuss about it. It was just good food, eaten together, and that’s still exactly what Mediterranean cooking means to me. From a swoony bruschetta that people genuinely cannot stop talking about to bright, herb-forward salads and slow-cooked dishes with serious depth, this collection is built on decades of cooking and eating food I love completely.