Howdy folks, Happy Friday!

It’s the end of the working week so sit back, relax and watch the last in the series of four short films all about the food and drink scene in Perth. This time I’m taken on a trip from the ocean to the city with food writer and blogger Whitney Ng.

Starting the day at Leighton Beach over eggs and coffee I learn about the breakfast culture in Perth, before heading to the city and an appreciation for how Perth does fine dining, with a relaxed al fresco lunch.

En route we stop off at the suburb of West Leederville to discover the meaning of the often used term “hidden gem”.

Originally from Singapore but now based in Perth, Whitney covers her food experiences in the City and further afield to the Eastern States of Australia and Asia on her blog www.dinewhitme.com

Look out for Whitneys guest post on my blog next week!

Howdy folks, it’s Friday Film time again!

In the second of four short films all about Perth, I’m taken on a roving food tour of the city by Perth local and food fanatic Laura Moseley.

Laura is the Food Curator for the Beaufort Street Festival and in recent years has seen a fresh spark enter Perth’s streets. Historic buildings, spaces, corners, and laneways are being reactivated by passionate and creative entrepreneurs. Small bars, cosy bistros and restaurants, late night dining, pop-up shops, street food and farmer’s markets are at the very heart of this change.

Better still, many of these new haunts are showcasing Western Australia’s best fresh, local and seasonal produce.

Together Laura and I explore where old meets new in the city and visit many of her favourite hangouts, meeting some of the people at the heart of Perth’s vibrant food scene along the way.

It’s an extremely busy day of meeting, eating and drinking. Do we make it?! Find out here….

Well, 6 weeks ago I was stood on stage at the Sydney Art Gallery, where the Best Jobs winners were announced, in front of a host of TV cameras and news crews,

with my new Taste Master apron hanging proudly around my neck, clutching my giant Western Australia salt and pepper grinders and thanking WA, Tourism Australia and pretty much everybody for making me the new Taste Master of Western Australia.

Since that surreal moment I’ve been back at home in Brighton, preparing for the trip and returning to some sort of normality, with the whole experience seeming like a weird crazy dream. That was until Australia phoned a couple of days ago… “Hi Rich, your visa’s nearly through. When do you want to fly out?!” So 6 months after sending in my application video it’s all about to actually happen. The last couple of days I’ve been frantically packing and organising for the big trip. I’ve had a brief teaser of my first months’ itinerary, and now I fully understand why it’s called The Best Jobs in the World. Talk about a good start to September, I’ll be heading to Australia’s North West for some mud crabbing, pearl harvesting, fishing and foraging in the Kimberley, and then tasting my way around the bountiful flavours of Broome.

So WA, here I come!

I’m really looking forward to meeting you all, embarking on new adventures and exploring WA, starting with Perth next Sunday… I’m hitting the ground running (literally!) and I’ve just registered for the City to Surf 12 km run.

Running shoes: Check
Blister cream: Check

Hope my jet lag’s subsided.

See you all very soon!