Hello there folks.

This week I’ve been hanging out with American uber-blogger Adam Roberts aka The Amateur Gourmet.

Adam is a food blogger from New York and is in Perth to take part in a food blog conference. He’s been writing about his (mis)adventures in the culinary world for about a decade and writes honest, funny stories about trying to cook.

Today we were taken on a ‘speed grazing’ tour of the Swan Valley with Taste Bud Tours.

The Swan Valley is situated about 13km from the heart of Perth city and has a nationally awarded food and wine trail. The aim of the tour is to introduce passengers to the people behind the label and provide an insight into the growth, harvest, development and production of the food, wine and beer of the region. So off we go!

Taste Bud Tours

It’s an early pick up, so first stop on today’s agenda is the Yahava Koffee Works. They roast all their coffee beans in-house and give visitors a coffee tasting education like you’d expect with wine at a winery. I can really taste the difference, from bitter tones to citrus tangs.

After a brief stop at Cape Lavender for some lavender scones and tea and a look at a giant coffee percolator at Mago Coffee (number four on my Big Things List) it was time to see Dale at the Maalinup Aboriginal Gallery to try some genuine Australian bush tucker.

This is where I had my first taste of kangaroo brawn. It’s generally made with kangaroo tail, egg, potato, carrot and peas in gelatine. A kind of free form pork pie without the pastry.

OK folks, quiz time. Fill in the blank

Coffee. Lavender scones. Lavender tea. Kangaroo brawn. ……………

If you said ice-cream give yourself a pat on the back!

We’re at Oggies Ice Creamery and just look at those wimps. I’ve got a double scoop of rum and raisin, and strawberry cheese cake and they’ve opted for a single. Tsk tsk!

Right, now it’s best foot forward as we head on over to the House of Honey, where I’ve been using their delicious chilli honey in stir fry’s ever since…

…and then Windy Creek Wines (where I sampled ALL these plus, some reds and a couple of ports)…

…before the highlight of the day, making nougat at the Mondo Nougat factory.

Opened in the Swan Valley in 2005 it’s a family run business with Papa Alfonso and his three sons producing the worlds finest nougat using Australias finest ingredients.

After a tour of the factory it was time to get down to business. First step in nougat making, spray your hands with canola spray because its extremely sticky stuff.

Second step, choose your ingredients. Cranberries, crystalised ginger and almonds for me thank you very much Papa Alfonso.

Making nougat is a good work out, what with all the kneading and pummelling that’s required, but kind of counterproductive because you just eat it all after you’ve made it.

Look how insanely happy nougat can make you.

Seeing as we’re onto the kind of ‘lolly/sweet section’ of the day, we popped into the Whistler’s Chocolate Company to admire their giant chocolate fish tank display.

And then we bumped into THIS happy fella at Morish Nuts.

There’re certainly a lot of passionate and progressive thinking locals in the Swan Valley, and the speed grazing concept is a really good idea to showcase the region.

Now that I’m suitably stuffed and feel I know the area a lot better, there’s only one thing left to do……

Lunch.