After a fantastic weekend of apple picking in the Blue Mountains – and lots of beautiful apples in stock, there is only one thing left to do!

Caramel & Apple Pie

850g sharp green apples, peeled, cored and chopped, (granny smith apples, for example)

450g jar dulce de leche

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

60ml pouring cream

2 x 435g frozen careme vanilla bean pastry, thawed, or other bought sweet shortcrust rolled to a thickness of 3 mm

35g vanilla custard powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon demerara sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cook the apples, dulce de leche and cinnamon in a large saucepan over medium–high heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the apples are slightly softened.

2 Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Stir through the cream.

Line a 26 cm ovenproof frying pan or pie dish with half of the pastry. Scatter the custard powder over the top then spoon in the apple mixture. Top with the remaining pastry, trim any excess from the top layer that doesn’t match up with the bottom and press to seal.

3 Cut a cross in the top of the pastry using a sharp knife. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg then scatter with the demerara sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Image and Styling: Kirsten Jenkins

As Sydney’s answer to Rodeo Drive or Knightsbridge, Double Bay is the high-fashion capital of the Eastern Suburbs. Perfectly turned-out ladies who lunch flock to its exclusive designer stores and chi chi restaurants.

Grand Federation homes and charming semis still line the intimate tree-lined avenues of this aesthetically delightful suburb, set alongside contemporary masterpieces and luxurious villas, where taste and discretion are the order of the day.

Woollahra Library at Double Bay is a highlight – reopened in 2016 and is a constant hive of activity with green walls, study rooms, a reading room with a fireplace and even a slippery dip for the children. The revitalised Kiaora Lane is almost like a central shopping hub within that area of Double Bay. There is a buzz in this wonderful hub with restaurants and cafes such as China Diner, Little Jean and Bake Bar popular with the community.

On the shores of Double Bay you’ll find sailing clubs, marinas and two boutique beaches, including the gorgeous Redleaf Pool [now called Murray Rose pool]. Just 4km from the CBD, Sydney’s top private schools, including Cranbrook, Scot’s, Kambala and Ascham are all in the vicinity. An undeniable air of affluence and an international ambience flavour Double Bay, where the perfectly groomed and the well-heeled can be found enjoying its cosmopolitan attractions.

The beauty of Double Bay is nearly all conveniences are accessible by foot, but easy access to public transport (buses, trains and ferries!) also make it a perfect and convenient location.

However Double Bay is also filled with many people who don’t quite consider themselves the ‘typical’ Double Bay resident who frequent boutiques and shops. We asked one of our current vendors for her take on Double Bay and why she loves this suburb:

Anything that stands out to you when you think of Double Bay

The best places to grab a coffee:

I like to buy my freshly roasted coffee or take away at Elbon coffee (www.elboncoffee.com.au)

The things you like most about living in the area:

All the above! I like living in this beautifully kept art deco building in my sunny apartment with lots of trees around. I can see the water and cruise ships swimming past. The sea breeze keeps my apartment cool in summer and the northeasterly sun keeps it warm and bright in winter.

Your favourite shops:

I am great fan of Mud Porcelain in Kiaora Lane and like to drink coffee in their little cafe.

Local Events that are upcoming or ongoing:

Woollahra Library – they have wonderful events on throughout the year.

Local parks and places you would recommend:

I like to walk to Redleaf Pool for a quick swim. Sit with a book under the trees in Blackburn Park. Walk up to Darling Point Road to McKell Park and look across the harbour. Walk up to Queen Street to meet friends for a coffee.

Approximately 6km from the CBD, Randwick is bordered by the lush expanses of Queens and Centennial parks to the north, the suburbs of Coogee and Clovelly to the east, Kingsford to the south and Kensington to the west. Its name is synonymous with racing.

Live

Dating back to 1830, the Randwick Race Course sees Sydney’s colourful racing identities rub shoulders with high society and the average punter. Other notable Randwick landmarks include the Prince of Wales Hospital, a campus of the University of New South Wales, and Randwick Boys and Girls High Schools.

Randwick is also a great suburb for families and is filled with lots of fantastic hidden parks. Head over to Alison Park or Frank Doyle Park for some great playgrounds and places for your kids to run around! The Randwick Library is another great spot for kids, with school holiday programs and story time.  Looking for more activities for the kids?  “Laugh and Learn” Toy Shop focuses on toys that teach – they also hold music lessons for all ages.

If you are looking for a hidden gem, Isabella’s Italian & Seafood Restaurant is a great low key spot offering a fantastic set of regular food fare options at an incredible price point.

Love

Randwick has a substantial retail centre extending along Belmore Road, home to the Royal Randwick Shopping Centre and a variety of inexpensive clothing stores, eateries and supermarkets.

The quaint area commonly known as ‘The Spot’ is a charming cluster of unique specialty stores, restaurants and the historic cinema known as the Randwick Ritz, a local institution where every night is ‘cheap night’. They are also licensed, so its a great ‘date night’!

Sell

As Sydney’s first suburban municipality, proclaimed in 1859, Randwick retains plenty of historically significant and heritage-listed buildings which are carefully preserved.

However major redevelopment occurred in the 1960s and ‘70s with the construction of numerous residential walk-up flats, many of which now provide affordable housing for local university students. Currently under construction, the CBD and South East Light Rail, due to be operational in 2019 from the city through the Moore Park precinct and on to Randwick, may be a pointer to future increases in value to property.

Looking to buy in Randwick? Click here for listed properties

Looking to rent in Randwick? Click here for available leases

One of my favourite things to do when I can escape for a weekend, is to get away and explore another city! While I have been to Hobart a few times, its always nice to go back and spend a weekend visiting old places and finding the best new places that have popped up around town.  Hobart is a great place to get away for the weekend, being that it is only a few hours flight time.

I finally got to visit Hobart in December, and have included a few places we went that might just inspire you to take a trip!

Perched on Tasmania’s southeastern coast, the lively city of Hobart is a unique mash-up of the 19th and 21st centuries. The waterfront cafes, restaurants and studios of the largest city in Tasmania are housed in centuries-old converted warehouses that overlook a harbour bustling with yachts and fishing boats. An active arts scene, vibrant nightlife and leisurely daytime pace add to the city’s charm!

Accomodation

We stayed at the Macq 01 – 18 Hunter Street Hobart.

A new addition to the accommodation in Hobart and an impressive one. Right on the water, the rooms offer a beautiful view and the hotel itself is central to everything. The design of the hotel reflects the personality and traits of the Tasmanian people and the rooms reflect those of some of the most well known Tasmanian characters. Macq 01  – the ‘story telling’ hotel.

Places to go

On Saturday morning we walked around the harbour to the Salamanca markets, which is now the largest open air food markets in the southern hemisphere.

Over 300 stallholders sell fresh and gourmet produce, arts, crafts and handiwork from all over Tasmania, interstate and overseas. Ranging as one of the top attractions in Tasmania, the Salamanca Market is another good reason to make your stay in Hobart last for more than just a few days.

In addition we visited MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art). What a building! MONA is located within the Moorilla winery on the Berriedale peninsula in Hobart. It is the largest privately funded museum in Australia. Their current exhibition ‘The Museum of Everything’ was well worth the drive and is open until April 2018.  Visit their website for more info!

Restaurants

Templo

A small 20 seater restaurant in West Hobart, which does shared food with a slight Italian skew. This year it received its first chefs hat from the Good Food Awards. We had a lovely meal consisting of buratta with charred spring greens, crispy fried quail and gnocchetti with garlic and chilli sauce with pangrattato which was the star of the show.

Fico
This restaurant is all the talk at the moment and there was a couple of dishes that made this completely easy to understand. We completely loved the tortelli with caramelised onion and the dessert of orange blossom gelato, pistachio, chocolate, cherry. I very much enjoyed this restaurant but Templo still had it for me.

Agrarian Kitchen Eatery
This place is blowing minds and not just mine. It opened June 2017 and has already been awarded 2 chefs hats plus the best regional restaurant in Australia. It is an extension of the Agrarian kitchen cooking school and is situated in the Bronte building in nearby New Norfolk’s Willow Court – the town’s old mental asylum. This meal and experience was faultless. The food, the staff, the setting, right down to the drinks list. Sourdough potato cakes with plum sauce and kefir cream, house made burrata with roasted cima di rapa, wood roasted flounder with sorrel leaves and anchovies, and the strawberry clafoutis with kefir ice-cream which arrives at your table bubbling from the wood oven!

Image: Agrarian Kitchen Eatery

If you haven’t already made it to Hobart, I suggest putting it on your 2018 list even if just for a few days!

Happy travels!!