Gourmet Farmer...

Our Friday night date at the moment is with the Food channel. Each week we head home to Tasmania for a delightful half hour with the Gourmet Farmer.

Matthew Evans was the food critic for the Sydney Morning Herald  - surely one of the best jobs in journalism? Apparently not. He has chucked it all in and bought a small farm south of Hobart - my hometown - with the aim of getting closer to the food he eats.

The program which you might have seen already in Australia on SBS, is a fantastic introduction to all the interesting people who've moved to Tasmania to grow unusual foods, go organic, make cheese, raise dairy cows or live off the power grid. Not to say that everyone in Tassie is living an alternative life... but certainly many do live a very good food life. 

We knew we'd found a new favourite program when Matthew pointed out that he was finding potatoes are often the star of each meal. Couldn't agree with him more. There's nothing better in the world than a Tasmanian potato (I have looked). The best is the Pink Eye, steamed until the skins pop open and served with a bit of butter.

Matthew has set himself up with pigs, chooks, turkeys (not so successfully) a dairy cow and a whole load of lovely vegetables. He has a blog too... and a new book.

He spends a bit of time with mates on Bruny Island and lives in the Huon Valley.

We sit there on the couch sighing at the scenery and remembering camping and sailing trips with scallops, salmon, abalone and even blue eye tuna. We caught a beauty last June while away with friends on the Tasman Peninsula.

I was in raptures. They were a bit casual about it... sometimes I think you need to leave to realise just how special Tasmania is. We might never live there again but we both still call it home.

(Second image from the Gourmet Farmer's blog)