How good are holidays? Seriously everything changes the second you begin whatever adventure you have planned… if it’s a car trip then the simple pleasure of stopping in a servo to buy a cheese sausage or if you are going a bit further then it may be the dodgy airplane food… either way I effing love it all. It all tastes of freedom and freedom dripping from your chin is the best kind of freedom!

To clarify; the cheese sausage is the creator of the chin juice not a guy called Bob, he most certainly does not taste like freedom. To be honest he tastes a lot like shame wrapped in disgust.

It seems to be something most of us forget to make happen, but the minute we start our planned break all of our anxiety and woes seem to fuck off instantly, fair enough it isn’t as simple as saving some money, booking some accommodation sorting travel and getting time off work… hang on, it is that easy so sort your life out and wake up and smell the god damn metaphorical roses, because unlike real roses these ones don’t smell like chicken shit.

Travelling is the gift you give yourself that just keeps giving, firstly of course you get to go somewhere (that’s not only obvious it is a fact), but that is just the beginning. What you’re doing without even realizing is that you are learning, absorbing and broadening your views on everything from the noticeable stupidity of most if not all Queenslanders to the flavour of produce eaten close to where it was grown.

I’m a day into my first real holiday in many years, I know what you’re all saying and it’s either…

“I’m bored and hungry, I may make myself a ham sandwich”

Or

“You just stated how easy holidays are, so why haven’t you taken any”

Well all I can say is I’m continually trying to better myself and I pledge to you all that I shall from this moment on endeavor to lead by example and take shit loads of holidays.

But I’m in Noosa for a week with most of my family, some great friends and my beautiful girl, Lauren. I know most of you out there would be surprised to think that G-bags McFilthy mouth and myself have beautiful partners, and they’re girls, and not blind and are willing participants in our lives… well to honest I think we are more shocked than you.

This first leg of our trip is what I love most in this world. It’s hanging out with your favourite people whilst drinking, laughing, relaxing and most importantly eating. When you hang out with people for a whole day you quickly realize that everyone’s life flows around food and in turn the preparation of said food… and this is quiet frankly where I really come into my own. I love nothing more in this world then chopping things up gathered round a bench with a glass of shiraz in hand, shirt off, pots bubbling on the stove, someone awkwardly trying to help me, people asking questions, people laughing and if possible a small amount of food actually being produced.

I’m in charge of two things on this holiday…. wine and food, so I’ll let you into a little secret, which may help you if you ever take on the challenge of cooking for 12 people. What I like to do is just go to your local veg monger and just recklessly buy a plethora of assorted goods, then find some bloke that’s sells meaty/fishy goods and do the same. Then don’t overthink the process and maybe start by cleaning and prepping vegetables and before you know it an idea will most likely spring into your mind. If nothing seems to appear in your mind just type www.foodisthebestshitever.wordpress.com into your interweb machine and knick some of our recipes. My other tip is buy shit tonnes of booze so people will be so pissed they have next to no fucking idea what you cooked, how it tastes or if it even happened.

Last night dinner was…

‘Barbequed Barra, zucchini fritters, herb roasted sweet potato, green beans and a citrus infused sheep’s yoghurt’

But what I started off prepping was…

‘Zucchini & feta fritters, chicken with sage and buttery beans’

I think what we had was better in the end.

Next part of this journey will be the long overdue catch up and cook up with G-bags McFilthy mouth… shit is gonna get real…