Aroma Festival at The Rocks, Sydney....

Not only am I fortunate enough to be in the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia visiting my parents. I was lucky enough to arrive in time for the Aroma Festival at The Rocks, which is located at the harbour front just opposite the Opera House.

It was a beautiful winter day, so a big change from the glorious summer we’ve been having in the UK. There were dozens of stalls set up, some for the usual weekend market selling all sorts of treasures from jewellery to glass ware to stylish bags made of recycled paper. There were also many stalls set up for the Aroma Festival which was a celebration of coffees, teas and Australian spices.

I LOVE free samples and the stall holders were more then generous with samples of coffee, herbal teas and chai drinks. Also on offer were freshly made fudge, cupcakes, creamed honey and bread dipped in lemon myrtle olive oil and spices. Many stalls offered a great selection of gluten free products as well.

There was a terrific atmosphere and the stall holders were more than happy to talk about their products and give recipe suggestions. Several jars of herbal tea were purchased as was an intriguing selection pack of spices. The real revelation for me is lemon myrtle which smells and tastes like a sunny day. I have never had it before but apparently it’s a herb that is specific to Australia. Lemon myrtle tea is something I will be drinking a lot more of.

I am looking forward to trying out my new herbs but for the moment I am quite happy having a big chocolaty cappuccino with my mum before we walk to the botanical gardens to see the flying foxes!