Cunard’s first dedicated culinary cruise on board the luxurious Queen Elizabeth will highlight all aspects of Australia’s unique produce, and will be joined by some of Australia’s culinary royalty.
Cunard has revealed a selection of dishes created by some of Australia’s most talented chefs – Matt Moran, Mark Olive and Darren Purchese – which will be on offer on its inaugural Great Australian Culinary Voyage early next year.
Setting sail on 28 January, culinary enthusiasts can look forward to a variety of popular and exclusive dishes by the headline chefs joining the voyage.
Read: New cruise celebrates Australian food and wine
Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Matt Moran will delight guests on board Queen Elizabeth with two exclusive takeovers of the premium restaurant, The Verandah, as well as curating an exclusive three-course menu for the ship’s impressive main dining room, Britannia Restaurant. One of the dishes Mr Moran will serve for diners at The Verandah is his famous glazed Maremma duck served with chicory leaf, salsify root, nectarine jam and pickled nectarines.
For dessert in Britannia Restaurant, guests can look forward to Mr Moran’s roasted plum with meringue, honeycomb and wattle seed crème fraiche.
Popular indigenous chef Mark Olive, who is known globally for his TV show The Outback Café among others, will deliver a menu bursting with native Australian flavours. Mr Olive will create a three-course native Australian menu featuring his iconic lemon myrtle Barramundi in paperbark and his lemon aspen curd tart with chocolate shards. Guests can also look forward to a native Australian barbecue hosted by Mr Olive on deck.
Pastry chef Darren Purchese and his creations are well known through his Masterchef appearances and his famous B&P Sweet Studio in Melbourne. For the sailing, Mr Purchese will add his twist to Cunard’s celebrated Afternoon Tea with the addition of some of his most tempting sweet delights.
One of which will be a miniature version of his signature Explosive Raspberry Cake made with a chocolate chip cookie base, raspberry cream encased in milk chocolate and raspberry mousse, chocolate coated popping candy and raspberry marshmallow. Another treat will be Darren’s gin and tonic scones, made with Four Pillars gin and tonic jelly, juniper cream, fizzy white chocolate and lime curd.
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“The countdown is on for the Great Australian Culinary Voyage”, says Mr Moran. “I’m really looking forward to getting on board and working alongside the incredible culinary team to deliver some amazing dishes for the guests. I’ve selected dishes that hero the fantastic Australian produce available to us and ingredients that will be in season at the time. It’s going to be a great few days – I can’t wait to set sail!”
Some of the most revered wines from our country and beyond will be selected by Culinary Voyage wine expert, Huon Hooke, to complement Matt Moran and Mark Olive’s dishes. Mr Hooke is one of Australia’s most respected wine critics and writers and is the Chair of the Vin de Champagne Awards and judge of the Australian Winemaker of the Year awards.
Esteemed food writer and critic duo Jill Dupleix and Terry Durack will also join the sailing to host special events and talks, and offer up some culinary wisdom and insights of their own.
Matt Gleaves, Cunard’s VP Commercial North America and Australasia, says: “We are excited to showcase Australia’s fascinating culinary scene through its talented people, unique produce and incredible places. The Great Australian Culinary Voyage will bring Australia’s vibrant food and drink culture to life through curated menus and events, tailored shore excursions and insightful talks by some of the country’s leading food experts. It’s an exclusive opportunity not to be missed.”
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From $1349 per person in a twin-share Inside Stateroom, guests can join Cunard’s five-night Great Australian Culinary Voyage. Queen Elizabeth departs Sydney on 28 January 2023 before calling into Australia’s culinary hotspots, Melbourne and Burnie (Tasmania), and arriving back in Sydney on 2 February. For more information and to book visit www.cunard.com/culinary-voyage.
How fantastic does a cruise celebrating Aussie food sound? Would you like to join this cruise? Let us know in the comments section below.
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