Foodies feast on our delights
Foodie celebrity Maeve O'Meara breaks into laughter and admits she has the best job in the world.
How else can she describe a gig which combines food and travel?
The TV food expert, writer and tour operator this week shares presenting duties on Getaway with Kelly Landry as they showcase the epicurean delights of Margaret River - and the itinerary is mouth- watering.
O'Meara and Landry take a group of fellow food lovers on one of O'Meara's super-luxe Margaret River Gourmet Safari tours and profile the best places to eat, drink and be merry in WA's South-West as part of Getaway's World of Food special.
Other food experiences showcased include a gourmet drive through Burgundy in France, the best hamburger in America (with Dermott Brereton) and a cooking school on the beach in Thailand (with Jason Dundas).
Taking a brief break between filming recently at the sumptuous La Foret Enchantee private retreat in Margaret River, the duo said that the shoot had been a dream, despite torrential rain which put the crew to the test.
O'Meara said the team had had done well to shoot "between the rain drops", and she relished the chance to show off one of Australia's premier food and wine regions.
"We've visited Olio Bello and Cullens, and they were great choices, to see olives being pressed during the season and this amazing olive oil smell that just hits you, it's so fresh and so lovely," said O'Meara.
"And at Cullens, learning about biodynamic wines and tasting some of their wines, we were very lucky."
For model-turned-TV presenter Landry, the shoot was an opportunity to return to WA's South-West to indulge her love of good wine and food. "I am a bit of a foodie and I loved how in Margaret River you've got a bit of that old world feel," she said.
O'Meara is best known for her Food Safari programs on SBS which she shoots in between writing cook books and running her successful food tourism business.
It sounds glamorous but O'Meara is quick to point out it is a constant juggling game, revolving as it does around the needs of her young children at home in Sydney.
"I'm one of those women who finds herself hanging out washing at midnight," she laughs.
And it's clear Margaret River holds a special place in O'Meara's heart. "I think there is a level of food and wine excellence which is amongst the best in Australia," she said.
"I really think there is something special here but I think what makes the trip is the passionate locals who grow olives, make beautiful wine and take so much pride in their region, to find the most wonderful local foods."
O'Meara said a highlight of the tour was the visit to La Foret Enchantee, a swish haven in the heart of Margaret River, which she discovered when chatting to Vasse Felix brand ambassador Michael Whyte.
"Like many other things in my life, I have been blessed with meeting great people and coming up with mad ideas," she said.
"So I met Michael Whyte of Vasse Felix and said to him, 'look, I'd love to find something that is like a visit to a private home, do you think you might be able to help me?', little knowing that he and his partner Fee (Stirton-Menzies) have created paradise, in this beautiful forest glade that is an exceptional home and everything is so luxurious and peaceful and everywhere you look there is forest and a chef in the kitchen preparing food for everyone."
"It helps to showcase what we're good at in Australia. I think Getaway is a great way of showing what Australia has to offer."
WA is set to feature heavily on Getaway in coming months with Landry presenting stories on diving with whale sharks in Exmouth, exploring the Cape Range National Park, staying at the Samudra Retreat in Dunsborough and checking out the WA sunset from the Goose bar in Busselton.
Getaway airs Thursday at 7.30pm on Nine and WIN.
