Buddies on board
It's a testament to their friendship that even after weeks at sea together, the three foodies from the SBS Gourmet Farmer series are still best buddies.
Food critic-turned-farmer Matthew Evans, chef-turned-farmer Ross O'Meara and cheesemaker Nick Haddow sailed around Tasmania for the new six-part series, Gourmet Farmer Afloat.
"Being in a tight space, everyone knew it could be a hard trip," Perth-born O'Meara says.
"So we were careful not to push each other's buttons. I think the only time things got a bit heated was during a card game."
The trio and skipper Garth Wigston trace the path followed by European explorers and cook up local produce along the way.
"I did most of the cooking on board but for filming we all had a go," O'Meara says via phone from his Bruny Island home in Tasmania.
"I have the lowest centre of gravity so it was better for me down in the galley.
"I have had quite a bit of experience with boats but Matt is not such a fan, he tends to get seasick. But he went really well. I think the only time he felt bad was once when he was down below trying to make tea, with everything moving.
"The stove is on a gimbal so it can move with the boat. Every time you open the oven door you have to be prepared for the tray to fly out and splatter food everywhere."
As well as serving up modern cuisine, the three follow authentic heritage recipes from Australia's first cookbook.
"The food was very simple and basic but back in those days everything would have been organic and unprocessed and you wouldn't need to do a lot to it," O'Meara says.
"At one point we were given a swan egg and I was nominated to cook something with it. I made salted pork with Asian-style omelette. This egg was incredible, the yolk was massive and overpowering. We only had one so I couldn't stuff it up.
"Another highlight was an abalone cook-off with a group of locals in Granville Harbour. Everyone came up with different dishes using abalone and it was a lot of fun."
Born in Swan District Hospital in Middle Swan, O'Meara's cooking has taken him to restaurants in London, France and Indonesia and, back in WA, to working for Margaret River wineries.
"It was great there but I found getting solid work in WA was hard, I don't know why. I never seemed to be in the right place at the right time."
A trip around Australia led him to Bruny Island. He has been there seven years and loves his life raising pigs and processing and selling pork products.
"I am one of those people that either lives right bang in the middle of the city - last time I was in Perth I lived in Highgate - or I live in the middle of nowhere," he says.
"Now I live on an island off an island, so that's about as far away as it gets."
While O'Meara is happy to be back on dry land with his wife, two-year-old twins and four-year-old son, he feels the boat trip drew him closer to Tasmania.
"There is just so much beauty and so much ruggedness. Learning about the history was a real eye-opener, especially from the point of view of the indigenous people.
"There are so many aspects to the show and I hope people can just sit back and enjoy it and feel good watching it."
