The Food Programme

Sheila Dillon finds out how Australia, a nation founded on the bulk export of cheese and meat, became one of the world's most exciting gastronomic destinations. The food story of the early settlers is told by Michael Symons, former restaurateur, academic and author of One Continuous Picnic: A Gastronomic History of Australia. In 1788, convicts and peasants arrived to an uncultivated land and farming and food were quickly geared towards large scale agriculture and exports of meat and dairy to the British Empire. In more recent years Australia has become a place of pioneering, experimental chefs and home to some of the world's greatest ingredients as well as the source of global food trends. Sheila tells the story of this major transition with the help of food writer Charles Campion, on tour in Sydney and Melbourne. The story also weaves in a hunt for indigenous aboriginal foods and the account of a man whose contribution to Australian food culture was to bury 80kg of Roquefort cheese to the French national anthem. Both are fascinating episodes in a colourful and surprising food story. Producer: Dan Saladino.