Lyndey Milan Australia's Biggest Morning Tea Interview

Lyndey Milan Australia's Biggest Morning Tea Interview

When it comes to beating cancer, we all have what it takes to help. You can make a difference this May by hosting a biggest morning tea and supporting the 1 in 2 Australians who will be diagnosed with cancer by age 85.

Getting involved is easy. Simply get together with your friends, family or workmates, put the kettle on and make your cuppa count.

Register at www.biggestmorningtea.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85 and help support Cancer Council's vital work. You'll receive a free host kit packed with fundraising ideas, party tips, mouth-watering recipes from celebrity chefs and everything you need to get started.

Everyone has a different reason to host a morning tea. Cancer survivor Natalie Khoury hosted her first morning tea for Cancer Council last year after finishing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. She found the experience incredibly rewarding.

'I hosted a Biggest Morning Tea because I wanted to give back to the community that supported me when I needed them the most."

She encourages everyone to get involved. 'Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way or another. So even if personally you haven't gone through it, you would know somebody who has," she said.

In 2014, Australia's Biggest Morning Tea raised a tasty $11.9million which helped fund life-saving cancer research, prevention programs and much needed support for cancer patients and their families. This year, Cancer Council aims to raise $13million to help fund its life-changing work.

Every morning tea matters, so whether it's a coffee catch-up with the girls, an office morning tea or a school cake sale, you'll make a big difference to the lives of thousands of Australians affected by cancer each year.

The official date for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea is Thursday May 28th but you can host a morning tea anytime throughout May or June. Make time for what matters and register today.

Visit www.biggestmorningtea.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85 to receive your free morning tea host kit.

Pear and Verjuice Syrup Cake

By Lyndey Milan
Serves 12

Ingredients

2 large eggs
½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup (185ml) buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
3 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm dice
⅓ cup (80ml) caramelised verjuice
crème fraiche or thick cream, to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line the base of a 22cm spring form tin.
In a large jug whisk eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla together until well blended. Combine self-raising flour and caster sugar in a large bowl. Pour wet mixture over dry and fold gently until just mixed. Stir through pears.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for one hour or until the cake is cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool on a wire rack.
To serve, warm caramelised verjuice in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave and pour over cooled cake. Serve slices with crème fraiche or thick cream.

Lemon Verbena Iced Tea

Justin North
Serves 8

Ingredients
⅓ cup sugar

½ cup water
2 lemons
6 cups brewed Marco Polo tea (or any black tea will substitute)
1 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves
4 cups of ice
2 sticks of lemongrass- bashed
½ cup of chopped ginger

Method
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute until sugar dissolves. Cool completely and add the squeezed lemon juice.
Strain the warm infused tea and add the verbena leaves and allow to infuse whilst it is cooling for about 5 minutes, then add all the remaining ingredients except the ice and chill well.
Serve well chilled over ice.

Interview with Lyndey Milan

Question: What is Australia's Biggest Morning Tea?

Lyndey Milan: Australia's Biggest Morning Tea is an opportunity for friends, family or workmates to come together, share a cuppa and some delicious food, and help those affected by cancer. While the official date for this year's Australia's Biggest Morning Tea is Thursday 28th May 2015, you can hold your tea any time during May or June.


Question: Why did you decide to be involved in Australia's Biggest Morning Tea?

Lyndey Milan: Cancer Council is a great Charity. Cancer is something which touches us all and the growing statistics are frightening. One in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer before they're 85. More than anything I really love that this is not an elitist fundraiser – it can be small and approachable or move onto the mega-scale. No donation is too small to make a difference, so anyone can do it.

Question: How do you hope to raise awareness for cancer and fundraise for the Cancer Council?

Lyndey Milan: I hope by lending my name and involvement as Ambassador, that I can attract attention for this great event and cause. That I can spread to it people not yet aware and encourage them to participate. This is a great opportunity not only for foodies, but for people who love to eat – and isn't that everyone?


Question: What will you be cooking for your own Morning Tea?

Lyndey Milan: My official recipe on the website is Pear & Verjuice syrup cake from my TV series & cookbook Lyndey Milan's Taste of Australia, on LifeStyle FOOD from 19 April. However, my plan is to challenge my office to all cook something they have never cooked before to bring in and share!


Question: Can you provide your suggestions for a healthy morning tea?

Lyndey Milan: For me it depends on what and when I have eaten breakfast and what's coming up later in the day. I think a boiled egg and some cherry tomatoes are great when you are peckish. I like fresh food so I always have strawberries and crudites on hand. For something sweet, I can't go past low-fat, low-sugar banana muffins. They're also very quick to make and kids love them too.


Question: Why is healthy eating, important to you?

Lyndey Milan: It's a matter of habit. I was brought up on good, fresh, home-cooked food and it is a habit I continued with my own children. I think being food literate is just as important as being literate and numerate. When you buy fresh food and cook it yourself, it is inherently healthy with no additives or preservatives. So it's what I enjoy the most. Also, it's about how you feel. I work very hard and for long hours so I need to feel nourished and that means feeling good. I have lots of energy and don't get sick, so indeed 'we are what we eat".


Question: What tips do you have for making our morning teas fun and interesting whilst still raising funds for the Cancer Council?

Lyndey Milan: Challenge yourself and your friends and colleagues. Cook something new or different. Play food options and have a prize for whomever guesses the ingredients in something. But most of all, take time out to sit down, eat , talk and smile!


Question: What advice would you give someone who is currently fighting cancer?

Lyndey Milan: That's a hard call. I am not qualified to comment. Much better to take the advice of your health care professional or contact Cancer Council on 13 11 20 for experienced, qualified advice.


Interview by Brooke Hunter