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If winter in Canberra is a much milder version of what I expected, winter in Sydney bears no resemblance to anything I’ve ever experienced by that name. We took my sister and niece there for the last weekend of their recent visit and spent the first weekend of August (the antipodean equivalent of February) sitting outside in cafes, admiring local landmarks gleaming in the blazing sunshine, and “wrapping up” (that means putting on a fleece) for a sunset ferry ride across the harbor. We capped off the weekend with a picnic in the Botanical Gardens that was pretty much identical to the last one we had, in December, except this time we had cold roast chicken instead of prawns, and I planned ahead a bit better for my contribution to the feast.

Hotel Kitchen Greek-ish Salad
The ingredients for this salad were pretty much determined by what I could find in the little market next door to where we stayed, and prepare with the minimal equipment on offer--hence the name.

1 medium cucumber
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium red onion
1 block feta cheese
1-2 tsp dried oregano
2 T lemon juice
5 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Peel the cucumber, quarter lengthwise and chop into chunks. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel and slice the onion. Rinse the feta cheese and cut into cubes. Sprinkle oregano evenly over everything; mix lemon juice and olive oil and drizzle over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Either serve immediately or lug to your destination. Keeps well.

Serves 8-10 as part of a picnic lunch spread.