Meredith's Orchard

A few minutes drive south of Margate, Meredith's Orchard has a good range of fresh produce, from fruit and veg to eggs and honey, as well as some organic and gluten-free products if they float your boat, and for very good prices. I was delighted to walk away with a huge box of stuff, including free-range eggs, fancy things like mangoes and asparagus as well as the bog-standards like carrots and spuds, for less than $50. Supplies for four for a week. Pretty good I reckon!

Where: Channel Highway, Margate

Tant Pour Tant Cafe/Bakery

Possibly the most delectable breakfast I've ever eaten, the ragout of mushrooms and spinach on gruyere toast was my first meal in Tasmania upon returning here to live, and a very good omen indeed! We'd had Charles St, Launceston recommended as the place most likely for a good feed after landing in Devonport, and Tant Pour Tant just happened to be the first place we came across. The menu sounded pretty good so we didn't bother to shop around, and man, am I glad! I was actually making embarrassing noises of pleasure as I ate my mushrooms! I gushed to all the staff, and my partner practically had to drag me out of there before I ordered seconds (and at $9.50 a serve, it would have been well worth it!).

The selection of pastries and cakes also looked amazing. If I lived in Launceston I would be down there as often as my budget would allow. I certainly won't be passing up another breakfast opportunity there.

Where: 226 Charles Street, Launceston

www.tantpourtant.com.au

Mission control...prepare for lift-off!

Well, the time for my Tassie research project approaches... one week to departure for the apple isle. I can't wait to take the little guy to a beach (without hoofing through two hours of traffic and smoggy suburbs to get to it, thank you Melbourne!), go stand on our block of land and put on my rose-coloured future glasses, see my Mum and Dad and the rest of the clan, and basically start the rest of my life.

The world is my apple.