About
Hello,
My name is Sophie, I am a twenty something year old currently based in Melbourne. I have made this blog mostly as a place to document recipes and my love of food, at the same time as sharing travels, stories and simple thoughts.
I don’t think I have ever pursued cooking and food actively, rather it has somehow snuck up on me as a passion and favorite pastime. Perhaps this happened through a slow process of osmosis watching my mum, inheriting my dads sense of smell or living in various share houses where we all grew thicker around the middle with our combined love of communal food. And thats it, food to me is so much about sharing and I guess thats what this blog is about.
I have called this blog The Invisible Cookbook because the idea that people would want to use my recipes was encouraged when I worked at Friendly Beaches Lodge Tasmania, nicknamed the invisible lodge because most locals didn’t even know where it was. Also, eating and living gently/invisibly on the environment are things I see as important. The recipes here advocate organic, minimally packaged, seasonal and local produce. Most importantly, eating to me is about feeling good through cooking with healthy and sometimes unhealthy but purely pleasurable ingredients. All recipes and photos are my own unless otherwise stated.
the invisible cookbook 
Hey Sophie,
Cant wait for more recipies from Friendly beaches, especially some of the salads, moroccon lamb, strawberries with basil green stuff on top! Yummo!
Love reading about your travels and family, Keep up the good work 🙂
Cheers Rachael
Hello Rachael,
Lovely to hear from you!!
Ill take that as a hint…. salads, Moroccon lamb and strawberries coming up!!
xx
Love your site and your collection of photos – it’s heart warming.
Hey Sophie
I love your blog!! see you soon ciao georgia
Thank you Georgia!!
Hi Sophie,
I love your blog! Very impressed with the recent scholarly piece and all the delicious recipes. I am an undergraduate student writing my senior thesis on food blogs and the Slow Food movement, and I’m looking for participants to fill out an online questionnaire about their blogging experiences and food philosophy. I couldn’t find an email address to contact you with, but I figured I’d comment here because your site is such a perfect fit for my topic! Shoot me an email if you would like to participate 🙂
Megan
Hi Sophie,
love your blog and so nice to see someone else (local!!) also blogging about their own recipes too.
The recipes are fabulous, I hope to try some soon (veggie ones at least).
cheers
Viviane (Chocolate Chilli Mango)
Thank you very much, and I agree, lovely to see someone local! I will definitely be keeping an eye on your blog!
Hi Sophie
Found your site when looking for cooking tips and recipes. Your blog is full of inspiration and such great recipes. And the photography is such a joy to see, as some pics are taken by my nephew. Can you pass on how much we love him, and how proud we are of the work he’s doing.
Thanks for all the great ideas – I’ll try and cook something from your blog often.
Cheers – Aunty Teresa from Aus.
Wow, thats wonderful!! The world might be a small place after all. I will definitely pass the message onto D.
And thank you for your lovely comments.
Hope to hear from you again!!
Hello Sophie,
What a lovely site!! You take such beautiful photos too. I had a really lovely hour with a cup of tea reading through it. Thank you!
xxp
Thank you P,
xx
for your foodie mind 🙂
It is swap time again! Lizzie and the Volunteer Crew will be welcoming you to PepperTree Place this Saturday July 2nd from 10 – 12.
Winter veg seedlings for sale from the PepperTree Community Nursery and cute and cosy spaces developing all over the gardens for you to enjoy with friends and family. Real coffee and delicious cake on offer, Volunteer-powered and by-donation.
Coburg Edible Swap is a local fun gathering where people swap excess homegrown produce and gardening extras, inc fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs, seeds, seedlings, recipes, gardening tips and worm juice…
Sophie! That’s quite exciting that we’re blog-theme-twins. Clearly we are persons of impeccable taste. It was so lovely to hear from you. You, me and Damo should catch up for a Skype Pot of Tea some time.
Your blog looks delicious – I look forward to sitting down in a quiet moment to be transported into your kitchen.
Things have been a little bit roller coastery over here in Indonesia and the past few months have been a lot of hurtling downwards rather than upwards. But this week I finally got my kitchen all set up in my hut and my spirits have lifted sky high. Hopefully I will be inspired to write again after warming my stomach with yummy home kitchen food again.
I hope you are very well and keeping warm in wintery Melbourne.
xo
Mich
wow, I already enjoy working next to you and this blog gave me a bit more of an insite. You are an amazing and special person.
keep it up and lets cook together sometimes.
Oh, thank you Nase! x
Hi Soph! I’ve been wanting to get in touch with you and when I stumbled across some prose you wrote about Mäpuru, even more so. I’d love it if you could send me an email – alisonclairelovell@gmail.com
Keep up the great cooking 🙂
Sophie,
Can I buy a copy of the new ‘Friendly Beaches Cookbook’?
Tony
Hi Tony,
Thanks for your interest in a friendly beaches cookbook. Its probably best to get in touch with Clare at walk@freycinet.com.au
They have a copy of the recipes in a book at the Lodge but I don’t think they are for sale at this stage.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Many thanks
Sophie
Sophie,
Thanks. Clare wants $100 to do me a copy of the new cookbook.
Too much for me.
Could you pls disclose your excellent panna cotta recipe, which they use at the Freycinet lodge?
Tony
Hi again Tony!
Yes, I heard it was very expensive to print. Below is the recipe, I have two versions. Unfortunately I can’t remember the exact amount of gelatin sheets… could be worth experimenting a bit..? I think it is roughly three…
Let me know if there are any others you would like and I would be more than happy to share.
Goats yoghurt and orange Panacotta
Makes 6
1 vanilla pod split and seeds scraped out
zest of half an orange
pinch nutmeg
250 ml cream
250 ml milk
75 g raw sugar
3x10g???? sheets gelatin
200 g goats yoghurt
Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 15 mintues or until soft. Place vanilla seeds and empty pod along with the orange zest, nutmeg, cream, milk, and sugar in a saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer over medium heat removing just before boiling point. Squeeze out excess water from the gelatin and dissolve in the saucepan. Allow cooling to room temperature before adding the goat’s yoghurt. Strain and pour into 6 x 125 ml moulds. Set in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Variation
Chai panacotta
Follow the recipe above but instead of goats yoghurt add 200 ml extra cream and or milk and a pinch each of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
Sophie,
Thank you!
Tony
Sophie,
Your panna cotta turned out well.
I used 3 gelatine leaves from Gelita’s ‘Pemium’ quality pack of 12 leaves (20g), which is the only kind at my local shops.
Tony
ah, great to know. Thanks Tony! And many happy panna cottas to you 🙂
There are so many variations you can make with that recipe too. Sometimes I have substituted the nutmeg and orange for lemon or sometimes cardamon and so on.
What an inspiration Sophie. Your Mum Greet was telling me about this – how fabulous. What a creative person – just like your mother. This is your mum’s friend Margaret Makepeace from Armidale
Hay Sophie,
I was just browsing the archives to see what you’ve been up to. I was hoping you might be in Oz again..but can understand the appeal of ancestral kitchens and the south of France. No wonder painters went to France to paint!!
The garden is stagnant in the frost; cows are growing their calves till late Sept; signs spring will eventually arrive as the wattle comes out; guinea fowl arrive this week.
Warm hugs
Jane
Hello Jane! I am just back in Oz now! As of 1 week. I have moved back for the year. Its feeling a little funny but good to be back and i am on the search for work and a home and all that. I am guessing you must be in full summer mode now as it has taken me 4 months to write back!! But other that that how are things? Much much love
Sophie
Hi Sophie!
Just one year??
It sounds as though you have some long term plans. How did your French progress…bi-lingual?
Yes we are in full summer mode, but no fires to worry about so far. We are as dry as dry as dry. I wonder how long the big trees can last with no soil moisture. I keep the garden alive with rationed dribbles of water though veges get a bit more. We have plans to sell calves then cows, but haven’t had to yet. Fingers crossed some rain comes our way.
Are you living in Sydney or up around Armidale? Dave is down at the moment. In Sydney or at Kangaroo Valley. He is due here in a few days so I am looking forward to that.
Big hugs and lots of love Sophie.
Jane