The political journalist and commentator on grilling politicians and the art of kitchen diplomacy.
You would’ve eaten some interesting meals over six seasons of Kitchen Cabinet. What’s been your most memorable?
I think dining with [Minister for Indigenous Affairs] Nigel Scullion in Darwin still holds an edge. He’s an outdoors guy who has been known to go rabbit trapping in Canberra. He took me out on a boat to get mud crabs and we nearly got marooned in a croc-infested tidal creek. While we were imprisoned on our flimsy craft, he regaled me with the tale of how he once shot a muddie off his thumb with a gun. Nigel cooked sticky chilli crab in the open air and had also prepared some incredible yabby curry puffs.
There must have been some kitchen mishaps, too.
I’m not gonna lie: having Clive Palmer nearly set me alight was unexpected. He was grilling our lunch on a giant gas range (salmon for me, what appeared to be a brontosaurus T-bone for him) and he enthusiastically squirted some cooking spray towards the inferno. It ignited, and I was lucky to escape with my eyebrows.
Who taught you how to cook?
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