Amorelle is a Sri Lankan Australian who lives in the Hunter Valley, on the East Coast of Australia.  

Her passions are travel to all places where the cuisine reflects fresh food, growing food and educating people about local and seasonal produce. After a successful career in Advertising & Marketing she chose to go back and gain a qualification in commercial cookery and had a second career as a Chef, Café and restaurant owner. 

Now in semi-retirement a traveller, a leader in the Slow Food Movement and an agroecological farmer on a 3-acre property.

Amorelle is the fourth of six children, her mother, Portuguese Sri Lankan and her father Dutch, Sri Lankan.   A tiny minority, these mixed-heritage families were known as Burghers. English was the language spoken at home, and growing up Amorelle learned of the world beyond through books from the British Council library and the Good Shephard Convent for Girls.  

British Ceylon was now the Republic of Sri Lanka.  Amorelle had been raised through a time of political and social turmoil.  When Sinhalese became the country’s official language many burgher families chose to leave - Amorelle’s among them to Australia.

Since moving to the Hunter Valley Amorelle was a founding member of Slow Food Hunter Valley, the local chapter of the Slow Food Movement.

The concept of ‘slow food’ had its origins in Italy in the 1980s as a counter to fast food and a growing unfamiliarity with sources of clean wholesome local produce.  Slow Food is now an international movement with groups in over 150 countries world-wide.  With the snail as their emblem, members promote a food-for-all ethos of ‘good, clean and fair’. 

In a home where all cooking was on an open fire, and ingredients came from the garden, from door-to-door hawkers and from local markets selling produce grown in the district, Amorelle developed her appreciation and understanding of healthy home-based cuisine.  Much exploration of this ethos has been possible through her many trips on behalf of Slow Food to see first hand the efforts of protecting and preserving food & cultural biodiversity in many countries around the world. 

For Amorelle, wholesome food is at the heart of it all.  “I like to take whatever ingredients are there.  I like to be inventive but with a deep understanding of the significance of the culinary heritage of the country and its people”. It’s Amorelle’s recipe for living, and what happens next will be creatively crafted from whatever offerings appear within reach.

Arrive Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport

NOTE we will collect you from the airport whatever time you arrive - day or night. 

There is no programme on Arrivals Day - our guests come from all over the world.

We will start the day exploring the historic Fort Area, throughout our journey you will notice distinct communities that live together and make up Sri Lankan culture. 

On a short walking tour we will visit the striking Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, the serene New Kathiresan Kovil Temple and perhaps share a taste of delicious paratha at a popular local eatery.

Onto the Gangaramaya Temple Buddhist Temple and their fascinating collection of offerings.

Saturday is Good Market Day. 

It runs each week and is full or organic vegetables, crafts and delicious food stalls. 

Let's hear a little about the sustainable food movement from one of the stall holders.

One distinct food style evolved in the Burgher Community and lunch will be one of their signature dishes - Lamprais.

The Burgher community in Sri Lanka is a unique Eurasian ethnic group with ancestry tracing back to Portuguese, Dutch, British, and other European settlers who intermarried with local Sri Lankans.  Amorelle traces her heritage to this community.

Visit Bawa House - Sri Lanka's most beloved and iconic architect, Geoffrey Bawa is renowned across the world for his incredible designs which won him the title 'father of Asian architecture'.

His house is a wonderful introduction to his work and Asian design that keeps a house cool without AC.

Let's enjoy a Sri Lankan Feast tonight for dinner together and celebrate our travels and enthusiasm for great flavours.

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You are going to hear a lot about elephants in the next few days.

Wild Elephants are plentiful in the area we are heading towards - unfortunately there are sometimes mishaps.  

The Pinnawala Elephant Sanctuary - an orphanage was founded to care and protect the many orphaned unweaned wild elephants found wandering in and near the forests of Sri Lanka. It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation.

It was planned for the facility to attract local and foreign visitors, the income from which would help to maintain the orphanage. The grown elephants are retained within the facility mostly since they have become dependent on supplied food and having not grown up in a wild herd have no connections and will be unable to join a herd. A few disabled elephants are given residential care.

This evening  we visit Heritance - it is a magnificent hotel designed by Geoffrey Bawa.

It boasts the longest kitchen in Asia and we have been invited into the kitchen, where we will be treated to a cooking demonstration and feast.

After dinner we will participate in a guided tour of the beautiful hotel.

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Sigiriya - Lion's Rock is an ancient rock fortress. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of granite approximately 180 m (590 ft) high.

According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (CE 477–495) for his new capital. 

He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Sinhagiri, the Lion Rock.

The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.

We are starting early to climb the rock - there is a good staircase and plenty of places to sit - join us and slowly wind your way to the top - the view is stunning and the murals on the rock face coming down are delightful.

If climbing is not your thing - you can still enjoy the beautiful Lotus in the Water Gardens below and cheer us on.

Back to the hotel for breakfast, and then we head out to Mrs Rupa's house.

We are heading to Mrs Rupa's House.

This will be a delightful Village-based Tourism Experience - Bullock Cart to the lake, and  boat across to Mrs Rupa's house to cook a delicious lunch together using all traditional methods - grinding stones, coconut scrapers and a wood fire. 

It is peaceful and many hands will create a delicious lunch together, we can tag team and relax in between. 😊

In the afternoon relax at our hotel, take a dip or wander down the road and check out the area.

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We are heading to Kandy via the Matale area and well know for its Spice Gardens.

Once we arrive in Kandy let's head to the town centre and find lunch at the stalls of the Hela Bojun Hala Women's Empowerment Centre.

It is a great way to experience authentic Sri Lankan cuisine while supporting the local economy.

Hela Bojun Hala in Kandy is a unique food court concept launched as a government initiative to empower local women by providing them with safe and sustainable economic opportunities.

Situated next to the mall, above the parking lot, this airy outdoor space is a popular local hangout. A variety of stalls each offer their own traditional dishes, freshly prepared by the cook at that stall. No two stalls serve the same dish, ensuring plenty of variety without competition. Fantastic flavours!

Let's walk off lunch checking out the local vegetable market - sample some sweets perhaps pick up some locally grown cashews.

Later in the day we will visit The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, also known as Sri Dalada Maligawa, is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. 

It is renowned for housing the relic of the tooth of the Buddha, a highly venerated object in Buddhism. The temple is located within the Royal Palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy.

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We wind our way higher into the mountains, through rolling hills carpeted with some of the finest tea plantations in the world. 

After a visit to a Tea Factory & Museum your mind will boggle at all the flavour profiles and flavours.

From Nanu Oya Station, we board the train to Ella – a journey often hailed as one of the most scenic train rides in the world.

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Lipton's Peak

Nestled in the misty hills of Sri Lanka’s Uva Province is a living piece of Pure Ceylon Tea history in the form of Dambatenne Estate. Sprawling across the verdant slopes of Haputale, this iconic estate holds the legacy of one of the most famous names in tea - Sir Thomas Lipton. Dambatenne estate is where Lipton established his tea plantation and went on to establish Ceylon's reputation for quality brews.

Up on the top of his estate was his favourite picnic spot, now known as Lipton's Peak. We are jumping in tuktuks for the last part - too steep to drive and heading up there.

Bonus is a fabulous little cafe making great Sri Lankan snacks - the cook is happy for you to check out how he does it all and then you can relish a real treat - tea and snacks with a fabulous view.

Back to Ella and some free time before we join two brothers for a cooking class in their garden. Pick fresh ingredients and follow their instructions to produce a wonderful meal together.

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We are heading to very special hotel, it is set in a small village amongst coconut plams and rice fields. It boasts an organic vegetable garden, rice paddies and fruit trees and is run along sustanable practices. 

You might need to take a rest at their stunning pool to contemplate it all after a farm tour.

The hotel nurtures an entrepreneurial spirit in the local villagers and gives us an opportunity to check out local farming techniques and  produce from heritage seeds.

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We are heading to the coast for Fish Lunch - the freshest fish comes off the boats and is cooked on the beach and served at tables on the sand.

Can't miss the opportunity to savour local flavours and feast together.

We will start our afternoon at a carefully tended fruit farm, we will be given a tour, shown all the different fruits and vegetable, talked to about composting and soil health, then be served a glass of refreshing juice straight from the farm.

Masks are a strong part of Sri Lankan Culture, they are used in story telling and healing rituals.

We are going to experience an evening ritual, storytelling as you step into the myth and magic of Sri Lanka’s south. First a performance of a traditional mask ritual, where you will learn the deeper meanings behind Sri Lankan masks.

The night concludes with a delicious traditional village dinner set amongst the orchard to feast together.

Slow start this morning - we are right on the beach and need time to absorb the view, perhaps grab a dip?

10.00am sees us heading off to the market to shop before we work together with our chef to create a delicious lunch. A specialty of the south is Fish Ambul Thiyal.

Made with Goraka (dried garcinia) and black pepper, not only gives the fish ambulthiyal (sour fish) curry a unique taste but is also a method of preserving fish without refrigeration or freezing.  

Once you taste this, you can't forget the flavour and you'll be searching up the ingredients at home to make more!

After that delicious lunch a slow walk to explore Galle Fort will be just the thing 😊

Evening is free, you might enjoy a stroll along the beach and dinner at one of the restaurants set out on the sand - they are definitely the place to watch to sun drop behind the horizon.

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Boating on Koggala Lake.

Beautiful surrounds, mangroves, crocodiles, monkeys and all manner of birds to start our day, we will pull into an island and visit a family who produce cinnamon. 

A village based tourism initiative that we are pleased to support, you'll be introduced to the way to get cinnamon ready to dry, perhaps you'd like to try?

Sri Lanka is famous for its sapphires and blue moonstones. Both are dug by hand in small village mines, we will take a look at a moonstone mine, how they are polished and set ..... and of course the shop! Very tempting - be warned.

We will pop in to visit a Sea Turtle Rescue Project.

This place is home to  a few turtles that are disabled and unable to live in the wild. They are also a hospital facility with vet on hand to heal turtles brought in by fisherman that are injured, with care many of them will be able to be released back to the sea.

One turtle I saw could not dive to fish - it had eaten plastic which trapped air in its body and it was too buoyant - in the wild it would have starved to death. Here with care and feeding it will eventually pass the plastic and regain its ability to dive.

Last night tonight, we will share a Farewell Feast, make sure we have all our recipes written down to try at home and savour our exciting journey.

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Departures from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport

NOTE we will drop you to the airport whatever time you depart - day or night. 

Physical Fitness for Sightseeing 

This adventure is designed for enthusiastic, active travellers with a good general level of health and mobility.

To make the most of your experience, you’ll need to be comfortable walking for 3 to 4 hours a day - sometimes over uneven ground, up hills, and a few flights of stairs. 

Getting in and out of local transport and navigating occasional over-the-bath showers may also be part of the journey.

If you’re up for a bit of daily movement and love immersing yourself on foot, you’ll thrive on this tour. 

Just a heads-up - it is not be the best match for those who like to take things very slowly or need lots of rest stops along the way.