Food & Culture

Watch: Maggie Beer on the time Simon Bryant tried to feed her chillies

The legendary cook and author on her love of opera and and being a much, much messier cook than Stephanie Alexander.

By Yvonne C Lam
Should we just go ahead and crown Maggie Beer the queen of the Barossa Valley? Since moving to the South Australian town in the 1970s, the prolific cook and author has established a successful culinary empire. First there was her Pheasant Farm restaurant, named Gourmet Traveller's Restaurant of the Year in 1991 (the restaurant closed in 1993), then the Maggie Beer products, the Maggie Beer Farm Shop, the Maggie Beer Foundation, those TV appearances, and a line of cookbooks (including one penned with her good friend Stephanie Alexander). And let's not forget that verjuice.
We sat down with Beer to talk about her garden, her love of opera, and her strong feelings about pineapple on pizza.