If there's one thing that brings down the upbeat, energetic horticulturist Costa Georgiadis, it's the waste he sees in a turfed nature strip. He took his firststeps in the soil on his godfather's farm and since then has had an affinity with growing plants. A qualified landscape architect and permaculture enthusiast, he spent many years working in gardens. Several years living in Europe opened his eyes to the world of community gardens and he has spent the past few years on Australian television — most recently the ABC's Gardening Australia — extolling their benefits to health and society. Georgiadis has cemented the term "verge" in gardening parlance, and has a particularly productive border alongside his home in Bondi, Sydney.
My pantry Unexpected Guest organic muesli. I have a whole range of honeys that have all different flavours. I have it in my tea and on toast. Olive oil from my uncle's grove in Crete. Little General olive oil. Home-made chilli paste, olives for snacking, pasta and salads. Olive bread. Home-grown dried oregano. Anchovies for a quick dinner with burnt butter, olives, capers and chilli over pasta. Cider vinegar for dressings — I like its tartness, which could be my Greek taste. Tamari for tossing through greens from the garden.
My fridge Eggs from my chickens. Organic butter. Dad's home-made chicken marinade with garlic, olive oil, lemon, pepper and salt. All kinds of fermented vegetables for healthy digestion.
My mum's baking dishes and her old recipe journal.
It came from my grandmothers and my mum, who were all good cooks. Then travel also taught me so much about food. I love the regional distinctions, and the way local wines go so well with the food from that same area.
I was travelling through Europe in the 1990s and there was a train strike so we had to catch a cab all the way from Athens to Thessaloniki. The cabbie took us to an amazing taverna halfway between the two cities. They brought out these incredible platters of chicken that had been chargrilled over coals, all organic; they'd been running around an hour earlier. There were fantastic side dishes of artichokes and beetroots, and we drank wine from the cabbie's town that he'd brought in from the boot. Afterwards I lay down, looked up at the stars and thought, "This is as good as it gets".
A chook roasted on a bed of lemon slices and filled with lemon, thyme and rosemary. I roasted sweet potato, ordinary potato and onions with lemon and whole garlic cloves.
All kinds of teas, mostly caffeine-free. Rainbow Chai, Greek mountain tea, camomile, green tea, and I muck around and make my own blends. As a public service, I refrain from drinking coffee. Can you imagine what I'd be like on it? People reckon I have my own coffee-creating facility within my body!
Saturday night tipple: A beautiful biodynamic shiraz by Bunn from Albany without preservatives. It's a knockout. I don't mind a Coopers Pale Ale occasionally either.
Dark chocolate, the more bitter the better.
Classic Greek olive oil dispenser. German vegetable peeler I've had for 15 years — if someone took that I'd track them down ... Peugeot pepper grinder. Old serving spoons that've been in the family for years. I just like things that last and that work.