About

Thanh-Berthou

Hello! Bonjour! Grüezi!

My name is Thanh. I was born and raised in Australia, and now live in Switzerland. I’m the daughter of a baker, the wife of a Frenchman, and a mother to two adventurous (but sometimes picky) eaters.

My parents ran a busy Vietnamese bakery when I was growing up, which meant I was there everyday after school and on weekends, often sampling more than I was allowed while I was doing my homework, but more often helping my mum behind the counter and decorating the cakes for my pocket money.

I swore I would never go into the food industry and, instead, get a “proper” job. I worked as a lawyer for over 15 years, but I found myself frequently reminiscing about the cakes and biscuits from my parents’ bakery, the trays of meat pies and sausage rolls that used to come out of the oven everyday, the smell of freshly baked bread every morning.

One day, I finally decided that I was more passionate about food than an office job, but it was a hard call because I actually enjoyed practising law. I now work full-time as a food photographer and food stylist, and, like my parents, am surrounded by food 24/7. Life has a funny way of proving you wrong sometimes.

I didn’t grow up cooking alongside my mum – she was always busy working in the bakery, and I was more interested in eating! My foray into cooking started when I moved out of home to go to university, armed with a collection of books from the Australian Womens’ Weekly and some scribbled recipe notes from my mum.

This blog is where I share my favourite recipes, with tips and tricks I have learnt along the way.

Eat, Little Bird!

The phrase, “eat, little bird”, was discovered some years ago by my husband on a Hallmark greeting card which he sent to his brother, the tall and lanky one in the family who has always been the recipient of skinny jokes at the dining table. 

At home, “eat, little bird” has since developed into teasing words of endearment to encourage others to eat, a message which I also hope to impart through this blog.

More About Me

If you are curious to know more about me, you can read my interview by Khoollect and SBS Food.

To view my professional portfolio and website, please visit Atelier ELB.

You can also view my latest contributions for Discovery, the in-flight magazine for Cathay Pacific.

Contact Me

Please contact me at thanh[at]eatlittlebird.com, or use this form here, if you wish to say hello or if you have any queries regarding:
* the licensing or purchasing of images on this website;
* the use of images and/or recipes on this website for commercial or similar purposes;
* working with me.

Eat, Little Bird is a registered trademark. All photographic images and content on this site are my own work, unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.

For information regarding permissions and credit, please see the Legal Information for this website.

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115 comments

  1. Shazza 21 June 2011

    Well done, I have always admired your photos and stories behind them on FB, look forward to more. on your blog xx

    Reply
  2. eatlittlebird 21 June 2011

    Thanks Shazza! That means a lot to me. I look forward to seeing you both here and on FB!

    Reply
  3. Sam-I-am 21 June 2011

    Love the introduction Thahn, so poetic and endearing! Thank you for starting off with Marlene’s Best Ever Chocolate Pound Cake, she will be thrilled! There is still a chocolate cake between us though! 😉 Still I love everything about your blog and with this beautiful intro, you have set everything in motion beautifully!

    Reply
  4. eatlittlebird 21 June 2011

    Thank you, Sam!!! It’s great to see you here 🙂 And yes, I must still try the Epic cake and can’t wait! Thanks for all of your wonderful recipe ideas – my cooking repertoire has certainly improved because of you!

    Reply
  5. Teresa De Angelis 7 July 2011

    Hi! I am so pleased to have stumbled upon this link…..what a pleasant surprise! The first time I could actually say I “new” her before it all! So you are bookmarked and I will certainly
    be bumping into you in more places than one……again AUGURI!

    Reply
    • eatlittlebird 8 July 2011

      Great to see you here, Teresa! 🙂 We certainly have a few meeting points! Grazie mille!

      Reply
  6. Julia Levy 20 July 2011

    i’m loving the new illustration band at the top, very parisienne feel about it. Gorgeous.

    Reply
    • eat little bird 20 July 2011

      Oh thanks, Julia!! I’m super excited about the new illustration and am so thankful to the wonderful Megan Hess for her artistic brilliance. I’m glad you like it too 🙂 Pop back again soon because I have some other changes in the pipeline to the blog design!

      Reply
  7. Creme, I just had to stop by and say how much I love the new header – it’s wonderful! I loved the one you did before but this has such a better fit – it finishes off the site beautifully, makes it complete. Lovely :0) x

    Reply
    • eat little bird 20 July 2011

      Thanks Jo!! I’m also in love with the new header and think Megan Hess did a super brilliant job in illustrating it. Don’t you just love the shoes??!! I would still like to tweak a few things here on this blog, including making the header bigger! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  8. Anita Menon 30 July 2011

    Lovely little space you have here. I find it fantastic that you are keen to cook all kinds of cuisine.
    Enjoyed my time browsing through them.

    Reply
    • eat little bird 31 July 2011

      Hi Anita! Thank you for visiting my blog! I just love food and am always happy to be a bit adventurous with my cooking 🙂 I am travelling at the moment but I hope to have a few more posts up next week!

      Reply
  9. Ayodele Cameron 3 August 2011

    Just wanted to say Hi Creme Brulee aka Thanh, Didn’t know you had a blog. Love your illustrations.

    Reply
    • eat little bird 5 August 2011

      Hello Ayodele! Great to see you here! I only started my blog recently and, so far, it has been a lot of fun 🙂 I’m so glad to hear that you also love the illustrations – I’m still over the moon about them!

      Reply
  10. Kerrin @ MyKugelhopf 17 August 2011

    hello thanh ! really excited to discover your blog (via julia of mélanger in brisbane). love your masthead ! we have lots and lots in common (zürich, french husbands, overflowing cookbook collections, a love for cookies & travel & more…) looking forward to following you along here !

    Reply
  11. Tatjana 25 August 2011

    What a wonderful website, well done. I love the way you did it and the illustrations are really nice. You should be proud.

    Reply
  12. Ceinwen 7 September 2011

    This is awesome Thanh. Now when I am searching for something new to cook I’ll just have a browse through here. Such a large variety and wonderful photos to see what it’s really like. Congratulations for getting it up and running.

    Reply
    • eat little bird 8 September 2011

      Oh thanks Ceinwen!! It’s been a huge learning curve for me but hopefully I’ve learnt all I need to know about hosting my own blog! You also have some really wonderful recipes which I’ve tried to replicate at home but they’re never as good as yours. I still remember your butterscotch slices from when we were in Tasmania … heavenly 🙂

      Reply
  13. Anna 10 September 2011

    Well done Little Bird (Thanh)! I’ll never have to buy a cookbook again! Your blog looks fantastic and your passion for food and cooking is obvious. I can’t wait to try out some of your suggestions… especially the Vietnamese dishes…
    Anna xxoo

    Reply
    • eat little bird 10 September 2011

      Hi Anna!! Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂 Was great to catch up with you today in your beautiful city! I hope you’ll get your slice of Crèmeschnitte mit Erdbeeren soon … it was really delicious! See you again soon 🙂 Thanh x

      Reply
  14. Natalie Morine 26 September 2011

    Hi Creme, really loving the look of your blog, your photography is wonderful, you gals from N.com are so talented.

    Reply
    • eat little bird 2 October 2011

      Hi Natalie! Thank you for stopping by! It is great that some of us have still kept in contact since the N.com days 🙂 Something good that came out of the whole thing. It’s great to be able to talk about food and cooking with like-minded people 🙂

      Reply
  15. scarlett 4 October 2011

    hey thanh so fun! i live in zurich, too. and just like you: i love ottolenghi and his aubergines… we should create a food blogger get-together in zurich, right?
    keep up the fantastic work.
    xo
    s

    Reply
  16. Alexander Strbac 28 October 2011

    Hello,

    You have a wonderful site, I must congratulate you! Also, isn’t it weird how many of us seem to have the same dream – run a small bnb, cook, entertain folks, have a great time, make your living in a more slow and “natural” way? 😉

    Hope you buy your grey shingled bnb.
    Cheers!
    Alex

    Reply
  17. The Food Sage 1 November 2011

    Hi Thanh. Great blog. I love the cleanness of the pages, the fab illustrations and your photography is absolutely divine.
    I look forward to following your work and reading about your cooking adventures.
    Rachel

    Reply
  18. Jenn 3 November 2011

    What a lovely blog. Your photos are absolutely stunning. I’m excited to start following you and to start looking through your recipes.

    Reply
  19. Jenny 8 November 2011

    I stumbled upon your blog today. How beautiful!

    Reply
  20. aurelie 15 November 2011

    Oh you live in Switzerland, like me!! (well I’m swiss so nothing incredible in my case..) I’m in Lausanne by the way. You are lucky to know all these countries..I just discovered your blog from Tastespotting, and it looks very pretty and yummy!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 15 November 2011

      Salut Aurelie! I’m happy that another Swiss has found my blog 🙂 Lausanne is just beautiful. I hope you will enjoy reading my blog!

      Reply
  21. Hannah de Bevy de La Faverge 18 December 2011

    Creme, I’ve found your blog at last! It’s mouth-wateringly beautiful! I shall be a regular visitor! Hannah.x

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 18 December 2011

      Hi Hannah!! Yay, I’m so happy you’ve found my blog 🙂 I look forward to “seeing” you around here! xx

      Reply
  22. dudford 20 December 2011

    This is a truly great blog Thanh! Really love the layout and the food photography is all the better for it. Keep up the good work, I especially love the walnut cookies and will be attempting them for Christmas Eve. Website bookmarked and will be visited as regularly as Cannelle et Vanille and the British Larder.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 21 December 2011

      Thank you so much for your lovely compliments! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoy my blog, and to be mentioned alongside Cannelle et Vanille and the British Larder is such an honour. Words like these mean a lot to me 🙂 I hope you will enjoy these cookies – please let me know how they turn out for you. I wish you a Merry Christmas and wonderful start to the New Year!

      Reply
  23. Anna Tran-Nguyen 26 March 2012

    Thanh – how we did not know about your blog earlier! What fine work you’ve done here 🙂 It’s so delightful and I love it. I’ve always enjoyed your FB food diary and am very proud of what you’ve produced here. I will definitely be visiting very frequently even if it is to just check out your beautiful photos 🙂 x

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 29 March 2012

      Thank you, Anna!! I wanted to have it all up and running before I announced it to you guys, but time got away from me … But here you are 🙂 I’m so happy that you like what you see so far 🙂 I miss our foodie get-togethers back home. And I miss *you*!! I hope we can catch up soon 🙂 Thanh xx

      Reply
  24. Em 3 April 2012

    Yay, you finally did it!!! I am so happy for you and can’t wait to read and see all the delicious creations you make honey:) hope you come back to OZ soon and visit xox

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 3 April 2012

      Hi Emma!!! It’s so lovely to see you here! 🙂 I hope all is well with you. We so need to catch up soon! I’m hoping to make a trip to Brissy later this year … fingers crossed! Thanh xx

      Reply
  25. Pat McGowan 4 April 2012

    Just visiting your blog after joining your fb page yesterday ! Looking forward to flicking through your recipes ! xx

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 5 April 2012

      Hi Pat! It’s so wonderful that you’ve found my blog 🙂 I hope you will enjoy the recipes!

      Reply
  26. Kylie Ryan 9 April 2012

    Hi Thanh,
    I love your website, the illustrations are gorgeous! xx

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 9 April 2012

      Thanks, Kylie!! I hope you will enjoy visiting my blog! I hope everything is well with you 🙂 Thanh xx

      Reply
  27. Florence 20 April 2012

    Hi there! I love your blog! I tried a recipes tonight and I loved it. And the blog itself is so beautifully done!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 24 April 2012

      Hi Florence,
      Thank you so much! That’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the recipes 🙂 I look forward to seeing here more often!

      Reply
  28. Davo 1 May 2012

    Thanh, your website/blog is an absolute inspiration. I love it. AND I love your recipes. I just did your latest bread recipe as muffins and it’s fabulous!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 1 May 2012

      Hi Davo! Lovely to see you here 🙂 And thank you for your kind words! I’m glad you liked the bacon and cheddar muffins – that was super-quick of you to try the recipe! Hope all is well at your end 🙂 Thanh xx

      Reply
  29. Laurence 8 May 2012

    hi Tanh, so pleased to have find your blog. Great recipe and blog so well done. How can I become a follower? Hope you’re ok.

    Love,
    Laurence xx

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 10 May 2012

      Salut Laurence! That’s so wonderful that you have found my blog 🙂

      You are welcome to subscribe to my blog by entering your address in the box at the top of this page, or by “liking” my eat, little bird page on Facebook, or even following me on Twitter! So many choices 🙂

      Reply
  30. Huylin 11 May 2012

    Hi Thanh, firstly greetings from Melbourne, Australia! I absolutely adore your blog and am definitely keen to try some of the recipes you have posted up! Looking forward to more posts from you! x

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 27 May 2012

      Hello! How lovely to have another Aussie visitor 🙂 Thank you for visiting my blog and I also look forward to following your delicious blog as well 🙂

      Reply
  31. Meenakshi 13 May 2012

    I discovered your blog just yesterday and am smitten. I love the variety of recipes, especially the baked goodies and Vietnamese dishes. The illustrations are charming. Just out of curiosity- is the illustrator Megan Hess related to fashion illustrator Kerri Hess in any way?

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 14 May 2012

      Thanks, Meenakshi! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoy visiting my blog, and that you also like the illustrations 🙂 Yes, I think Megan Hess and Kerrie Hess are sisters, both being incredibly talented fashion illustrators. I just adore their work.

      Reply
  32. Bene 30 May 2012

    I cannot wait to start following your blog! The fact that you have some many different food experiences draws me in even more. :]

    Reply
  33. Kylie 13 June 2012

    Hello Thanh,
    I am so happy to have found your blog via Pinterest. I am also an Australian living in Switzerland (Geneva). Where are you living? I very much look forward to following all your travel adventures and recipes. And, I am especially interested in any recipes for figs, as we have an enormous fig tree in our garden… oh, and a quince tree…
    A bientot!
    Kylie

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 13 June 2012

      Hi Kylie,
      Lovely to hear from another Aussie here in Switzerland! I’m based in Zurich. How lucky you are to have a fig tree in your garden and a quince tree! I wanted to buy a small fig tree for our balcony but wasn’t sure how big it would grow, or what to do with it over the winter … I do cook with figs quite a bit so I will keep that in mind for some future posts 🙂 And I’ve also been experimenting a bit with quince, especially after our neighbour gave us a jar of homemade quince jam which is just beautiful with cheese and cold meats. Thanks for the suggestions which I will definitely keep in mind!

      Reply
  34. El Oso con Botas 19 June 2012

    Beautiful blog and beautiful photos. Congratulations ¡¡

    Reply
  35. Amy 21 June 2012

    Oh wow! I’m in love with your beautiful blog! In fact I think I want to BE that girl in your top illustration! hehe, And your recipes are so delicious! Keep it up 🙂

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 21 June 2012

      Many thanks, Amy! The girl in the illustration is pretty stylish, isn’t she? I wish I could say that I’m dressed like that everyday but you’re more likely to see me in ballet flats. Though I do pop out each morning for our daily baguette 🙂 Thanks for coming by.

      Reply
  36. Anna 11 July 2012

    Happy first birthday, Eat Little Bird!
    Such a great achievement and a great blog! There is already so much on here but I can’t wait to see what else will appear in time to come. I’m always available for taste testing / quality control / general ‘market’ research 😉
    Good luck for the coming year xxoo

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 17 July 2012

      Thank you, Anna!! It’s so wonderful to have support from friends like you 🙂 I just wish we lived closer as I would no doubt be over every few days with something to share! xx

      Reply
  37. Your blog is just gorgeous! Can’t wait to explore it more. Thanks so much for stopping by my “place”-so glad to have made the connection.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 17 July 2012

      Hi Heather,
      Thank you for popping by my blog! It was lovely to find yours 🙂

      Reply
  38. Anita Menon 16 July 2012

    Thanh, Just as to let you know what a big fan I am of your blog, I have a versatile blogger award waiting for you on my blog, Congrats!!

    Reply
  39. Russell 14 August 2012

    Hello,
    I just wanted to let you how much I enjoy reading your blog. I love all the recipes and photos. I especially think your logo is creative and awesome. Thanks for inspiring me!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 17 August 2012

      That is so sweet! I just had a quick look at your blog and you are very inspiring! It’s so wonderful to see someone as young as you so passionate about food and cooking. Please keep up the great work!

      Reply
      • Russell 20 August 2012

        Thank you! I just subscribed to your blog so I can continue to read your posts. I hope you will continue to check out my blog!

        Reply
  40. Josephine 27 November 2012

    Hi Thanh,
    Stumbled across your website and have fallen in love! It is lovely. Funnily it seems we have a lot in common – I am also Australian and have moved to Geneva to be with my french boyfriend. Since I have been I have really taken up cooking as a hobby and am such a fan Miss Khoo (aren’t the croque madame muffins amazing?)haha. Anyway, if you do any cooking lessons let me know, I’m still very much a beginner 🙂
    Merci beaucoup!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 28 November 2012

      Hi Josephine,
      It’s nice to know of another Aussie here in Switzerland 🙂 Rachel Khoo has some fabulous French recipes and her book is a great starting place to learn about French cuisine. I hope to upload another post shortly containing some more reviews of her recipes. I hope to see you here again 🙂

      Reply
  41. David 9 December 2012

    Hey Thanh,

    I’ve been following your blog for a while now and decided it was finally time to say Hi! and say how much I really love your recipes, your layout, your photos and illustrations… Being an Aussie-born Portuguese bloke I really relate to many of the Aussie classics (ex.: Meat Pies, Lamingtons and the Pikelets to name a few) you have on here and they remind me so much of how it was growing up in Australia. Anyway, keep it up.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 12 December 2012

      Hi David,
      Thank you for your popping by to say hi 🙂 It’s great to hear from another Aussie reader and that the Aussie recipes I have posted are appreciated by some. I have some more Aussie classics in the pipeline which I hope you will enjoy!

      Reply
  42. mark 6 January 2013

    Hi! Thanh,
    I came across your website while searching for a recipe for orange and ginger marmalade.
    I really love the clean look of the site and would like to build a similar one for my wife where she can write about Slovak recipes. The photos also are amazing you have done a great job. Please if you do not mind tell me the name of the wordpress theme you used for the site.
    Thanks,
    Mark,

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 8 January 2013

      Hi Mark,
      Thanks for your message. I’m happy to hear that you like the look of my website. I’m using the Thesis theme which is very flexible and great for customising. I hope this helps. Please do let us know of your wife’s website once it is up and running!

      Reply
  43. mark 8 January 2013

    Hi! Thanh,

    Thanks for the quick reply, I will have a look at the theme now, and will let you know when the site is up and running.
    Thanks again,
    Mark,

    Reply
  44. Marie 11 January 2013

    Hi Thanh,
    I just discovered your blog thanks to Pinterest, and I am already in love! Your pictures and recipes are amazing, and these illustrations are just gorgeous! Very inspiring blog, think I’ll visit it pretty often 🙂
    Thank you,
    Marie (French lady living in New England)

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 11 January 2013

      Thank you for your lovely message! I hope you will enjoy your visits here 🙂

      Reply
  45. Shruti@PartTimeChef 10 May 2013

    Hi Thanh
    Greetings from a fellow ‘Zurcher’! Discovered your website via Pinterest today. You have a lovely blog. I ll be coming back often.

    Cheers
    Shruti

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 15 May 2013

      Hoi Shruti! It’s great to hear from another local 🙂 Thanks for visiting my blog … off to have a look at yours now!

      Reply
  46. Anna 20 June 2013

    Hi Thanh,
    I’ve just checked on ELB again for some inspiration! Your blog is truly amazing… And you’re amazing for keeping it up now with little É on the scene!
    I’ve been meaning to try your polenta and tofu recipes for ages now so I really must do it (or suggest to Tobi that he does some cooking for me!). There are of course so many other tempting options, can’t decide which sweets recipe I should try…
    Anyway, serious question, have you ever thought about your own catering business? It would be flexible, you could control how much you do and give you even more to write about on ELB. (As an aside, I love the way you write your posts too!). I’m sure you’d be in hot demand as a caterer!
    See you soon x

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 21 June 2013

      Hey Anna,

      Thanks for your lovely comment! 🙂 Hopefully Tobi will busy himself in the kitchen soon so you can put your feet up!

      As for the catering business, it’s an idea that I’ve been toying with but … I still haven’t had a proper moment to think about my next steps yet. Too busy singing nursery rhymes these days 😉 I have a back-log of posts to publish so hopefully I can get stuck into things soon.

      Thanh xx

      Reply
  47. urbanfoodlover 24 June 2013

    Wonderful stuff to read here….But most of all I love the header picture of this blog. The boulangerie, Paris Market, the girl with the shopping bag and bread in her hand..Love love it..Brilliant and very artistic I must say

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 24 June 2013

      Oh thank you! I also really love this illustration. Though, there may be some changes in the pipeline as I am trying to create a less feminine look, but I’m happy to hear that there are many who enjoy this header. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  48. Natalie 30 June 2013

    Hi Thanh,
    I love your blog, I just made the pot-au-feu. You didn’t grow up in Carina, did you?
    Natalie

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 2 July 2013

      Hi Natalie,
      I hope you enjoyed the pot-au-feu. It’s a very simple and rustic dish. No, I didn’t grow up in Carina – we lived on the northside 🙂

      Reply
  49. bluebirdsunshine 12 August 2013

    Just discovered your beautiful blog on the hunt for an easy strawberry jam recipe. Can’t wait to give it a go, and have a stroll around your blog looking for more delish sounding recipes to cook up. I was raised on AWW recipes too btw, the best place to start 🙂

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 15 August 2013

      I’m happy that you’ve stumbled across my blog and I hope you will enjoy the recipes here!

      Reply
  50. I recently came across your blog, and I’m so glad I did. I love your writing and your photos, and can’t wait to try some of your recipes. I’m so envious that you live in Switzerland. I went there a few years ago and fell in love with the place.

    Reply
  51. Gill 14 September 2014

    Thank you for the Kugelhopf recipe, I came across it and your site by accident when looking for something to put in the silicone mould I had bought. I substituted cranberries and chopped apricots for prunes and soaked them in the brandy. Delicious!

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 17 September 2014

      That sounds like a delicious variation! I make Rachel Khoo’s Kugelhopf so often but I never tire of it. I also often make 2 at a time, so I might try apricots next time to change things a bit. Thanks for the great idea!

      Reply
  52. Emily 16 March 2015

    Hi!! I just came across your blog and it is amazing!! I have just started a food blog myself a couple of months ago, with my boyfriend, Nick and this is the kind of thing we are hoping to eventually achieve.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 19 March 2015

      Hi Emily,
      Thank you 🙂 Food blogging can be a fun hobby so I hope you and Nick will enjoy this new pastime! I look forward to checking out your blog.

      Reply
  53. Rachelle 18 March 2015

    Hi Thanh, congratulations on a great blog. You are quickly becoming my go to source for recipes. Can’t wait to try these! I am also going to make sweet short crust mini tart shells for banoffee pies and follow your blind baking advice for muffin pans

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 19 March 2015

      Hi Rachelle,
      That’s so lovely to hear! Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you will enjoy many of the recipes here 🙂

      Reply
  54. Ruth Meaney 26 January 2017

    Wanted to say hello from Australia! I was watching Play School with my kidlets today and they went to Cabramatta to try Vietnamese food. Then I stumbled upon your blog via the social facebook group. Beautiful photos and recipes! Where did you learn to take such beautiful photos? Hope you’re enjoying all the snow. x

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 27 January 2017

      Hello Ruth,
      Lovely to hear from another Australian! And lovely to hear you use the term “kidlets”, too 🙂 My husband rolls his eyes whenever I use that word, ha ha! Thank you for your lovely words about my blog 🙂 I’m pretty much self-taught when it comes to photography, but I have a few good friends who helped me out in the beginning when deciding on cameras and lenses. I have them to thank for this fun hobby! It currently feels like Siberia in Switzerland with maximum temps around -5°C. But I much prefer the cold to the heatwaves in Australia 😉 Off to have a peek at your blog now!

      Reply
  55. Anuj Agarwal 2 June 2017

    Hi Thanh,

    My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot.

    I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog eat, little bird has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 40 Vietnamese Food Blogs on the web.

    http://blog.feedspot.com/vietnamese_food_blogs/

    I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 40 Vietnamese Food Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

    Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.

    Best,
    Anuj

    Reply
  56. Gary 2 November 2017

    Hi Thanh, I am one of a small handful of Westerners that are involved with 3 charity orientated restaurants in Vietnam. These are Lanterns Vietnamese restaurant in Nha Trang and BBQ UN IN located in Nha Trang and Da Nang. The next time you are visiting Vietnam, we’d love to invite you to visit our restaurants and to give us your feedback on what you think of our food. Lanterns runs a cooking class that mainly caters for Tourists in Nha Trang and I’m sure you would love to attend a class and maybe even teach as a guest. We fund the educational needs for over 12 Orphanages so would relish the opportunity to visit a few with us to experience what we do. Warmest regards. Gary.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 3 November 2017

      Hi Gary,
      What a great cause you are working on. I would gladly accept your offer the next time we travel to Vietnam. In the interim, I will let my friends and family know too! Best regards, Thanh

      Reply
  57. Blair- noelle l. bond 3 December 2018

    oo

    Reply
  58. Rebecca 7 July 2019

    Hi there have made your carrot cake its fantastic the best I’ve ever eaten.
    Was wondering if you have a recipe for a hummingbird cake. Thanks look forward to your reply Becky

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 18 August 2019

      Hi Rebecca,
      So glad you enjoyed the carrot cake recipe! I do have a hummingbird cake that I love to make … I’ll add that to my list for the blog and will message you once I manage to post the recipe 🙂 Thanks for popping by!

      Reply
  59. Shirley 20 July 2019

    Hi there your char siew pork reminded me of my late mother’s recipe where she used pork tenderloin as well. Thanks for that. I will try to make that now.

    Also it seems bit like deja vu for me after reading about you. I was raised in Singapore but lived in Zurich for a few years in the late 90s but now reside in Australia with my hubby, 2 Bullmastiffs and a calico cat.

    You are right. Even in the late 90s it wasn’t that hard to get proper Asian ingredients but it does mean having to drive or take public transport to get to the Asian grocery stores. Best of luck.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 18 August 2019

      Hi Shirley,
      You have lived in some very wonderful countries 😉 When I first moved to Zurich, I could only buy proper Asian ingredients from the few Asian grocery stores here, but luckily I don’t live too far away from them. In the last 2-3 years, you can now find a pretty good selection of Asian ingredients – including coriander! – at both Migros and Coop. Times have changed a lot!!

      Reply
  60. Sarah 5 January 2020

    Hi, I was looking for a recipe for a spiced tea loaf and I saw two websites using the same photo of their finished bread! I think the Lowcarbketobakery in the UK is using your picture on their website! I hope you don’t mind me getting in touch, I would want to know if it was my website and picture being used.
    Kind regards, Sarah
    This is the website page:
    https://lowcarbandketobakery.co.uk/collections/keto-low-carb-bread-essentials

    Reply
  61. Jayne 18 April 2020

    What an interesting fusion of life experience you get to enjoy. Love your pics, website, underneath that high flying lawyer must always have that artistic bend.

    Reply
  62. Peila Silvie 29 May 2020

    Hi Thanh, I was looking for “steamed bao buns recipe” and found your blog. I enjoy looking through your artwork. I’m also an Aussie but now living in Indonesia with my husband and two kids. When I was living in Melbourne, I worked part time in a Vietnamese bakery and got to know this family very well but now I lost contact.

    Anyway just want to say hello and appreciate your sharing through this website.

    Reply
  63. Fiona 24 October 2020

    WOW! I have just discovered you … I’m an Aussie living in London, a delight to see your recipes and the mix of cuisines. LOVE IT!
    I found you on a search for a bundt tin and recipe but I am also hunting recipes which are Ayruvedic friendly for a Pitta dosha …without being Indian food. The assessment has shaken me to my core because this means I should not have onions, chili and garlic in my diet. That has wiped nearly every meal I cook and is a fundamental change to nearly every meal I eat/ever eaten! So, with my standard repertoire now pegged to ‘high days and holidays’ I am beginning to (re) learn how to cook (I’ve discovered hing/asofoetida…but small doses).
    Anyways, my point is – I love your recipes, your site… and wondered if you would embrace such a challenge – yummy recipes that don’t solely rely on an Indian cuisine? I hope so!
    Stunning work, a pleasure to read your site.

    Reply
  64. Anne 30 January 2022

    I made the profiteroles. Everything turned out well considering I’ve never made them before. They took much longer to cook, but that may be due to my oven or due to their size. I had trouble making them small using a plastic bag with a corner cut. They were nice and hollow, but a bit damp, so I left them in the oven with the door ajar to dry as I like them crunchy.

    I traded retirement for volunteer teaching the sciences in rural Guatemala. There are no restaurants here I would eat at, so must prepare ALL my food. I can find most things in Guatemala City twice a year. The things I cannot get, I improvise.

    Thanks loads for all the work you do. I really appreciate reading your newsletter and trying the recipes.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 30 January 2022

      Hi Anne,
      Thank you for your lovely message! You must be a great cook as you sound very intuitive in the kitchen. Thank you so much for trying my recipes and for your feedback. Indeed, recipes work differently in different kitchens, in different weather and with different ingredients.

      When I first moved to Switzerland many years ago, although it is a rich country (quite unlike Guatemala), it was not very rich in its culinary offerings 10-20 years ago. So like your story, I had to prepare many dishes which I had craved because there were no restaurants serving such dishes back then. Today, the culinary landscape in Switzerland has vastly improved, but I am so thankful I had that window of opportunity to learn to make from scratch all of my favourite dishes. If I had moved to Switzerland today, I probably would not be as motivated to learn to cook!

      I hope you enjoy your time teaching in Guatemala and perhaps even sharing your cooking adventures with your students. If you enjoyed making profiteroles, you might also like to make Chouquettes, which are a bit easier as you don’t need to fill them but simply decorate them with pearl sugar (maybe swap for crushed sugar cubes?) or chocolate chips. I wish you all the best!

      Reply
  65. Rakesh Nyamtabad 17 April 2022

    Hi Team,

    My name is Rakesh and I’m the managing director at naturals pvt.ltd. Our company supplies fresh vegetables and fruits to all over india.

    We want to expand our business in Switzerland as well . If you like we would love to send our sample items to your address. Hoping to hear from you soon.

    Thank you.
    Regards,
    Rakesh Nyamtabad.

    Reply
  66. Joy Bird 10 December 2022

    Is there a gugelhupf recipe for a more savory bread? We were in Freiburg, Germany and were served a gugelhupf made with onion and bacon. Do you have such a recipe? I would love to make it for my family over Christmas.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 15 December 2022

      Hi Joy,
      I don’t have a recipe on my website for a savoury Kugelhopf, but I would suggest tweaking the above recipe slightly as follows:
      * reduce the sugar to 1 tablespoon

      After the dough has risen for the first time:
      * add about 100 g/3.5 oz grated Gruyère cheese
      * add about 1 small onion which has been diced, cooked in some oil until it has softened, and cooled
      * add about 1/2 cup bacon or pancetta which has been cooked, diced, and cooled

      An alternative is to make my Bacon & Cheese Savoury Bread but to cook it in a Kugelhopf mould: https://eatlittlebird.com/rustic-bacon-cheddar-bread/

      Reply
  67. ivan 8 August 2023

    aussie lol

    Reply