"While eggplant parmigiana is deeply rooted in Italian culinary tradition, reflecting the flavours and techniques of southern Italy, the ­Aussie parmi reflects our ability to adapt and reinvent dishes from other cuisines." So says our contributing chef Lennox Hastie in his introduction to this week's recipe, his reinvented eggplant parmi. With his step-by-step instructions Lennox turns this pub classic into a dish of wonder. Try it with his crunchy winter salad that's full of seasonal goodness. Delicious.

These wintry nights are made for soups and stews and Sara Forte provides us two easy and nourishing soups this week, her everyday lentil soup made almost entirely from pantry staples and her Italian farro soup that's a bowl of goodness. Try, too, her chicken and parmesan meatballs that are winners for all the family. Happy cooking.

This week's great deal from our cellar director John Lehmann, save $84 on these six sensational bottles. Click the link to see the deal. Details here.

Further, this year marks the 60th anniversary of The Australian newspaper. To honour this significant milestone, The Australian Wine Club in partnership with The Australian is releasing a first-of-its-kind 60th Anniversary Issue Barossa Shiraz. Hurry to secure your piece of wine and political history – order now.

Where does chef Josh Niland go when he wants to eat well on holidays? He tells all in this story here. There are plenty of other insights from the chef that might make you feel like escaping the winter blues and heading off on your winter travels!