Sober Curious
Ever wondered if you could quit alcohol – either for a month or for good? Meet two people who did, and what they learned from the experience.
Food
QT Newcastle reveals rooftop bar and signature restaurant – Jana
As they creep closer to their official opening in early June 2022, Newcastle’s newest five-star hotel, QT, has announced a modern Australian restaurant, Jana, will open in conjunction with its rooftop bar. Swell was delighted to speak to chef Massimo Speroni to find out more about what we can expect.
Coffee in the Newcastle ‘burbs: Your backstreet guide
If you’re like us and your cup of molten caramel caffeine is often the highlight of your day, then Emma has prepared this guide especially for you. The Newcastle region is well known for its coffee scene (move over Melbourne), but we want to take a moment to honour the coffee shops in the backstreets, where the coffee is so great that customers make an intentional detour to arrive on their doorstep.
Eat Like A Vegan in Newcastle
The vegan food scene in Newcastle has really taken off in the past five years or so, with more and more local eateries expanding their menus to cater for plant-based options. Someone who has kept a close eye on these changes is local vegan lifestyle blogger Chelsey Johns, who since 2010 has been showing people how to eat, look, travel and live Like A Vegan. We asked Chelsey to share some of her top vegan food picks in Newcastle and surrounds.
10 things you probably didn’t know about tea (but should if you drink it)
Some recent controversy in the Swell office led to a lot of discussion about the right or wrong way to make a cup of tea. Some of us (ahem, Kristy and Bec) prefer just a teaspoon of milk to their black tea, while others (everyone else) enjoy a more medium brew with a good dash of milk. But given that we aren’t experts on the matter, we turned to someone who is (and to whom adding any milk at all is sacrilege) – our resident wordsmith and Certified Tea Master, Melinda.
Issue 1 throwback – iconic Australian ice blocks reviewed
Nothing says summer like your favourite ice cream! In the spirit of celebrating and throwing back to our first ever cover, we asked Laura Kebby to rate and review each of the ice creams featured. It’s safe to say, things are about to get a little messy.
Live deliciously this Christmas with Cocoa Nib
Did someone say locally made, specialty chocolate that (almost) looks too good to eat? Oh wait… that was us, drooling a little whilst chatting all things Cocoa Nib with founder Aymee.
The Autumn Rooms expands to Stockton
Swell Magazine’s editors, Kristy and Bec, both happen to call Stockton home. If you’re not familiar, it’s that little seaside village across the harbour from Newcastle and as the girls have been telling us for quite some time – it’s actually a super nice place to live or visit. So when they noticed a sign in the window of an empty shop announcing that Darby Street favourite The Autumn Rooms would be opening up soon, we knew we had to get the inside scoop.
Food that costs more to prepare than it does to buy
Feeling a little guilty about the amount of takeaway you’ve ordered lately? Does the Uber Eats driver know you by name? Who cares! Because you know, and we know, that if you try and prepare the same dish at home, it is pretty much going to be a disaster. Here are our top cuisines that we know you will regret trying to replicate.
Sip, sip hooray
It’s no secret that the Swell team enjoys a sneaky drink or two. A tipple. A sip of something delicious. Whether it be a wine, a cider or a beautifully mixed cocktail.
