Lyndey Milan has been instrumental in changing the way Australians think about food and wine. She has spent more than 30 years sharing her passion and knowledge with international audiences, through her eight TV series, nine best-selling cookbooks, and in her influential role as former Food Director of the iconic Australian Women’s Weekly.
A recipient of an OAM for services to hospitality, the food and wine industry and the community, Lyndey is an award-winning multi-media presenter, MC, speaker, food and wine teacher, consultant, debater, judge and regional Australian specialist.
Lyndey began cooking as a hobby in her teens, using her pocket money to buy her first Margaret Fulton cookbook. Despite a successful career in art teaching and advertising, she turned to that hobby for a new direction after the birth of her first child, starting a catering business. Opportunities to write and talk about food on radio soon followed, and cooking on TV seemed a natural progression.
Lyndey is a popular guest on the various Australian TV networks’ morning shows. During her eight years as co-host of Fresh with The Australian Women’s Weekly on the Nine Network Australia, she regularly hosted such visiting chefs as Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and Gordon Ramsay. She has a profile beyond Australia, including UK’s Saturday Kitchen and NBC Today Show. Her TV series include Lyndey & Herbie’s Moveable Feast, Lyndey Milan’s Taste of Ireland, Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece, Lyndey’s Cracking Christmas, Lyndey Milan’s Baking Secrets and Inside Lyndey’s Kitchen.
Her most recent series, Lyndey Milan’s Summer Baking Secrets, screened on both the 7 Network and LifeStyle FOOD. Lyndey Milan’s Taste of Australia continues to screen internationally and on airlines to rave reviews and was named Best Food TV series in the 2016 Gourmand World Awards. The accompanying book also won Best TV Chef Cookbook in the World at the 2015 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and in the Best of the Best for the last 20 years at the Frankfurt Book Fair, won third overall.
Her other books include Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece, Lyndey Milan, the Best Collection, Just Add Spice (co-authored with Ian Hemphill) and Balance, Matching Food and Wine, What Works and Why (with Colin Corney), which won Best Food and Wine Writing at the 2006 Australian Food Media Awards.
Her unflagging energy has seen her take on several prestigious roles, including Vice President of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, and founding Chair of the Fine Food Committee, which judges thousands of Australian products in categories including aquaculture, branded meat (beef, lamb, pork), professional bakery, coffee, beer and cider, pasta and noodles, regional food, olive oil and smallgoods and charcuterie. She also sits on the influential Food and Wine Advisory Committee for Tourism Australia, judges for many industry organisations and works voluntarily for various charities including as co-Founder and Patron of Tasting Success, a mentoring program for female chefs. In 2012, Lyndey’s peers presented her with The Vittoria Legend Award in the Sydney Morning Herald’s 2012 Good Food Guide.
Lyndey is also Creative Director of Flame Media, an international TV production and distribution Company with offices in Sydney, London, New York, Cardiff, Singapore and Eastern Europe and Flame Studio in Sydney. She has also launched the Lyndey Milan Baking range. An avid traveller, Lyndey hosts tours and cruises of Australasia and Europe.
She also runs a consultancy business which includes public speaking, appearances such as the Sydney Royal Easter Show, cooking classes, recipe development, food and wine appreciation classes and advising food and wine clients – in fact anything to do with food, wine, agriculture and lifestyle.