Culinary inspiration from home and away

By Andrea Black
Updated October 25 2014 - 1:19am, first published 12:15am
Catch of the day: Fishmongers prepare their produce at a market in Penang, Malaysia.
Catch of the day: Fishmongers prepare their produce at a market in Penang, Malaysia.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that  have influenced leading chefs.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that have influenced leading chefs.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that  have influenced leading chefs.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that have influenced leading chefs.
Catch of the day: Fishmongers prepare their produce at a market in Penang, Malaysia.
Catch of the day: Fishmongers prepare their produce at a market in Penang, Malaysia.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that  have influenced leading chefs.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that have influenced leading chefs.
Catch of the day: Fishmongers prepare their produce at a market in Penang, Malaysia.
Catch of the day: Fishmongers prepare their produce at a market in Penang, Malaysia.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that  have influenced leading chefs.
How yellow was my valley: The Yarra Valley is among the places that have influenced leading chefs.

Andrew McConnell never travels without his set of knives packed in his suitcase. It's not that he's a  magician, well, not in the conventional sense, with some sort of travelling knife-throwing act. He's  a chef, and a leading one at that, who relishes the opportunity to buy local produce as he goes and samples it.