This lamb stew is a winter winner

There can be no denying that a warming winter stew is good for the soul. On frosty nights when the dark descends around 5pm, the sight of a pot bubbling on the stove full of good things to eat can only lead to a sense of comfort and cheer. So it's appropriate then that our contributing cook Elizabeth Hewson this week offers two soulful winter stews. The first is a proudly "unfashionable" lamb and barley stew, the second a pantry stew full of things you can whip out of the cupboard at a moment's notice. This is winter cooking, and eating, at its best.

Also comforting are Sarah Pound's recipes from her book Wholesome by Sarah . In this extract, Sarah offers three family dishes designed to appeal to even the fussiest eaters. If her chicken korma pie is too challenging for your fussiest eater, her chicken and sweetcorn soup will surely be a winner. Happy cooking and happy winter eating.

This week's great deal from our cellar director John Lehmann, save $200 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.

One of the wonders of travel is the pleasure of diving head first into different cuisines. Nobody who has been to the great food countries of the world, from Thailand to Italy, could deny that travelling is as much about eating as it is about sightseeing. What have been your favourite international dining experiences? According to this report, some of the world's greatest experiences include eating tom yum soup in Bangkok and dining on safari in Africa. Read the list here to see if you agree.