ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?

1. In which month this year will Victoria's state election be held?

Skewed market to blame for big banker bonuses

Sharemarkets are back to 15-month highs but most investors face a much longer wait for their assets to recover.

Why bankers' bonus culture is not going away

They may be losing their cred but they are still getting the money.

ONCE BITTEN

AT SCHOOL, there was a flamboyant, poncho-wearing drama teacher with perfect posture who delighted in staging avant-garde theatrical productions. In one play, my talents were harnessed to act as a silent brown mushroom in a forest. Disappointingly, in the first scene, my wide-brimmed mushroom hat buckled and flopped over my face. Although I looked more like an umbrella, my teacher felt that my performance captured the elegance and unique beauty of the mushroom. I think these qualities are better appreciated when mushrooms are sauteed, roasted and drizzled in a reduction of wine, garlic, shallots, flat leaf parsley and cream. The rich, earthy aroma and flavours of the button mushrooms steal the show.

Fans pay lip service to an unlikely dish

MAYBE it's the way the camera zooms into MasterChef judge Matt Preston's lips as he tilts his head and chews on some of the dishes created by the show's wannabe chefs.

Survival of the fittest

Demanding consumers and a tough market are forcing retailers to be creative, writes Nina Hendy.

Cold Case: Hotel Battles Tainted Ice-cream Claim

ON THE day the Coogee Bay Hotel stood accused of serving gelato contaminated with human faeces, it made a novel offer to its patrons yesterday: free ice-cream.

La Prairie Anti-ageing Stress Cream Launch

Utzon Room, city

Supermarket Suppliers To Face Inquiry

THE competition watchdog has summonsed some of the country's biggest supermarket suppliers, including those who dominate the sale of staples such as chicken, coffee, ice-cream and bread, to answer questions as part of its investigation into competition between grocery retailers.