In Maggie Beer’s ABC TV series Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, the South Australian-based cook, author, restaurateur, and Good Food Guide legend transforms meals in a West Australian aged-care facility in a world-first social experiment. It’s a huge task and one that Beer takes on with gusto, lifting morale and bringing a hotel-style buffet breakfast to the table with her contagious smile.

“Seeing the joy on the residents’ faces was an absolute highlight for me,” says Beer. “From the prune compote to porridge made with cream and all the wonderful accompaniments, quality food was a real game-changer. There was one gentleman who apparently helped himself to seven serves of porridge he loved it so much,” she smiles.

A self-described optimist, Beer knows that aged-care dining is a complex arena and entering one with a TV crew was no easy feat, but her shimmery charm certainly made all the difference.

“We know there is a lack of skilled people to work in the food industry and not enough to go around,” she says. “We need the government and society to acknowledge we need beautiful food for the betterment of those who live in these nursing homes. I got to know these residents, many still have plenty of life in them, you just have to give them an opportunity and a great meal.”

When it comes to her own creature comforts, Beer splits her time between her home in South Australia’s Barossa Valley and an apartment in Adelaide’s city centre.

Eating in

Signature dish at home
My go-to is a Saskia Beer Farm Produce chook. My son-in-law still runs the business [Saskia died in 2020], and the chooks are so beautiful. I cook it with lots of roasted garlic, fresh herbs and verjuice. A two-kilo chook is our much-loved comfort food at home. I smother it with verjuice and made it on MasterChef once, and have been bombarded ever since by people on the street, who tell me that once they added verjuice, they’d never go back to making a roast chicken any other way. It adds a layer of flavour they couldn’t believe and accentuates flavour.

My guilty pleasure
Peanut butter purchased from the health food store freshly made, chunky in texture and full of natural oils. We only have it in the house every now and then because I simply cannot resist it.

The kitchen wisdom I cling to
Produce is the key, as is simplicity. Make produce shine by using the right cooking technique, and have the confidence to keep it simple.

Eating out

My favourite hometown restaurants and go-to dish:

I am so proud of the choices we have for dining in the Barossa Valley, from Hentley Farm to The Louise restaurant, FermentAsian in Tanunda, and my daughter Elli’s Eatery at The Farm. My favourite dish here is fresh stracciatella served with rye sourdough bread, extra virgin olive oil, and bottarga grated over it.

Otherness Wine Bar and Cellar Door in Angaston is also a fabulous spot I love to visit. It’s a casual new kid on the block. I always order a piece of octopus from the grill, and the food is casual yet excellent. They have a great wine list.

Head to Fino Seppeltsfield for seasonal produce. I ate the most beautiful grilled eggplant dishes with goat’s cheese there.

My favourite hometown cafes and bars and what I order:

While my life is in the Barossa, we also spend a lot of time in Adelaide, too. Our first port of call for a bar is East End Cellars. We walk from the Botanic Gardens to the East End Cellars to The Palace Nova. That’s our city patch. We always order a salumi plate; they carve it fresh to order and have a beautiful glass of wine with it.

When it comes to coffee, I like to go to Peter Rabbit Cafe near the University of South Australia. It’s a great place for breakfast, too.

I also love bars and head to Leigh Street in Adelaide. Leigh Street Wine Room is a fabulous spot with a great wine selection. Spanish bar Udaberri serves pinchos and I love the atmosphere here.

A new spot I adore is Leigh Street Luggage. There’s a cocktail den hidden from the front bar. I will always order a margarita; it’s done well and all about the perfect balance of salty and sour.

In summer, I am a Campari girl through and through. I head to Fugazzi for gnocchi and pasta, Shobosho is also on this strip worth a look. Leigh Street is a lovely microcosm of lovely eateries and bars. I also love Arkhe – it’s all about cooking on fire here and the offal dish was outstanding.

Sydney dining favourites

There’s no doubt that Peter Gilmore’s Bennelong in Sydney is up there for me. My love of music is as strong as my love of food. Being there and having a light three-course meal before going to the opera − where you’re sitting looking at the sea, the Opera House and the sea of people walking by − it’s one of the great experiences in life, and gives me immense joy. The balance of the dishes is always mind-blowing and the sashimi is outstanding.

I head to Aria for a post-show dessert if we run of out time at Bennelong.

Melbourne dining favourites

When in Melbourne, Beer can be found perching at a table on Bourke Street enjoying a dish of Guy Grossi’s signature tripe.

“I love dining at Grossi Florentino,” says Beer. “Every winter, I sit by myself outside, if the weather is kind enough, and devour the tripe. Guy Grossi makes it with raisins and pine nuts and I am in heaven.”

But it was also a recent regional Victorian trip to Heathcote that impressed most.

“Chauncy is one of the best restaurants in Australia right now,” says Beer. “This is where the total is greater than the sum of its parts. From the building, to the design, the garden, the flowers, the excellence of beautiful simple food and the wine knowledge. It is a very memorable experience.”

Maggie Beer’s Big Mission is available to view on ABC iview