I’ve always been drawn to writing. From the early 1990s and running for about 15 years, I co-authored some 40 books that collectively sold around 250,000 copies, alongside hundreds of newspaper columns and magazine articles. I wrote about that period here on Substack.

After that I focused on my food tour business, which took me right up until 2020. The pandemic brought a change of career into healthcare, and ultimately into my current role as Coordinator of Volunteer Services at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

But the pull to writing never really left me. Through all of it I kept finding time to write on Substack, Instagram and LinkedIn, about food, about travel, about the things I love. And in early 2025, I set about making a proper return to book publishing.

The publishing landscape had changed considerably since my last book. But I was keen to explore it again, and after looking carefully at the options I settled on a journal-style format distributed through Amazon. The print-on-demand model appealed: global reach, no upfront print runs, and the ability to get things right before committing to scale. But more than that, I wanted full creative control over the design, the launch, and the marketing. Something I’d never had when writing for publishers.

As the ideas developed, the project naturally divided in two. One focused on seasonal food, the other on travel.

The seasonal food project came first. It became Fresh, Allan Campion’s Seasonal Cooking Guide and Produce Journal, with one volume dedicated to each season: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. So yes, there are four.

Fresh grew out of a feeling I’ve carried for most of my cooking life. After twenty-five years of cookbooks, food guides, and writing about the places that shaped how I think about food, I’ve come to believe the single biggest step any home cook can take is to work with what’s in season.

Seasonal produce simply tastes better — it’s harvested at the right time, grown in the right conditions, and eaten before the flavour has had a chance to fade. But knowing what’s actually in season, and what to do with it, isn’t always straightforward. That’s the gap Fresh is designed to fill.

Each edition of Fresh includes what’s in season lists for fruit and vegetables, a comprehensive guide to choosing, using and storing each ingredient, and hundreds of cooking tips and ideas spread throughout. There are also 120 illustrations across the series, botanical fine-line drawings showcasing individual ingredients, produce at market, and ingredients being prepared in home kitchens.

Alongside all of that are 100 pages for readers to record their own recipes, discoveries and kitchen memories. This journal aspect was something I felt strongly about. I wanted to create a kitchen companion that readers could genuinely make their own, something to return to season after season, with my content alongside their own.

The second series to be published will be Bucket List Travel, a collection of destination travel planners and journals built around must-try foods, must-see sights and genuine insider knowledge. I’m starting with places I’ve loved visiting in recent years: Thailand, Bali, Cambodia, Egypt and my hometown of Melbourne.

Bucket List grew out of a different but related conviction. Planning an overseas trip can be overwhelming. The endless advice in travel books and on social media pulls you in every direction, and it’s easy to lose sight of what actually matters. My approach is simple: curating the essential must-do experiences with a laser focus on what truly matters — the must-see sights, the must-try foods, and the experiences that make exploring the world an adventure.

No filler, just the best. These are not guides that try to cover an entire country. They are curated companions built around the places I know well, the food I love, and the experiences I’d point a good friend towards. That’s what Bucket List is designed to be.

None of this happened quickly or easily. It required carving out significant chunks of time while working through what felt like an endless to-do list. I worked solidly two to three evenings a week, most Saturdays, and whenever I was on public transport. I wrote around a wedding (yes, mine), around part-time study, and around a full-time job. I travel with a laptop and get work done on planes, in airport lounges, and in free afternoons wherever they arise on trips.

There was also significant learning involved, particularly around how to create books and publish within Amazon’s print-on-demand model. I’ve lost count of the hours spent watching YouTube videos just to understand the process.

Creating the illustrations was its own challenge entirely. I wanted botanical fine-line drawings, informative, creative, and with a quality that food lovers would genuinely appreciate. It felt like one step forward and two steps back for a while. That included having to set aside the original 80 illustrations I’d created when I realised they weren’t up to the standard I wanted. Starting again was frustrating, but the right call. Eventually I had all 120 illustrations for Fresh completed, and I’m genuinely proud of them.

Through all of it I kept writing, kept developing the ideas, and slowly worked out who I was writing for and what they’d value in a food or travel journal. As weeks become months, sections of each journal were finalised.

It was at this stage I began using AI tools, starting with ChatGPT, then switching to Claude, which I’ve found to be more advanced for this kind of work. Claude requires considerable time to set up properly. You need to put detailed instructions and brand information into its project memory. But once that’s done, it’s genuinely useful. I use it for things like researching target audiences, proofreading to my voice, developing social media strategy, and planning posts across platforms.

That said, I don’t take everything Claude says as gospel. I’ve had moments where it’s gone off course, and I’ve learned to push back, cross-check, and update its instructions when needed. But when it’s working well, the capability is remarkable.

As publication approached, I turned to the promotional side. I wanted a professional home base, so I set up allancampion.com and a dedicated email address. I created a new Instagram account for AC Food and Travel, rebranded my existing TikTok with a food and travel focus, updated my LinkedIn, and turned my Substack into a proper newsletter.

The final piece of the puzzle has been my graphic designer, Muhammad Imran. Muhammad has been exceptional, taking my ideas and making them print-ready. His interior designs and the covers he created have turned Fresh into journals that genuinely celebrate the flavours of each season. I’d recommend him without hesitation to anyone considering a publishing project: muhammad-imran.com

So that, in short, is what the past 18 months have looked like. Four seasonal food journals, written and designed around a full-time job, a wedding, part-time study, and plenty of travel. The Bucket List Travel journals are also well advanced, with the first two volumes almost complete and a solid start on the next three.

It feels endless, until suddenly it isn’t.

One Friday morning it was done. An email from Muhammad with the four seasonal journals complete and all four covers attached. I sat with that for a moment. I’d created something I was genuinely proud of, something unique and beautiful for food lovers, and almost entirely on my own terms. That feeling stayed with me all weekend.

Fresh launches soon, with Bucket List Travel to follow in the months ahead.

The publish button is days away. I cannot wait.

Allan Campion

Winter is the season where things slow down in the kitchen.

You feel it straight away. The light is softer, the days are shorter, and the way you cook shifts with it. It’s not abundant in the same way as summer, but what’s around has real depth, more substance, more character.

It always comes back to the same thing for me — the better the ingredients you start with, the better your cooking will be. In winter, that usually means choosing produce that might look simple, but delivers where it matters — flavour, structure, reliability.

Fruit at this time of year is really led by citrus. Oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, tangelos — this is when they’re at their best, with blood oranges adding a bit more intensity. Lemons and limes become part of everything, less as fruit and more as seasoning, lifting dishes that might otherwise feel a bit heavy.

Apples and pears are always there, steady and dependable. Quinces if you’re willing to take your time. Tamarillos for something sharper, custard apples for softness, kumquats for that more concentrated citrus note that works just as well in savoury cooking.

Most of the time, winter fruit isn’t really the main event. It’s there to balance things out.

Vegetables are where the season really sits. This is where winter cooking lives — roots, brassicas and greens that can handle a bit more time. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, swedes. Carrots and beetroot. Celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes, which bring something a bit more distinctive.

Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale come into their own, along with kohlrabi. Greens continue through spinach, silverbeet and Asian greens, which you need to keep things in balance.

Then the base flavours start to matter more — leeks, onions, celery, fennel, a bit of horseradish if you want that sharper edge. Mushrooms always feel right at this time of year, adding depth, and witlof brings that slight bitterness that cuts through richer dishes.

Pumpkins carry through from autumn, still doing their job, while avocados sit in the background, adding richness in a different way.

What you notice with winter vegetables is how they respond to time. You’re roasting more, braising more, letting things cook a little longer and build flavour as they go.

It’s not about doing more, just about allowing a bit more time and understanding what the ingredient needs.

That’s always been a big part of how I approach cooking, and it’s probably why winter food, when it’s done well, feels so satisfying.

PS - I hope you like the illustration, it’s a sneak peak from my upcoming Fresh: Seasonal Cooking Guide & Produce Journal.

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Autumn is where things start to slow down a bit in the kitchen.

After summer, you feel it straight away. The light softens, the air cools, and the produce starts to shift. Not suddenly — it just happens over a few weeks. Some things hang on, others quietly come in.

It’s a season I’ve always liked. There’s a balance to it. Still some freshness, but with more depth starting to come through.

And it always comes back to the same thing for me — the better the ingredients you start with, the better your cooking will be.

Autumn fruit really shows that shift.

You’ve still got berries around, and some late peaches, nectarines and plums. But they don’t quite have the same energy. They’re on the way out.

Then apples and pears take over. Grapes are at their best. Figs for a little longer. Persimmons starting to appear.

Citrus comes back in — oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, grapefruit. A different kind of freshness. Sharper. Cleaner. Pomegranates as well — that bit of acidity that works with almost anything.

And then the ones that slow you down a bit. Quinces, definitely — worth the time. Tamarillos, guavas, feijoas… those more aromatic fruits that often come with a bit of memory, depending on where you’ve had them before.

Mangoes and bananas just sit there in the background. Not really tied to the season.

What I like is you can go either way with it. Eat it as it is, or do a bit more.

Vegetables are where you notice the bigger change.

Greens come back — spinach, silverbeet, Asian greens. Then broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. Root vegetables start showing up — carrots, daikon, sweet potatoes. Pumpkins not far behind.

At the same time, there’s still overlap. Tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, corn — often right at the end, sometimes better than they’ve been all season. Beans still fresh. Avocados starting to feel right again.

Then the base flavours start to come in more — mushrooms, onions, shallots. Fennel, celery. Borlotti beans. The kind of ingredients that naturally lead you towards slower cooking.

You don’t suddenly change everything you do. It just shifts a little.

Roasting a bit more. Letting things cook a little longer. Building flavour without really thinking about it too much.

If you’re paying attention to what’s coming in and what’s on its way out, it’s a really good time to be cooking.

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Summer is the season where everything comes into its own.

It’s the point in the year when produce reaches full expression — flavours deepen, sweetness intensifies, and the need to do very much at all in the kitchen starts to fall away. If spring is about arrival, summer is about abundance.

And it reinforces something I’ve come back to throughout my cooking and travels: the better the ingredients you start with, the better your cooking will be. Nowhere is that more evident than in summer, when fruit and vegetables are at their absolute peak — in flavour, in texture, and in value.

Summer fruit leads the way. Stone fruit is now fully realised — peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums, along with cherries still holding on early in the season. Berries continue to shine — strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and currants — offering both sweetness and lift.

Then there’s the unmistakable presence of tropical and warm-climate fruit. Mangoes, pineapples and bananas bring richness and softness, while lychees and rambutans add something more aromatic and distinctive. Passionfruit cuts through it all with sharpness and intensity. Melons — watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew — are at their most refreshing, and figs begin to appear with their deep, honeyed sweetness. Even rhubarb lingers at the edges, offering contrast when you want it.

What defines summer fruit is generosity. It’s ripe, fragrant, often dripping with juice — the kind of produce that’s best eaten simply, or not touched at all. A sliced peach, a bowl of cherries, chilled melon — this is food that doesn’t need interpretation.

Vegetables follow with equal confidence. Tomatoes are the obvious centrepiece — this is when they taste as they should, whether eaten raw, barely dressed, or cooked down gently. Sweet corn arrives alongside them, adding natural sweetness and texture.

Zucchinis and their flowers are everywhere, versatile and quick to cook. Eggplants come into season with their soft, absorbent flesh, ideal for grilling or roasting. Capsicums are fully sweet now, cucumbers keep things cool and crisp, and green beans bring structure to lighter dishes. Butter beans add a creamy, more substantial note, while avocados offer richness without heaviness. Mushrooms continue to provide balance — something earthy against all that brightness.

Summer vegetables are less about delicacy and more about confidence. They can handle heat — grilling, roasting, charring — but still reward a light touch. A good tomato salad, grilled corn, or simply cooked zucchini is often all that’s needed when the produce is right.

If there’s a guiding principle for summer cooking, it’s this: step back.

This is not the season to overcomplicate. It’s about choosing well, recognising quality, and letting ingredients do what they’re meant to do. It’s the kind of cooking that happens almost instinctively — shaped by what looks best, what smells right, what feels ready.

It’s also the season that sits at the heart of how I think about food. Whether I’m cooking, travelling, or working on the Fresh journals, it always comes back to this — start with what’s in season, and everything else follows.

In summer, that approach feels effortless.

And that’s exactly the point.

Allan Campion

So it’s been interesting to revisit this topic, take what I’ve learned over many years and share seasonal information in a new way.

Soon I will be launching a series of books titled Fresh, Seasonal Cooking Guide & Produce Journal. Four in all, one for Spring, Summer, Autumn (fall) and Winter.

Each volume is a go-to seasonal kitchen companion, designed to help home cooks make the most of fresh, in-season ingredients. Inside you’ll find comprehensive seasonal fruit and vegetable lists, clear guidance on choosing, using, and storing produce, along with tips and ideas for cooking with seasonal ingredients inspired by cuisines from around the world. 

Dedicated journal pages invite you to record your own recipes, notes, and kitchen memories as the season unfolds.

Each volume can be enjoyed on its own or collected as part of the complete four-volume set.

I wanted to share this news here with a mock up of cover design for the Fresh series. After 18 months of development I’m looking forward to getting these titles launched for food lovers to enjoy.

Coming soon….