Start dreaming of a white (sand) Christmas at Lizard Island
Lizard Island’s new Executive Chef Anthony Healy is preparing a week-long culinary Christmas season celebration this year.
While guests snorkel or dive the beautiful Great Barrier Reef or simply sink their feet into the island’s 24 powdery white beaches, Healy will be creating a specially designed Reveillon Christmas Eve Menu, a Christmas Day menu and a New Year’s Eve menu for the festive season.
The Reveillon is a European tradition in the form of a long dinner or party usually held the night before Christmas Day. A good cause for celebration on Lizard Island, the Reveillon menu will offer 24-month aged Jamon Iberico with a celeriac paste to start, followed by organic quail and boudin noir, roast barramundi, organic duck breast and followed by apple tarte tatin. The five-course Reveillon dinner will be matched by a selection of Australian, New Zealand and French wines.
On Christmas Day, guests will be treated to a light, yet traditional, Christmas dinner offering smoked ham hock terrine, local painted crayfish, seared red emperor, slow roast Australian turkey breast and traditional Christmas pudding.
On New Year’s Eve, celebrations on Lizard Island will kick off at Ospreys Restaurant with oysters and cream, matched with NV Louis Roederer Champagne, followed by Western Australian Marron, seared coral trout, eight-score Wagyu sirloin, a selection of cheeses and fresh fruit and the dessert finale - Healy’s interpretation of a deconstructed Snickers bar, a layered chocolate ganache with a salted peanut butter parfait, a nougat espuma and a salted butter praline. The seven-course New Year’s Eve dinner will be matched by a variety of Australian wines.
This will be Healy’s first Christmas on the Island. He joined Lizard Island from Hayman Island where he was Chef de Cuisine in La Fontaine restaurant for two and a half years. He has a culinary career spanning 10 years around the world working in top restaurants in London (Les Trois Garcons), France (La Cote Saint Jacques) as well as Australia (Il Centro).
“I’m still making dishes that have a strong French influence in style and quality but I’m introducing options that are fresh and light and reflect the fact that we are on a beautiful tropical island,” said Healy.
“The produce we use on Lizard Island is second to none. Our food is flown in daily, such as line-caught reef fish, local prawns, red emperor and Spanish mackerel, plus local produce from the nearby Atherton Tablelands such as beef from the rich volcanic soils of Mareeba,” he said. “The choice we have of locally-grown fresh produce is fantastic and our location here on the Great Barrier Reef is no barrier to quality food.”
The main pavilion on Lizard Island houses the fine dining restaurant, Ospreys, and under the direction of Healy, the restaurant’s menu changes daily.
Award winning and a constant favourite in the world’s ‘best’ lists, Lizard Island is located right on the spectacular Great Barrier Reef, 240km north of Cairns and 27km off the coast of Cape Flattery. An idyllic island fringed with pristine coral reefs, crystal clear waters and 24 powdery white beaches, Lizard offers the postcard perfect setting for an Australian island escape.
Sample UK Christmas Package:
Bridge & Wickers (bridgeandwickers.co.uk)offer a 13 night Australian ‘Luxury Golden Triangle’ package from £6799/person including ?5 nights on Lizard Island including all meals, drinks and some activities; 5 nights at the Park Hyatt Sydney; ?2 nights at Longitude 131, including all meals and drinks;?1 night in Cairns at the Shangri-La, including all meals and drinks and return international and domestic flights.
Australian rates: Lizard Island starts from A$1444/room/night based on two sharing including gourmet meals, fine Australian and New Zealand Wines, beer, basic spirits and Champagne during meal periods at Osprey's Restaurant and Bar, as well as picnic hampers for the adventurous.
For more information on bookings and special offers, go to lizardisland.com.au.
