The best chocolate shops in Sydney

While we love our city, we can often get complacent and forget the incredible adventures that can be had in our own backyard. Outdoorspeople, food-lovers, history buffs and arts aficionados are all sure to be won over by these five great things to do in Liverpool. These activities won’t hit your wallet too hard, but they will pack your day with delicious local food, knowledge and fresh air. If you’re looking for more, find fab places to eat, parklands to explore and events to take part in at the Liverpool City Council site.

If you’ve become addicted to the pressure tests and high energy elimination rounds of MasterChef over the years, you’ll love this pop-up cooking and dining adventure by the harbour. Chefs Daniel Wilson and Stuart Toon will be cooking up a storm on Bennelong Lawn, so you can learn all their kitchen tricks before you don your aprons and take up wooden spoon arms to replicate the dishes they’ve demonstrated. There will be a competitive element – you’re going up against the clock and other teams – but this is an experience for home chefs of all abilities, and it’s really all about the food. Over four hours, you’ll create an entrée and dessert while Wilson and Toon sort out mains, and then your prize is to enjoy every bite at the end. Everybody wins. Wine experts Kristy Farrel and Katherine Candy will be your hosts for the day, and also take you through a range of Jacob’s Creek wine to match your three-course meal. So what’s on the menu? Beetroot tartare and pork croquettes will keep your stomach sated before you make and demolish confit vanilla king salmon, followed by shiraz-marinated beef ribs served with slow-roasted pumpkin, heirloom carrots confit and salad. You’ll finish on your expertly crafted chocolate and plum mousse. And since all proceeds from the event are going to SecondBite – an organisation sourcing surplus food from suppliers to give to local charities – you won’t have any overeating regret.

When you’ve been sipping the freshest spirits and most inventive cocktails for a few years (guilty) you develop a discerning taste. Ableforth’s understands your distilled standards, and they’ve developed a range of spirits to match. Those seeking savoury, complex and adaptable flavour profiles should investigate Ableforth’s Bathtub Gin. It’s painstakingly prepared, first through a copper-pot distillation with the juniper base and other fragrant botanicals. Then a minimum seven-day infusion of zesty orange, spicy-sweet cassia, citrussy coriander seed, warming cardamom and cloves are gently introduced to the gin, and each of these flavours shines through abundantly in the bottled beverage.  It takes no less than seven carefully monitored days to eke every bit of distinctive flavour out of these fresh ingredients. In between shifts, the Ableforth’s mixologists have developed seven cocktail recipes – one to suit your mood, no matter what day of the week it is – that make the most out of their prize concoctions.  Photograph: Piers Cunliffe Make Monday classy with a Negroni. It’s a simple but effective combination of equal parts Bathtub Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth stirred over ice and served with orange peel zest.  After a hectic Tuesday, shake together Ableforth’s Bathtub Gin, a dash of sugar syrup, fresh lemon juice and mint leaves and you’ve got yourself a snazzing Southside. Next on the list is Ableforth’s Blood and Sand cocktail. It’s a mix of their delightfully stick

When Christopher Nolan’s Inception was released in 2010 you could barely have a conversation with someone without the film coming up. And people were talking about more than just “did you like it?” and “how did they do that zero gravity fight scene?”. No, what everyone was wondering about was the big question – just what was real in the movie and what was fake? If that question is still puzzling you almost a decade later, you can meet up with like-minded folks for a discussion on the philosophy of Inception this August. The Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Sydney is offering a one-day course called The Philosophy of Inception where you’ll discuss the award-winning sci-fi thriller in depth. If you’re concerned you’re a bit dusty on philosophy (or maybe have never studied it) don’t fret – this short course is designed to be easily understood. Over the course of the day you and your new family of Inception-heads will examine the many schools of philosophy and philosophical thought at work in the film. Some of the big concepts participants will explore include the nature of knowledge, skepticism and dreams versus reality (because we were kept up at night by that ‘is it real or isn’t it’ cliffhanger ending). The Philosophy of Inception is being hosted by recognised philosopher Dr Robert Anderson who has also taught classes on fate, free will and determinism in the film Minority Report. Enrollments for The Philosophy of Inception are currently open and can be

Batyr, a charity which supports young people’s mental health, is aiming to get a 500-person team together for the City2Surf race on Sunday, August 11. And you can join their cause, training with them for free every Tuesday morning in Barangaroo. The organisation focuses on the stigma around mental health, as well as education about services available for struggling youth. This year's goal is to raise $100,000 through the race, which would allow 5000 high school kids to take part in Batyr's school program. Joining the team costs $78, and gets you access to free weekly group training sessions in the lead up to the race. Team members who raise $250 will be decked out in a branded singlet and cap on the day, but if you think you’ll be able to smash it out of the park and raise $500, you can register as a charity superstar here. Superstar spots are limited but include some great perks such as the City2Surf entry fee being waived, a spot in the special start wave, a personalised bib and other exclusive merch. City2Surf is the largest fun run in the world, with 80,000 walkers, joggers and serious runners coming together to traverse the very hilly course from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach. Starting at very near to the crack of dawn at 7.50am, the 14km run will finish up about 3pm. Register for Batyr’s team and check out more info about their initiatives here.

Calling all small business owners! If your digital strategy is looking a little sad, you may be interested to know the City of Sydney is putting on a series of free seminars that bring expert-lead workshops and Q&A sessions together over the course of an evening. Previous sessions have covered things like Instagram and Google Analytics, but the next topic in the series is entitled “How to succeed with your eCommerce business using Shopify.” Hear from Andy Homan, founder of digital agency Process Creative, and Stephen Chapman, co-founder of beverage company Shine+, about how to use the popular ecommerce platform Shopify to your best advantage. Both speakers bring plenty of real-world experience to the table: Homan advises brands such as Carla Zampatti and Deus Ex Machina on UX and ecommerce strategy, while Chapman was named one of Australia’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25 by StartupSmart for his first startup in 2013. They’ll offer practical advice and tips about online retail, and take questions during a Q&A session. Learning from industry leaders for free? Doesn’t take a genius to see the value in that. The two-hour session will be held on Wednesday, July 31 at Customs House, and it all kicks off at 6:30 pm. Registration is on the night at 6pm, but these free sessions sell out fast so secure your spot by booking in advance on their website.