Amanda Thompson 
Under almost any photo of a plus-size woman online you’re guaranteed to see a stream of abusive, cruel and plain stupid comments. Amanda Thompson asked some fat women what they’d say back. All my life I have been told it is not nice to look the way I do. I’ve been instructed to be ashamed … Read more
Amanda Thompson and her family are attempting to cut back on the meat, so they gave all the vego sausies the local supermarket had to offer a hoon on the barbie. Here are the results. I was a vegetarian once. Even the best of us take a well-meaning wrong turn on the tangled highways and … Read more
Summer reissue: Summer holidays got you dreaming of a happier, easier, gentler life in the provinces? Amanda Thompson actually made the move, and has some real talk on what to expect. First published January 29, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members … Read more
Messing too much with summer berries is sacrilege, but this heavenly light sponge provides a fine vehicle for the most luxe of fruits. In this time of misinformation and alternative truths, I’m going to lay some refreshingly stone-cold facts on you. The greatest summer food is a berry. I mean don’t get me wrong, banana … Read more
‘I know you don’t need me any more and I’m happy with that. It’s the way it should be.’ Before you were born, I took a photo of the beach where we lived – this is a long time ago, more than a lifetime for you of course, and buying a first home near the … Read more
Amanda Thompson is a giant nerd, but she thinks cannabis plants look really cool. So if the yes votes prevail and it’s legalised, she’ll be growing a couple. Here’s her entirely hypothetical guide to how to do it. Voted yet? I have. As you get older, you get the joy of doing things early. Like … Read more
Stuck for ideas this Father’s Day? Amanda Thompson rounds up a small sample of the best gifts (plus jokes!) for the dad in your life. Dads are great, they’re nice to have around. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve always been a bit vague on the finer points of having a dad since mine was more … Read more
This Town is being billed as 2020’s feel good Kiwi comedy movie, but Amanda Thompson finds it a gentle romcom with a heart of surprisingly confronting darkness. Movies about rural New Zealand are going to be funny, either intentionally or unintentionally. It’s a funny place and we’re funny people, and New Zealanders are so good … Read more
‘Reading the cups’ is the ultimate reason to always drink proper leaf tea and never tea bags, adding a touch of drama to an otherwise boring cuppa. Amanda Thompson talks you through it. I don’t know who I am. I don’t know where I come from and I don’t know my people – it’s an … Read more
Wrapping everyone in a blanket of love, whakapapa and mauri for Matariki is the brave, exuberant and generous fabric art of Maungarongo Te Kawa, writes Amanda Thompson. E te Atua Nau enei rau harakeke he taonga Tukuna ki a matou Kia tika o matou mahi Ko Papatuanuku e takoto nei Tuturu Whakamaua Kia tina, tina … Read more
Amanda Thompson always thought the apocalypse would be more about zombies and less about a lack of flour. No matter, this recipe will stand you in good stead for either eventuality. Our current dystopian nightmare was not the apocalypse I was expecting. I do not feel prepared, even after years of planning. Big fans of … Read more
What’s an Ōamaru sweet maker doing giving away a product remarkably similar to the late, lamented Snifter? Amanda Thompson searches for the truth behind a minty mystery. I’m not in this for laughs, people. I’m not playing. At the time of writing, things are bad, they don’t seem to be getting better, and our Easter … Read more
Amanda Thompson pulls her socks up, makes do and gets on with it. Cakes in a time of crisis are an excellent idea, as long as your current crisis is an entirely food-scarcity-free one. Baking is so calming and mindful, we know. If you’ve always wanted the time to really commit to learning how to … Read more
Dealing with grief is hard. Comfort carbs make it a little bit easier, says Amanda Thompson. As near perfect a country as Aotearoa undoubtedly is, I don’t think as a whole we’re so great with grief. Grief for a lover lost, a terrible accident suffered, a rugby game unwon, a beloved pet buried. The tragedy … Read more
Summer holidays got you dreaming of a happier, easier, gentler life in the provinces? Amanda Thompson actually made the move, and has some real talk on what to expect. God I love Auckland. Sorry Wellington, hope we can stay friends – but my heart is a Jaffa flavoured Jaffa cake filled with Jaffas and topped … Read more
Whether you’re a hungover mess, on a road trip with fractious children or just a bit hot and thirsty, ice blocks are the answer. But not all are created equal, finds Amanda Thompson. I live in a town that lies on the way to and from a lot of summer festivals. We get used to … Read more
The Weird Old Guy with a ponytail who no one really knows, and 11 more oddly specific characters you’ll probably encounter this Christmas. There’s no hiding from it. Tomorrow you will attempt to bring many and varied family members together in total peace and harmony to enjoy each other’s company, assisted by nothing more than … Read more
It’s accepted wisdom that a box of assorted chocolates is the perfect Christmas gift for one and all. But now Roses are rubbish, what to choose? Amanda Thompson is here to help. Approximately one million clickbaits ago I spread this wisdom throughout a grateful New Zealand, with a completely factual article about how buying Cadbury … Read more
Sure, everything around you might be reproducing with disgusting enthusiasm, but at least there’s asparagus. Here’s a vinaigrette to save the day. Spring has sprung! New things are growing! Lambs are frisking! Last week I went outside briefly without a raincoat! Not that I am actually enjoying this fresh season, of course. I now complain … Read more
Planning a big blowout of illicit dairy deliciousness? This is the brownie for you. How great was Covering Climate Now last week? I was engrossed, following along with these practical, sobering and funny discussions about what we are (or are not) doing well now and should do in the future to change the course of … Read more
Amanda Thompson spends a day with the New Zealand men’s roller derby squad as they prepare for next year’s world champs in the US. Let’s play a word game. Let’s list some contact sports and the top teams in those codes. Say rugby. Are you thinking about the All Blacks yet? What about rugby league. … Read more
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is not the best time … Read more
Sure, it’s not as easy to love as the versatile lemon or the alluring tangelo, but the grapefruit has its place, says Amanda Thompson – and that place is on your toast. All over my dreary winter town, small gold and orange suns are bursting forth over fences, over hedges, casting themselves to the ground. … Read more
The modern zeal for eating this cruciferous crap must count among the most ridiculous food fads of our time, says Amanda Thompson. I bought a lush salad the other day, not a ‘I really should eat a salad or I might get scurvy’ grudge salad, but an expensive, delicious-looking salad, one I really wanted, full … Read more
Have you found yourself with more lemons than you know what to do with? Hens laying overtime? Never fear, this perfect citrus slice is here. Once upon a time I had a little gold hen, who lived in a flowering tree and laid me a sweet fresh egg every day. And that’s where the fairy … Read more
Amanda Thompson, who knows a thing or two about first birthdays, reckons this momentous day should be marked with celebratory jellies of multiple hues. Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford turns one today! Happy birthday to our own First Baby, the National Bubba, our cutest taonga. I don’t care what your politics are, all babies are … Read more
Think you don’t need a slow cooker? Think you’re too cool, too hip, too spontaneous? Think again, says Amanda Thompson. Say hello to my little crockpot. Yes, I know it is very old and unattractive and the handle is broken and there are bits of nasty brown packing tape on the lid for some long-forgotten … Read more
Marshmallow justice warrior Amanda Thompson visits a real-life chocolate factory and quite possibly saves the Easters of the future. What’s in a shape? When is an egg not an egg? When it’s a cheaty hoval, that’s when. Last month I wrote a ranking of the world’s most important foodstuff, chocolate-covered marshmallow Easter eggs. What motivated … Read more
The Minimum Wage Exemption scheme, has allowed New Zealand businesses to legally pay workers with a disability as little as 80 cents an hour for years. Amanda Thompson explains why change is well overdue. When I was a kid I came to my mum one day with a burning sense of injustice. I had seen … Read more