The Spinoff Food 
Alcoholic seltzers are all the rage this summer, but are any of them any good? The dedicated beverage enthusiasts of The Spinoff took it upon themselves to find out. We saw the first glimpse of the hard seltzer craze in Aotearoa last summer, when an array of supposedly better-for-you fizzy alcoholic beverages that tasted of, … Read more
Oat milk is so hot right now, so we bought a whole bunch and conducted a good old-fashioned blind taste test. Here are the results. Non-western cultures have always known milk doesn’t have to come from a mammal’s mammary gland, but in New Zealand, dairy-devoted nation that we are, we’ve taken a while to catch … Read more
Hints for a happy, healthy vegan life as the AM Show host prepares to adopt a plant-based diet for the next 12 months. In July, MediaWorks broadcaster Duncan Garner was very confident that come election time, Labour wouldn’t receive enough votes to govern alone. So confident that he said if they did, he would do … Read more
Ever-increasing varieties of zero-alcohol beers beckon the sober or sober-curious from the supermarket shelf. But are any of them any good? We investigate. Ah, non-alcoholic beer. If your immediate thought response to that sentence is “What’s the point?”, look, we don’t blame you. But The Spinoff is nothing if not brave: we go places others … Read more
They’re ‘clean’, they’re ‘natural’, they’ll get you lit but not make you fat – or at least that’s the aim. Premixed spirit-based drinks have shed their low-brow reputation and are taking over a summer barbecue near you. But are they any good? The Spinoff finds out. For many years, RTDs had a terrible reputation: brightly … Read more
From the deep south to the top of the north, The Spinoffers spread our culinary wings to sample regional delights galore over the summer break. Here’s what we can’t stop thinking about. FAR NORTH: PIE TIME ‘Twas a morning of a good ol’ wake and bake in the fa far north where my squad and … Read more
Petrified of pav failure? This Christmas, why not make meringues instead. Sure, pavlova’s traditional for Christmas, but it’s hard to get right – especially if you’re somewhere humid (looking at you, Auckland). Why not try meringues instead? The moisture content is lower than that of pav, so you need not fear that depressing leaky pav … Read more
Three glaze recipes to take your festive feast from ho-hum to ham-azing. In the middle of November, my aunt suggested in our family WhatsApp group that Christmas lunch should go meat-free in acknowledgement of climate change. I froze at my desk where I’d taken a moment to procrastinate. While I support her sentiment and am … Read more
Tis the season for hangovers, so we convinced some of New Zealand’s most experienced consumers of food and/or drink (OK, Spinoff staff and a bunch of chefs/hospo people) to share their tried-and-true culinary remedies. A hangover is a very individual thing. For some, it manifests as a splitting headache and extreme tiredness. Others are gripped … Read more
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an old drinking buddy to … Read more
A crack team of Spinoff taste testers munched their way through 34 dairy-free cheese alternatives to bring you this definitive list of the good, the bad and the ugly. Just as some people cannot fathom the concept of vegetarian sausages or almond milk, the idea of cheese that isn’t made from dairy provokes outrage in … Read more
An increasing range of vino is now available in cans, so The Spinoff team took it upon themselves to review and rank each one. Have you ever tried to carry a bottle of wine in your handbag? It’s niggly as. Once, while living in London, I was heading to a party with a bottle of … Read more
The Spinoff has scoured the length and breadth of this great nation of ours (OK, we delved into the font of knowledge that is the friends of The Spinoff, plus the good people of Kai Corner) to bring you the very best hot cross buns of Aotearoa. No doubt we missed a bunch – please … Read more
It’s Waitangi Day! Time to learn, respect, honour the treaty and eat some yum AF food. The ol’ midweek public holiday can sneak up on you – suddenly you don’t have to go to work but alas, you have no plans. Never fear: there are many cool Waitangi Day events happening around the country, all … Read more
We devise a genius plan to return the tragically transformed seasonal treats to their former glory. It was this week revealed that corporate choc-monster Cadbury has committed yet another crime against a beloved New Zealand product. In the latest unforgivable act, marshmallow Easter eggs, widely regarded as the best thing about the long, long, long … Read more
The Swedish retail monster is coming to New Zealand, but amid all the excitement, its greatest asset has been left in the shadows. No longer: here we celebrate the unique culinary experience that is eating at IKEA. Even though globalisation has had its slimy tentacles tightly gripped around Aotearoa for some years now, we still … Read more
An intrepid band of Spinoff employees tries what may or may not be (OK, most likely not) the world’s hottest chocolate, and find it pretty freakin’ hot. You know how it is: the first week back at work after the summer break and you’re feeling a little… lost. What is it we do now? Content … Read more
Does less booze mean less flavour? Well, yes… but it’s not all bad news. All prices given were correct at the time of original publication in January 2019. Prices may have changed since. Here at The Spinoff, we’re a responsible bunch, and we know that a hoppy 8 percenter isn’t always the answer. You might … Read more
How does a new meal kit delivery company break into the New Zealand market: they call up a handsome Kiwi fireman who we can all relate to. Jaco Kluts is an astonishingly normal man. He lives in an ordinary house in a steadily gentrifying suburb in Auckland, just near Penny Bright’s old place. Outside on … Read more
The Spinoff Food whānau and friends reveal the best things they put in their gobs this year. CLAIRE ADAMSON Earlier this year, before she had told anyone outside of the family she was pregnant, my sister gamely came along to a wine tasting I was holding and inhaled the aroma of each wine deeply from … Read more
Alice discovers that juniper and hops are a match made in heaven, while Henry pops the cork on a bargain bottle of bubbly. DUNCAN’S BREWERY JUNIPER IPA 7%, 500ml, $10.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co A lot of brewers have a penchant for gin. Come to think of it, winemakers too. I guess the point … Read more
Over some festive fizz and a spot of good-natured mother-daughter ribbing, Sophie and Emerald Gilmour share two delicious glazes plus some ingenious tips for getting the best out of your Freedom Farms ham this Christmas. Whether you want a classic glazed ham or something a bit jazzy, Freedom Farms, Dietary Requirements co-host Sophie Gilmour … Read more
A fruity rosé inspires Henry to issue some eyebrow-raising advice, and a new IPA has Alice feeling festive. BEAU DE FRANCE ROSÉ 2017 13%, France, $13.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Here at The Spinoff, it’s hot take season – all month long, we’re shooting our hottest opinions, straight from the hip. But there’s one I … Read more
How much do you really know about the beer you’re holding – and how it’s different to the one your mate is drinking? Elevate your Christmas party chat with the Spinoff’s guide to beer varieties. Standing in the chilled beer fridge at your local liquor store, the cold air carries a tinge of anxiety as … Read more
A new release from Sawmill has Alice praising the haze, and Henry plans his Christmas around an excellent-value, full-flavoured pinot. SAWMILL EAST COAST IPA 5.9%, 500ml, $9.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Hazy IPAs are so hot right now. Well, to be frank with you, they’ve been pretty hot for a while, but the trend … Read more
The Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill passed in parliament last night, with support from all parties apart from Act. Here’s what it means for your supermarket shop. Sorry, I’ve missed all this, what are you on about? Back in 2016, then-Green MP Steffan Browning introduced a member’s bill that proposed mandatory country-of-origin … Read more
Alice drinks outside her comfort zone, and Henry enjoys a young, fruity pinot gris named after a Martinborough legend. GOOD GEORGE BREWING ROSÉ CIDER WITH STRAWBERRY & LIME JUICE 946ml, 4.5%, $14.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co What’s this, a cider for beer of the week? Madness! I know, I’m as shocked to my very … Read more
In a video filmed for a conference the health minister was scheduled to open but then withdrew from, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver implores David Clark to pass a sugar tax. Watch below. Following on from the dressing down he directed at the National Party for failing to attend a sugar tax symposium last year, … Read more
The Spinoff asks the experts for tips on what food to match with your beer. For millennia beer was the second-class cousin of wine. Whenever people were invited over for dinner, wine would be rolled out from the rack. A fruity Spanish something to accompany the chicken marbella, a Chianti to go with the spag … Read more