The Spinoff Food 
Not feeling the festive spirit? Get yourself one of these bad boys and relive your childhood (but with added booze). Even though it arrives every year as reliably as rubbish spring weather and questions about what you’re doing for New Year’s, the festive season has a tendency to sneak up on us — or at … Read more
Alice is taken back to Blighty by an old-school bitter, and Henry paints the town millennial pink. GALBRAITH’S ALEHOUSE BOB HUDSON’S BITTER 440ml, 4%, $7.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co English pubs were where my passion for beer truly took hold. I arrived in London as an innocent, fresh-faced lass from the colonies (OK, I … Read more
Alice is tickled pink with a summery sour beer, while Henry says hola to a super-approachable Spanish white from Gizzy. SAWMILL BREWERY RASPBERRY SOUR 4.5%, 500ml, $10.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Earlier this year, Scottish craft beer giant BrewDog repackaged its hugely successful Punk IPA as Pink IPA, satirically dubbing it a “beer for … Read more
Alice partakes of a pineappley pale ale, while Henry pops the cork on some French fizz. BEHEMOTH PRETTY PRETTY PRETTY PINEAPPLEY PALE ALE 5.3%, 330ml, $3.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Hot on the heels of Kind of a Big Deal, which honoured San Diego’s finest son Ron Burgundy, comes a Behemoth tribute to another … Read more
The expectant royals are here for five days – plenty of time to sample some of Aotearoa’s finest cuisine. As we excitement-starved colony-dwellers eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attention naturally turned to the New Zealand delicacies their Royal Highnesses might be treated to during their five-day visit. Some details … Read more
Henry dives into a big, bold Spanish red, while Alice samples an easy-drinking Kiwi hop fest. ANCIANO 35 YEAR OLD VINES GARNACHA 2015 15%, $19.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Let’s talk about alcohol. You could read a shelf full of books about wine and barely know that there’s any alcohol in it. Wine publications … Read more
Alice welcomes the zombie hopocalypse with open arms (and gin), while Henry sups upon a spicy syrah from a Hawke’s Bay OG. EPIC BOILERMAKER Epic Hop Zombie, 8.5%, 500ml, plus Hidden World Oriental Spice Gin, 50ml, 44%, $11.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co A boilermaker, according to the internet, is a trained craftsperson who produces … Read more
Alice is in a glass case of emotion (in a good way) about Behemoth’s latest IPA, and Henry is chuffed with a cheap and very cheerful pinot gris. BEHEMOTH BREWING COMPANY KIND OF A BIG DEAL SAN DIEGO IPA 6.9%, 330ml, $5.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co San Diego: famous for its zoo, Comic-Con, some … Read more
Recipes from the NZ Rugby Stars Cookbook by Ardie Savea, Sonny Bill Williams and Damian McKenzie. Did you correctly match the rugby stars to their recipes? If so, good. If not, go do it now. Right now, you hear? Read no further. When you’re done, come back here. Did you do it? Good. Now you … Read more
Prove your patriotism and test your knowledge of New Zealand’s rugby heroes, by seeing how many recipes from the NZ Rugby Stars Cookbook you can match to the correct culinary code-head. What do you reckon All Blacks eat? McDonald’s in a stranger’s flat? The flesh of their vanquished enemies? Bunless burgers? Fruit cake? The answer is all … Read more
Alice gives her verdict on an award-winning beer, and Henry dives into to a juicy Californian chardonnay. BACH BREWING BILLFISH APA 5.8%, 6 X 330ml cans, $22.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co As a small child, I had a morbid fascination with the bill of a marlin that lived in our attic. It was huge. … Read more
This week, Alice Neville welcomes new beginnings for a beer that’s had its fair share of drama, and Henry Oliver tips his hat to a wallet-friendly white. GARAGE PROJECT DFA 7.5%, 330ml, $6.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co This week’s beer comes with a touch of controversy. First brewed in 2013, the then-named Death From … Read more
This week, Alice is smitten with a seasonal twist on an old favourite, and Henry happily quaffs a Provençal rosé. GARAGE PROJECT PERNICIOUS YUZU WEED 8%, 650ml, $16.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Pernicious Weed is OG Garage Project, one of the original 24 beers the Wellington brewery boldly released over 24 weeks to announce … Read more
This week, Poland comes to Warkworth, Portugal to Hawke’s Bay, and Henry Oliver drinks it up. 8 WIRED BALTYK-TASMAN 9%, 330ml, $7.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Ahhhhhhh, isn’t it heartwarming when the disparate nations of the world can come together and make something beautiful? It seems to be happening a lot less recently. Every … Read more
This week, our intrepid reviewers combine two great passions: beer and chocolate for Alice, wine and pizza for Henry. BEHEMOTH BREWING COMPANY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MILK STOUT 6.5%, 440ml, $11.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co If you’re anything like me, you’ll often be faced with the dilemma of whether to have another beer or move on … Read more
What, a paella made with pasta?! We know, but wait, it gets better – Freedom Farms’ delicious new smoked pork chorizo features too. Much of the deli meat − cured products such as salami, chorizo and the like − sold in New Zealand is made from imported ingredients, and under current laws, there’s no requirement … Read more
Alice Neville enjoys a crisp pilsner with a pleasing chilli kick, while Henry Oliver joins Reese Witherspoon in singing the praises of a pastel pink number from Central Otago. MCLEOD’S FAR NORTH CHILI PILS 5.2%, 500ml, $9.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co Ah, beer and chilli. Name a more iconic duo. No wonder Hallertau Brewery … Read more
Alice Neville tries a multifaceted, dragon-inspired Belgian beer from Waikanae, while Henry Oliver opts for a full, fragrant and ever-so-slightly funky pinot gris from Waipara. NORTH END OUDE DRAAK 6.2%, 500ml, $19.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co As a youth, I spent many tedious weekends in Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast, my only entertainment a … Read more
Hungry? Give these top-notch toasties from the Fed and Baker Gramercy a whirl. In The Spinoff’s humble opinion, the toastie is the absolute pinnacle of New Zealand cuisine, so we’re right on board with the Great New Zealand Toastie Tour. In a collaboration between McClure’s Pickles and Coffee Supreme, 20 cafes and food outlets across … Read more