For the month of July, Josie Adams is taking on the challenge of being low-waste. That means minimising plastics, emissions, and even recyclables. Each week we release her diary. This is week three. Read week one here, and week two here. This week began with a tragedy: I lost my ability to Lime after my … Read more
A little bit of effort and a few weeks of patience will reward you with a secret weapon that’ll jazz up all manner of dishes. This pickle packs a serious flavour punch and if you’re anything like me, it will fast become a staple on your pantry shelves. It has a wonderful lime scent, is … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Josie Adams eats packing peanuts. To avoid a lawsuit, let me first state that Pop Starch packing peanuts do not call themselves edible. The word “edible” is nowhere on the product. In fact, the product description says “not meant … Read more
Why are bitter cocktails all the rage? It could have a little something to do with Sother Teague. We humans emerge from the womb with a sweet tooth – that’s why you’re more likely to see a baby drinking breast milk, which is slightly sweet, than propped up at the bar nursing a Negroni. Seriously … Read more
At the same time as supermarkets adapt to increasing demand for online shopping, some supermarkets are investing in the development of their people. Alice Webb-Liddall finds out why humans still count. Online supermarket shopping and Click & Collect services aim to make the sometimes lengthy and totally necessary task of grocery shopping easier for everyone. … Read more
Committed alcohol enthusiast Samuel Flynn Scott investigates whether it’s possible to have fun – and find drinks that hit the spot – when booze is not an option. Choosing not to drink on a night out has traditionally led to a lot of fizzy water or sugary kids’ drinks. I might enjoy the big red … Read more
Cave à Vin founder Zane Kelsall says he has been in ‘intense therapy’ following sexual misconduct claims in Halifax. Last week, The Spinoff published a story about Cave à Vin, a new wine bar on Auckland’s North Shore. The story hailed the vision of its owner, Zane Kelsall, who had recently emigrated from Canada with … Read more
For the month of July, Josie Adams is taking on the challenge of being low-waste. That means minimising plastics, emissions, and even recyclables. Each week we release her diary. This is week two. Read week one here. I’ll be honest, week two has been a struggle. I’ve been less enthused about finding low-waste solutions because … Read more
Tara Ward sets out on a valiant quest to find the best apple in Aotearoa. The idea that every apple is a good apple is fake news. We’ve all got stories about shit experiences with apples, when it looked good on the outside but it was a floury disaster zone on the inside, or it … Read more
Every fish on the iconic New Zealand Commercial Fish Species poster, ranked. There are a few staples of the quintessential fish and chip shop: sticky plastic curtains, soggy paper tickets with a little red number, tin pottles of Wattie’s tomato sauce, even some unlabelled aioli if you’re feeling bougie. And then there’s the New Zealand … Read more
For when toast or cereal just doesn’t cut it, but you don’t have the time or inclination to do any actual cooking, try this. If I ever cook rice (or grains of any kind) for dinner, I often make extra to turn into breakfast the following morning. The recipe that follows is a riff on … Read more
Edmonds, Hubbards, Pams – our shelves are full of people immortalised in baked goods and cereals. Josie Adams sets out to discover who they really were, and if they even existed at all. “Who is Pam?” is one of the most burning questions of our time. She makes jam, baked beans, dishwashing liquid; Pam can … Read more
Why Simon Day hopes baking a bacon and egg pie will guide the Black Caps to glory tonight. For a sport dominated by statistics, logic and precision, cricket is strangely superstitious. Every Tweet has a consequence, every movement away from the television affects the game thousands of kilometres away. Certain scores have magical properties. Nelson … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey finds the Disneyland of Laughter. I’ve long felt a spiritual pull towards The Bugger Cafe, although I’ve never really known exactly where it was. All I knew was the deep envy I felt seeing friends, colleagues and … 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
Since this story was published, The Spinoff has learnt Zane Kelsall was the subject of allegations of inappropriate behaviour in Canada. Read more here. Why the hell have a couple of Canadians opened what could be NZ’s best natural wine bar in the heart of Auckland’s suburban North Shore? Samuel Flynn Scott finds out. Milford … Read more
It’s Plastic Free July but Josie Adams is taking it a step further, attempting to be as low-waste as possible – minimising plastics, emissions and even recyclables. This is the first instalment of her diary tracking the challenge. It’s fair to say I’m lower-waste than your average Joe. I drive maybe once a month, and … Read more
Only a few days ago, all was quiet and calm. And then, out of the blue, a series of culinary news stories hit that soon had New Zealand frothing at the mouth. Tara Ward reviews the wreckage. New Zealand, we need to talk. We’ve gone mad. Food mad. Last week, we were hit with a … Read more
It’s finally true: Mercury Plaza is closing its doors. Josie Adams and Tina Tiller went for a last meal at the iconic Karangahape Road food court. Mercury Plaza is known for beloved restaurants like Chinese Cuisine, Maruten Ramen, and E-Sarn WOK. Delicious though they all are, it has offered far more to the masses in … Read more
After a few months of tasting and testing, Alice Webb-Liddall ranks dairy free chocolate milks, because we all deserve a good drop of cool cocoa without the animal element. My mother always insisted on buying me a chocolate milk after every game of high school netball. “It’s scientifically proven to refuel your muscles better than … Read more
Adding to the negative impact that Instagram is already having on mental health and body image, a set of unrealistic standards for school lunchboxes is unearthed by Juliet Speedy. If I was asked to offer my most valuable piece of culinary advice to parents, it would be this: don’t Google “lunchbox ideas”. In fact, if … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, The Spinoff office hoons two bags of Perky Nana Lumps. Last week the internet exploded with the news that a yet another Kiwiana fusion product was to crawl its way out of the ocean and onto our shores in … Read more
Calum Henderson reckons New Zealand has the most celebrity chefs per capita. Here, he tries to find the funniest. There are few things I love more in this life than taking a celebrity chef’s name in vain and using it to roast the living hell out of my nearest and dearest. It goes like this: … Read more
If you’re addicted to watching Claire whip up gourmet Twinkies and Brad ferment garlic while you eat microwaved pasta in your pyjamas, then this is the list for you. First the world was given The Beatles, the cast of Friends, the Paris, Nicole, Britney and Lohan era, One Direction and Zayn, the Kardashians and BLACKPINK. … Read more
Ah, the tamarillo, another curiously New Zealand fruit that’s not actually a New Zealand fruit. But who cares when these tart, egg-shaped beauties make for as good a pud as this. We have a tamarillo tree that grows behind a row of feijoa trees up against our old shed down the back of our garden. … Read more
Naz Khanjani is a social influencer, a professional boxer, a reality star, and now a vodka baron. “We’re drinking sexy back,” says her new product. Josie Adams tried to do just that. Disclaimer 1: this article contains discussion of alcohol consumption and being sexy. The Spinoff does not necessarily endorse either of these things. The … Read more
About as far as you can get from Aotearoa’s rural heartland, a new breed of farmers are rethinking the way we grow. At the heart of that shitshow of an Auckland city confluence where Symonds St, New North Rd, Khyber Pass and Newton Rd come together, observant passers-by will notice an unlikely thing. Amid the … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ about the news of the moment. Today, we look at the UberEats busy area fee that has just launched in Auckland. The what? You know how you often pay more for a ride when everybody is heading out on a Friday night and Uber is … Read more
The bad boy of hospitality is nearing retirement age, yet his capacity for bitter feuds remains undiminished. Duncan Greive meets Leo Molloy, the Viaduct’s best host and worst enemy. “I know Bernie Monk,” said Leo Molloy. “He was a year ahead of me at school.” I had barely sat down at Headquarters, Molloy’s Viaduct restaurant … Read more