Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by hāngī master Rewi Spraggon and his co-owner in The Māori Kitchen, Ganesh Raj, to have a yarn about Matariki, the Māori new year. Every winter, the nine stars … 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
So thick, so luscious, so versatile. Yes, it’s strained yoghurt, but readers, it’s so much more. Something wonderful happens when you put a sieve of yoghurt over a bowl and sit back and wait. Don’t hurry it: the more patient you are, the more you will be rewarded. As the whey slowly drips from the … Read more
Parent to a fussy toddler? The ‘I’m Not Hungry for Fruit Mum’ bag is the only meal kit service you’ll ever need! Delivery meal kits seem to be everywhere at the moment. Every company insists they have the food that your kids will love. They say you’ll never have to think about what you cook … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, it’s all about African swine fever and the pending aporkalypse. TL;DR: It’s “the biggest animal disease outbreak the planet the planet has ever faced”, and Kiwi pork lovers need to do their bit to protect our local pigs. African … Read more
Auckland is great – but, argues Catherine McGregor, Melbourne’s restaurants, cafes and bars still have the edge. Long before ‘cool’ even existed, Melbourne was cooler than wherever you lived. Take it from me: if you’d stopped a 19th century dandy flaneur-ing his way along Karangahape Road to ask what he thought of Melbourne, the reply … Read more
An urban farm in Auckland has been raising cows for meat for years. This time, they decided to involve the community in the process – but the backlash was so intense, the plan was canned. Alice Neville talks to those involved about what went down, and what we can learn from the saga. A sprawling, … Read more
This smoky Mexican spirit is so hot right now, but Samuel Flynn Scott wasn’t so sure it was for him. Until one Sunday afternoon… The “Not Serious Wine Chats” events have been on my radar for a few months now. I really wanted to attend the natural wine event (for one thing, I thought it … 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
Sam Brooks goes to a ‘lads’ lunch’ expecting the worst – and somehow gets the advertised ‘good vibes’. When I heard of Lads Who Lunch, my first response was, “Oh, like the Sondheim song?” This was my first hint that maybe I was not the intended audience for Lads Who Lunch. The events, started by … Read more
A new generation of commercial fishermen is pushing for change, and chefs are helping to tell their story. “I used to be a little bit naive and think there was no end to anything – a good day’s fishing would always be the same,” says Nathan Smith of Gravity Fishing. “But it’s not the case. … Read more
Hospitality is a legitimate career, and a hard one at that, and it’s about time it’s treated like one. I recently stopped working in a beer bar in Edinburgh. I worked there full-time for 20 months and loved it. But there are two questions I was consistently asked by my customers that irked me. The … 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
A slice of this slathered in butter makes for the perfect savoury snack. This loaf provides a wonderful burst of flavour that will brighten up any lunchbox. Make it as a loaf or in muffin tins for handy snacks. And as with the banana bread I shared last week, it’s always better with a generous … Read more
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by booze enthusiast Meg Abbott-Walker for a special episode celebrating drinks. For the first time in our 11-episode history, we don’t eat a single skerrick of food on air. … Read more
In the wake of the demise of the famous UK chef’s restaurant group, Al Brown and Martin Bosley reflect on how in the hospitality business, being a “name” comes with its own baggage. It must be strange to be no longer simply a man, but also a brand. That, in essence, is Jamie Oliver: a … Read more
A one-pot energy boost that’s as good for breakfast as it is afternoon tea. I find packing lunches a challenge so am always on the hunt for inspiration to keep the kids’ lunchboxes both interesting and nourishing. What I love about this recipe is that it’s all made in one pot – fewer dishes once … Read more
A well-preserved fruitcake that sat in an Antarctic hut for over a century has gone on display at Canterbury Museum. Here, a fan of ancient foodstuffs pens an open letter to the controllers of the cake. Please, Antarctic Heritage Trust, I beseech thee: let me eat the 106-year-old fruitcake. Now is the time for me … Read more
Enough of those inoffensive, latte-sippin’ jams selected purely to appease the baby boomers: the most memorable places to dine use music as just one more way to express themselves. If you’ve worked in a restaurant or café in the past 20 years – even if you’ve dined out a whole lot – you’ll likely be familiar … Read more
Think rice is nothing special? Try tahdig, the golden, crispy rice crust that’s a way of life for Iranians. As Iranians, we are obsessed with the crunchy bits. The oily, crispy bits. The layers upon layers of starch. True love is at the bottom of a non-stick Persian rice cooker. Have you always thought of rice … Read more
While KFC staff are desperately trying to draw attention to their terrible working conditions, people are losing their shit over a chicken burger. Over the weekend, as their staff begged them for better working conditions, KFC sent out an email to influencers and media inviting them to a party. KFC relaunched their Double Down burger … Read more
A Taranaki couple threw in their high-flying careers to bring people together through the joys of good baking. Tucked down an alleyway off New Plymouth’s main street, just a stone’s throw from the famous Len Lye Centre, you’ll find Billow Bakery in its new home on the ground floor of Quarter Bank, a new development … Read more
Stories linking cases of extreme child neglect to plant-based diets are peddling dangerous rhetoric, writes Jai Breitnauer. When I read about the malnourished toddler in Sydney this week, who at 19 months was so severely starved she looked like a newborn baby, I was heartbroken and outraged. But I also felt something else – anger. … Read more
Alice Neville drank a lot of cocktails at New Zealand’s first dedicated cocktail festival in Wellington last weekend… here are a few standouts. Wellington’s always been a good booze town. These days it’s all about the craft beer and natural wine, of course, but years before hazy IPAs and pét-nats were de rigueur, there were … Read more
This Italian dark leafy green comes into its own in the cooler months, and makes a delicious autumn/winter salad with apple and sunflower seeds. Now that the weather has cooled and the white butterflies have finally disappeared, my cavolo nero has bounced back to life and is producing more green-blue leaves than we know what … Read more
All men must die, and all true Game of Thrones fans must dress up as their favourite character, sup from a goblet and recite quotes from the show without context at some point in their lives. It’s the rules. It has come to our attention that a certain love-or-hate television programme is about to come … Read more
Aglio, olio e peperoncino is a beautifully simple dish that’s as good at home on the couch as it is at a back-street Napoli trattoria. I have to first admit to having a penchant for all things pasta. A soft spot. A great love. An obsession. A problem. I’m constantly trying to ditch the carbs … Read more
With children’s vegetable intake in decline, decision makers are too focused on pointing the finger at parents, a new study suggests. When it comes to children’s nutrition, key players in our food system are stuck on the idea of individual responsibility. That’s a key finding of new research that surveys decision-makers about their views on New … Read more
Is there anything better than pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce? The answer is no. Pasta has to be the ultimate comfort food – and if it’s accompanied by meatballs and sauce, then even better. I tend to get stuck in a meatball-making rut, so my family really only ever eats the same version, time … Read more