This lightly sparkling natural wine has been popping up on drinks lists all over the show, and it’s not going away any time soon. Pét-nats are kind of a big deal right now. It may be tempting to dismiss this as some flash-in-the-pan fad – and granted, the vibrant labels and crown bottle caps that … Read more
Sure, you could buy it in a tub – hell, you could just buy a packet of ready-made pies – but that’s not the point. The point is Christmas contentment. I love a lot of things about Christmas in the United States. I love the cold, (sometimes) snowy weather in the Northeast. I love the … Read more
In the latest in the Frame documentary series produced for The Spinoff by Wrestler and funded by NZ on Air, we follow chef Luke Adams as he prepares a hāngī for his children’s school fundraiser. “It never really seemed important in the beginning,” says Luke Adams. “It was just something that was always going on.” … Read more
A whistle-stop tour of southern Sri Lanka is a culinary overload of colour and fragrance – but ordering a beer can be, er, weird. Burdened by the weight of my own trinket haul, I arrived in Colombo desperate for a cup of Ceylon tea. Crushed in the direction of the bus door, I was spat … 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
Whatever you do, don’t leave people to their own devices. (But do ask them to bring ice.) People are always asking what they can bring to a party and your answer to that question should always be: ice. You can never have enough of it, and as the host you shouldn’t be expected to race … Read more
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Sam Brooks on why cocktail snobbery is for losers. Look, I love a good cocktail. My best friend is a cocktalier/mixologist/bartender/good guy who knows … 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
From beach outings to barbecues to battling feelings of festive stress, December is jam-packed with moments made for popping the cork on something sparkling. The first glass of Champagne in our house on Christmas day is a bit of a ritual. The anticipation builds all day from the moment we finish our breakfast serving of … Read more
These are perfect as a gift or to keep on hand to impress impromptu Christmas visitors with. Or, you know, just eat them – it’s Christmas! With our eldest now at school, baking has found a regular place in my life. I take pleasure from the simple task of making something not only to fill … Read more
Inspired by the recently publicised onion-related peril of sausage sizzles, The Spinoff goes deep into the produce aisle and finds that getting your 5+ a day can be a risky business. A few weeks ago, a story came out that shocked right-thinking Antipodeans to their very cores. Bunnings Warehouse had issued a ‘serving suggestion’ advising … Read more
Every day in the leadup to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Kerryanne Nelson on cafes and restaurants that refuse to display prices. Something weird has been happening in cafes and restaurants across Auckland this year. … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Don Rowe pays tribute to the Christmas mince pie. This should surprise nobody, but: the only good mince pies are Christmas mince pies. That’s not an opinion, not a ‘hot take’, that’s a cold, hard fact. Fruity, sweet and … Read more
A very tasty breakfast treat that makes a very charming Christmas present. With Christmas mere weeks away, it can be easy to get caught up in the commercial hype of it all. Resist, I say, and make this orange and ginger muesli instead. It’s simple to make and can be whipped up weeks in advance, … 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
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Duncan Greive gets amongst a new fake mince from the deep south. As someone who loves the delicious taste and texture of animal meat, but has spent most of the past 25 years living as a vegetarian, fake meat … Read more
Alex Casey talks to a Rose Young, a Wellington artist who sculpts teeny-tiny meals. It began with a tiny hot dog, inspired by a life-sized hot dog, made by a man named Klauss who operates out of the Wellington dump. “He’s just this old German guy who owns a hot dog truck at the dump … Read more
Every day in the leadup to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Emily Writes on the Freakshake. 2017 might have been the year the “Freakshake” was born. But 2018 was truly the year this abomination became … Read more
Forget the barbie – with these slow-cooker ideas, all the work’s done ahead of time, leaving you to swan around and mingle. I know that a bunch of yobbos in tasteless Hawaiian shirts huddled around the barbecue pretending to know what they are doing is a quintessential part of any Kiwi summer, but my faith … Read more
Earlier this week, Jihee Junn was invited to a special lunch at Smales Farm dining precinct Goodside to get a taste of what the place had to offer ahead of its public opening today. So, what’s Goodside like? And what does it mean for an area with ambitions to become “the Googleplex of New Zealand”? … Read more
Every day in the leadup to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Sam Brooks with a hot tip for a hot meal on Christmas Day. It was the morning of Christmas 2016, and being New Zealand, … Read more
Jackie Clark from The Aunties has one Christmas wish: before you give to charity, do your research. We are coming up to the time of year when people get into the spirit of giving. Although your heart might be in the right place, when you donate to your favourite charities this Christmas season, try not … 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
Two Auckland friends have combined their love of tea with their passion for te reo Māori – and turned it into a business. In India, chai wallahs are an institution — you’ll find one in every alleyway, on every street corner and railway platform, making and selling tea to thirsty customers. Half a world a way … 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
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms and Fine Wine Delivery Co. This month on Dietary Requirements, we are joined in the studio by an extremely special guest: Rosemary Mount (née Dempsey), the legend who invented Kiwi onion dip. We learn about … Read more
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
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, José Barbosa bathes in the sugary warmth of US-style doughnuts. Bless America and the Americans. They’ve given us so much and we just want more and more. First came Dunkin Donuts; we mashed their rings of yeast into our … Read more