Just like the New Zealand wine industry it champions, Fine Wine Delivery Co has been through quite a journey over the past two decades. Back in 1997, the average house price in New Zealand was $181,000. Jim Bolger was prime minister, with Winston Peters his deputy. The world mourned Princess Diana, Titanic was released, and … Read more
When you need dessert that’s more than an ice cream from the dairy but less than a Great Kiwi Bake Off technical challenge, make this. Sometimes it’s not necessary to labour things, and this recipe is a good example of that. Fried simply in butter and brown sugar, the pineapple turns a lovely golden colour, and … 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
Part cellar door, part bottle shop and soon-to-be urban winery, Dorset Street Cellar Door has a big future ahead of it. Just off Victoria Street in Christchurch’s faded golden mile is an unassuming building with a sawtooth roof. Even with a fresh lick of paint, you can still make out the lettering of the former … Read more
Why would a business owner choose to reduce customer numbers? The couple behind high-end Auckland restaurant Pasture explain their philosophy. Some key rules for running a successful restaurant are keep your food costs down, keep the average spend high, and maximise your floor space. Get as many customers in and out as possible. A popular … Read more
Instead of spending all night in the kitchen, keep it simple and use the time you gain to dazzle your guests with that sparkling wit of yours. Let me tell you something: attempting to make a risotto for the first time while simultaneously trying to greet guests, make awkward small talk and get them settled … Read more
With a bit of low-effort forward planning, you can make ice cream at home in mere minutes. As the temperatures rise and the days stretch out further into the evenings, a dessert like this really hits the spot. Quick and easy to make, it’s a great one to have in the repertoire. Thinly slice any … Read more
Bunnings Warehouse will now recommend that sausage sizzle onions be placed on the bread before the sausage. Madeleine Chapman went on a journey of discovery to find the correct way to assemble a snag. Anyone who’s ever played in a sports team or been part of a community group has served a sausage to a … 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
This Thursday is Beaujolais Nouveau Day, and you don’t have to buy into a quaint-French-custom-turned-grotesque-celebration-of-capitalism — or drink something that tastes like raspberry vinegar — to get involved. A dilemma presents itself to me every year as the third Thursday of November approaches. I’m not one to deliberately forego an excuse to drink wine, but … Read more
Six flavours, six packets of biscuit, one power ranking. Sam Brooks risks his waistline for the decadent trans-Tasman cake-biscuit known as the Tim Tam. Is a Tim Tam a biscuit that dreamed it was a cake, or a cake that dreamed it was a biscuit? Not even Zhuangzi was able to answer this, because he … Read more
Georgia has beautiful scenery, a fascinating wine scene and the world’s nicest taxi drivers. What’s not to like? If you, like me, are a fan of stunning mountains, delicious wine, dangerous high-speed taxi journeys and cheese bread, allow me to suggest a trip to Georgia. Your friends and family will likely make a Ray Charles … Read more
In the garden city, you don’t grab a kebab, you smash a souvlaki. James Dann sets off on his own Greek odyssey to find out why. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a drunk man in possession of a few coins must be in want of a kebab. Ripping into one at two in … Read more
We know the story: the evening air was balmy and you’d had a beer or two. A rush of blood to the head made you invite far too many people round for a barbie next weekend. Fear not – hostess with the mostest Leisha Jones is here to help. When it comes to hosting, I’m … Read more
Alex Casey scours the internet to assemble the definitive guide to eating like a celebrity in New Zealand. Just like a teacher buying bog roll at the supermarket or a chimpanzee riding a Segway in dungarees, there’s something not quite right about seeing a celebrity eat somewhere normal. Because if celebrities eat at normal places, … 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
Despite mounting evidence that going meat-free is a pretty good idea, vegans remain the butt of many a joke at best and a target for outright hostility at worst. What’s with the bad rep? More and more people are adopting plant-based diets in Australia and other western nations. But also seemingly on the rise is … Read more
Corn dogs, crayfish and multiple gin tastings convert a cynical ex-Wellingtonian to the joys of Tāmaki Makaurau’s annual food festival. Arriving at The Cloud (or, as I like to call it, the Great Corporate Sandworm of Arrakis) for Taste of Auckland, my cynical-meter immediately goes into the red zone. Bizarrely, all ticket holders need to … Read more
A weekend breakfast treat, perfect for using up leftover roast pumpkin. Lucky for us, last year’s summer garden offered forth an abundance of crown pumpkins, self-seeded down the back underneath the dappled shade of the pear trees. They’ve done us well and just as I notice we are down to our last few, I see … Read more
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s new 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 throw caution to the wind and cook up an Aperol Spritz-fuelled pasta storm as we discuss the joys of Italian food and drink. … Read more
Alarmed by the disconnection between his food and its source, Simon Day visits the home of his bacon. I‘ve eaten a lot of bacon. And roast pork shoulder with crispy crackling. I’ve used cured pig’s cheek to make carbonara. Glazed ham at every Christmas. And barbecued so many sausages. But I’d never recognised how disconnected … Read more
After a harrowing experience in a Countdown, Hayden Donnell calls for a moratorium on all classic New Zealand snack mash-ups. For a long time, New Zealand has been suffering from a sickness. It started as a slow creep. A flare-up here and there, easily dismissed; nothing much to worry about. Over time the illness has spread … Read more
What to offer trick or treaters to ensure you’re the most popular house in the neighbourhood, according to kids. Whatever your feelings about Halloween, you can’t deny it’s now a part of our children’s lives. So you have several options: 1) Throw yourselves into it with great gusto by decorating your house, dressing up and … Read more
Hayden Donnell surveys one of the more rare whiskies to ever go on sale in New Zealand, and asks whether it’s worth its gigantic purchasing price. Last Wednesday night, I pulled into a North Shore industrial zone to taste-test rare and expensive whisky. It was an event put on by the Fine Wine Delivery Company and … Read more
Get your fill of the glorious green spears because they’re here for a good time, not a long time – and they make a damn fine addition to a classic carbonara. You know that summer isn’t too far around the corner when asparagus makes an appearance on the supermarket shelves. I love the versatility of this vegetable. … Read more
Facing criticism, comparison and scrutiny every day takes its toll. Heaping even more pressure on someone who’s suffering isn’t the answer, writes chef and MKRNZ judge Ben Bayly. It’s no secret that restaurants are high-adrenaline, high-stakes workplaces. The hours are long, it’s highly competitive and with the added pressure of maintaining impeccable customer service, there’s … Read more
No-nonsense 31-year-old Māori/Samoan woman Monique Fiso is behind one of the most anticipated restaurant openings in years. Get ready, Wellington. Wood-fired kareao and asparagus with salted buffalo curd, pine dust and a pine needle vinaigrette. Kina panna cotta with smoked kahawai, green-lipped mussels, caviar and kawakawa oil. Kaipara oysters with horopito mignonette granita and koromiko … 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