Six weeks ago, through a haze of blood, sweat, tears and citrus, a grapefruit IPA was born. This week, it’s finally time to introduce the concoction to the beer-loving public. You’d be forgiven for thinking that a craft beer-focused jaunt to Wellington would be all fun and games. But I’m a professional, and when I … Read more
As they prepared to move to a bigger space, Auckland artisan bakers Fort Greene paused to reflect on the glorious potential held within two pieces of bread. Springing out of bed to start work before the birds start singing is probably a sign you’ve found your calling in life. Liam Fox, who owns Auckland cafe … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Don Rowe gets out the duct tape and cracks into a bottle of Scrumpy. For almost thirty years, only one word has been synonymous with both duct tape and drinking. That word is Scrumpy, the people’s cider. With 8% … Read more
Week three introduces a new character, the gregarious Rory, who’s brimming with Irish banter and clever kitchen tips. Just when I thought we couldn’t be any more thrilled with our teachers, Rory O’Connell returned from holiday and “took me to church”! Rory is Darina’s younger brother and co-founder of the cookery school. He’s a chef … 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
By rejuvenating the world’s oldest alcoholic drink, the founder of Lone Bee Mead hopes to breathe new life into our regions. The animal kingdom brims with everyday examples of enterprise, dare and bravery by creatures both great and small. In the world of the humble honey bee, the hero of the narrative is the scout … Read more
The offensive ads may have been confined to the annals of history (ie: YouTube), but the 100-plus-year-old cordial is still around, and still wrong on many levels. Kia ora — isn’t it a lovely word? It reminds me of my hometown and Suzy Cato and perky Air New Zealand flight attendants. It’s informal but sounds … Read more
Our usually meat-eschewing food editor proves she’s got the chops for the job by getting acquainted with some dead animals. People often presume that because I don’t eat meat, the thought of others eating it must horrify me. Anything from munching a ham sandwich in my presence to simply mentioning the nice steak they had … Read more
The country’s most promising chefs of the future battled it out in the grand final of the National Secondary Schools Culinary Championship this week. Alice Neville went along to watch the action. The teenage years, so they say, are a time for experimentation, exploration and, quite often, failure. If the reminiscing of The Spinoff team … 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
Chenin blanc is one of the most versatile grapes around, and it makes some truly excellent wine. New Zealand is an ideal place to grow it, so why is so little being produced here? In the corner of one of Marlborough’s few hillside vineyards, there is a grape that makes some of the greatest white … Read more
From a Tokoroa fish and chip shop to a spicy chicken empire, via a few stints in the world’s best kitchens and a foray into jet-setting with supermodels, chef Morgan McGlone has a backstory quite like any you’ve heard before. The third Uber has turned back in fear without us in it. I am cosmically … Read more
Logan Brown and Harrington’s Small Goods invited Emily Writes to eat at their fancy as place. When the invitation landed in my inbox, as soon as I saw “Logan Brown” I RSVPed faster than a very fast thing. I called my husband immediately and said “We’re going to Logan Brown”. He immediately said we can’t … Read more
Week two at Ballymaloe Cookery School saw Sophie and Camille inspired by another Irish domestic goddess as they continued to cook (and eat) up a storm. This week we’ve been taught mainly by Darina Allen’s daughter-in-law Rachel Allen, and it’s been another banger! Rachel is also one of Ireland’s best-known cooks, with a career that … Read more
In an unassuming spot just outside of our biggest city, exacting standards and secret methods are producing some of the smoothest spirits you’ll ever try. Alex Kirichuk makes the world’s best booze, he says. It’s a bold claim for a tiny distillery in Puhoi, a historic village just north of Auckland, but the Ukrainian master … 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
Has our nation’s capital been hijacked by an obsession with buns and patties? Samuel Flynn Scott investigates. Visa Wellington On A Plate (WOAP) erupted into controversy this week as some chefs spoke out about the audacity of hamburgers being more popular than fine dining. It’s true that this year’s event, the biggest in its 10-year … 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
It’s time we viewed the restrictive philosophy peddled by ‘influencers’ and corporates as what it is: dangerous, manipulative crap. My firmly held belief that wellness culture is a fucking scam is met by scepticism and bemused looks at every turn. Everyone I know and their mother is trapped in a chase for the panacea of … Read more
Introducing our new series “Why I love”, where friends of The Spinoff share their favourite eating and drinking establishments. First up, Business is Boring host Simon Pound introduces one of his happy places, Gogo Music Cafe in Balmoral, Auckland. I don’t like to exaggerate, but I have been known to say that Gogo Music Cafe … Read more
Auckland sake sommelier Wayne Shennen is on a mission to spread the gospel of the oft-misunderstood Japanese tipple. Like many folk, Wayne Shennen used to hate chardonnay. “My personal experience was that I knew it was rubbish, because I’d had 10 bad chardonnays. Then 15 years later I tried it again and had a decent … Read more
A horror week for intensive farming continues as the government promises action on slack regional councils following the release of disturbing footage, writes Don Rowe. The government has promised to take action on intensive agriculture, with funding approved to set up a group that will “assist and at times embarrass” regional councils failing to enforce … Read more
Pressure is mounting to ban the intensive farming practice found in feedlots. What are they, and why are they such a problem? Don Rowe explains Fifteen minutes out of Ashburton, thousands upon thousands of cattle are penned in grassless paddocks. The cows are meat animals, spending their final days held in these so-called feedlots being … Read more
Food entrepreneur and Dietary Requirements co-host Sophie Gilmour is living her best life at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. In her inaugural diary, she introduces us to the inimitable Darina Allen, the school’s founder, and geeks out on all things food. WEEK ONE After my friend Camille and I sold our business, Bird … 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
Did you know that all kinds of weird and wonderful shit floats about in the night sky, and you can make beer with it? If you’re into wine, you’ll probably be familiar with the idea of terroir — the way a Central Otago pinot noir tastes different to a Martinborough one, for example. It’s all … 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
Dietary Requirements is our new monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms and Fine Wine Delivery Company. On Dietary Requirements this month, Rebecca Smidt and Dariush Lolaiy from Auckland restaurant Cazador join Alice and Simon in the studio to talk about (and eat) sausages, offal, Beervana, their … Read more
These days, chards are far more complex than the buttery, oaky monsters of yore, so dive on in. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they don’t like chardonnay, I’d be making a shitload more money than I currently am as a freelance wine writer in a small country. Chardonnay occupies … Read more