What do you do when you’re brown and a white woman you like gets cancelled? We can probably all agree that so far this year has been relatively bad. One thing that has made it somewhat bearable for me, many of my friends and evidently a lot of other people has been the writing of … Read more
With the government yet to announce its preferred contact tracing technology, the market is being flooded with private options. Alex Braae reports on an app developed for the local hospitality industry that has caught the eye of Wellington City Council. The Wellington City Council has officially adopted a contract tracing app of choice, with a … Read more
Since Covid-19 hit the hospo industry hard, the tide has been turning against Uber Eats. Jean Teng looks at why people are increasingly anti the app, and checks out some (hopefully) less problematic alternatives for sating level three hunger. Even before Covid-19, we thought food delivery was pretty damn great. For the time-poor among us, … Read more
Got more feijoas than you know what to do with? Preserve them to enjoy all year round. I may have mentioned before that we have 26 feijoa trees. It means that at this time of year, come rain or shine, you’ll often find us outside under the trees picking up each and every feijoa that … Read more
We’ve all been dealing with Covid-19 confinement in different ways, but Devoney Scarfe’s preferred medium is pies. Expletive-laden, delicious pies. Devoney Scarfe had had enough. She was locked down in suburban Auckland, with a husband, two kids and the dog. “Nobody was at their finest. There was a tantrum thrown because PlayStation didn’t work. Everyone … Read more
Need an antidote to perfectly lit influencers and lockdown sourdough spam? May we suggest this refreshingly real food ‘grammer. She’s often in her dressing gown, may or may not be in possession of a bra, and isn’t always one to brush her hair. In a sea of beautifully shot sourdough imagery and restaurant brands churning … Read more
If you’re the type to judge those who queued up for a post-lockdown Big Mac, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself some hard questions about why you really disapprove so much. Since we moved to alert level three, there has been a flurry of attention on fast food – namely that after five weeks of … Read more
Everyone has had different coping strategies during lockdown, and for many around the country, this has meant taking to the kitchen. Here’s what your iso cooking says about you. Nobody knew what alert level four was going to do to us. We didn’t know which hobbies we would take up, which crafts we would learn … Read more
Amanda Thompson always thought the apocalypse would be more about zombies and less about a lack of flour. No matter, this recipe will stand you in good stead for either eventuality. Our current dystopian nightmare was not the apocalypse I was expecting. I do not feel prepared, even after years of planning. Big fans of … Read more
The current crisis has rendered visible challenges that have been simmering in the background long before the country went into lockdown, writes Chris Farrelly of the Auckland City Mission. Covid-19 presents new and unfamiliar territory for many of us in our day-to-day realities. Be it managing childcare in the home office, or adjusting to time … Read more
We fought when she ranked the chips. We bickered when she ranked the lollies. And now, Madeleine Chapman returns to bring the nation together as one, with this, her longest list yet, an unimpeachable ranking of the biscuits. In a world without restaurants, cafes and bakeries, all that remains for supper is biscuits. And oh so … Read more
After these five long weeks without the joy of having a professional whip up dinner for you (unless you have a chef in your bubble), you deserve only the best. Here are our top tips for level three takeaways. As of Tuesday, takeaways are BACK, baby. Yes, that means the usual suspects – KFC and … Read more
Restaurants were already teetering on the edge. If they’re to survive this, the industry must come together and take one crucial step, writes Sophie Gilmour. We’ve heard about “the good old days” in hospitality – apparently, people wanted to work in the industry because they could make a decent living. Working conditions were great, people … Read more
Praise all that is good and holy, hospitality businesses are allowed to reopen next week – with a bunch of restrictions. Here’s what you need to know. Takeaways are back on next week, right? Thank god, I’m sick of cooking. Yes, New Zealand is moving down from alert level four to alert level three at … Read more
A honey-scented, seed-studded loaf that’s super adaptable. And no kneading required! It was about six weeks ago that the supermarket shelves were first stripped bare of hand sanitiser and toilet paper. A week or so after that whole aisles of bread racks stood empty as the panic-buying took hold. And now here we are confined … 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 beaming in from our respective bubbles, joined by Al Keating of Coffee Supreme. Although we can’t be together in person, the Dietary Requirements team was not about to let a … Read more
This versatile ingredient is brilliant for roasting and frying, and it’s a great way to extend the shelf life of butter. It’s also super easy to whip up at home. Until about a year ago I religiously used olive oil to fry and roast with. I preferred using this oil over more refined oils that … Read more
What’s an Ōamaru sweet maker doing giving away a product remarkably similar to the late, lamented Snifter? Amanda Thompson searches for the truth behind a minty mystery. I’m not in this for laughs, people. I’m not playing. At the time of writing, things are bad, they don’t seem to be getting better, and our Easter … Read more
The way we buy our food has changed hugely since the lockdown began. Small New Zealand producers have taken a massive hit, closing stores and struggling with online demand. Here are some ways shoppers can help these businesses. In the first week of lockdown, shoppers panicked. It was a perfectly natural response to the fear … Read more
One way to pass time, which we suddenly have a lot of, is gardening. But where can you get seeds? And what do you plant in autumn? Josie Adams finds out. While it seems many New Zealanders are exercising a newfound love of jogging, some of us are more sedentary. For those looking for a … Read more
Her mother’s job was a source of shame for Yawynne Yem growing up. Now checkout operators are essential workers as we hunker down against Covid-19. Any time I had to reveal my mum’s job to someone, hastened justifications would also fall out of my mouth, reeking of shame. “We’re a first-generation immigrant family…” “Oh but … Read more
Sam Brooks shares central Auckland’s best-kept drinking secret, the bowling alley bastion that has become his ‘third place’. One of the first pieces I wrote for The Spinoff was a review of Metrolanes, the bowling alley bar that had quickly found a place in my heart. It is, in my mind, the best bar in … Read more
Our Place is the latest in a plethora of new suburban eateries opening up across Auckland city. When Sonya Wilson visited this week, she discovered a relaxed newcomer that embraces its homely, neighbourhood vibe. Compared to many of Auckland’s fine-dining establishments, Our Place is rather unassuming upon approach. Diners enter via a front porch in … Read more
Amanda Thompson pulls her socks up, makes do and gets on with it. Cakes in a time of crisis are an excellent idea, as long as your current crisis is an entirely food-scarcity-free one. Baking is so calming and mindful, we know. If you’ve always wanted the time to really commit to learning how to … Read more
New Zealand craft distilleries are part of a global trend of temporarily halting production of spirits to turn their hands to a sought-after product in the fight against coronavirus. Boutique distilleries are diversifying in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, switching production from vodka and gin to hand sanitiser. Auckland-based distillery CarbonSix, which produces its own … Read more
Some sensible, non-doomsday-prepper-style advice for making sure your provisions are in good shape for what may be in store. For many of us, eating and drinking is inextricably intwined with the social activities around it. Going to cafes, restaurants and bars, or eating with friends or colleagues has become increasingly important for our psychological and … Read more
As the pandemic escalates, New Zealand’s already-struggling restaurants and bars are wondering how they’ll get through. The New Zealand hospitality industry is bracing itself as the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate. Chinese restaurants have been hit hardest, with many entering their second month of seeing business down by up to 50%. But now, in the … Read more
In an impossibly crowded market, New Zealand beers are rightfully being recognised as some of the world’s best. According to one of the men behind Garage Project, that didn’t happen by accident. New Zealand grows some of the best hops in the world. New Zealand also brews some of the best beer in the world. … Read more
Dealing with grief is hard. Comfort carbs make it a little bit easier, says Amanda Thompson. As near perfect a country as Aotearoa undoubtedly is, I don’t think as a whole we’re so great with grief. Grief for a lover lost, a terrible accident suffered, a rugby game unwon, a beloved pet buried. The tragedy … Read more