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
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
Jesse Mulligan reviews the new cookbook by Jamie Oliver. His calm and measured verdict: It stinks. I made three dishes from this cookbook and they all stank. One of them was the pot-roasted cauliflower, a recipe pushed hard in the Jamie Cooks Italy publicity materials, and one I was deliciously excited about. I love cauliflower, … 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
Prove your patriotism and test your knowledge of New Zealand’s rugby heroes, by seeing how many recipes from the NZ Rugby Stars Cookbook you can match to the correct culinary code-head. What do you reckon All Blacks eat? McDonald’s in a stranger’s flat? The flesh of their vanquished enemies? Bunless burgers? Fruit cake? The answer is all … Read more
Developing a taste for the black stuff isn’t the only change brought about by Sophie’s stint at Ballymaloe Cookery School. She feels calm and refreshed, and, believe it or not, has even started running. We’ve finished! It’s over! I’m devastated, but I am also thrilled. I’ll be honest, I’m feeling emotional, and I haven’t even … Read more
Cars, campervans and now food: There is no end to the sharing economy, and a serial entrepreneur is making your kitchen the scene of his latest venture. Business is what Daniel Kieser breathes, sleeps and eats. Literally. You might wonder why the South African-born entrepreneur wanted to launch his latest digital platform, Dine at Mine. … Read more
Week four is all about forging new friendships at the local pub, hatching feathered friends, and the joys of natural wine. It’s our second to last week at Ballymaloe and my classmates and I have become real-life mates. We are all cooking well and with greater confidence, which is reflected in a more relaxed atmosphere … 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
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
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
Whether making Somali sauces or Nepali dumplings, former refugees are providing income for their families and delicious food for the rest of us. New Zealanders who have arrived here as refugees make up an ever-increasing part of the food scene in Aotearoa. Thank goodness! Can you imagine eating only the foods of your home culture … Read more
In a world replete with generic knives, Auckland chefs are moving towards something a little more special. Sam Mannering’s favourite knife is the one that cut his finger off. Forged by legendary Kiwi craftsman Peter Lorimer in Omakau, Central Otago, the knife sliced so cleanly through the bone of Mannering’s left index finger, just above … Read more
There’s only one problem with our annual feijoa windfall – there’s far too many of the little buggers. Emily Holdaway has some ideas to use them up. The way we go on about feijoas in New Zealand you’d think it was a native. It’s not – the feijoa is actually native to central South America … Read more
This week, TVNZ announced our very own local version of The Great British Bake Off, The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Tara Ward comes in hot with her predictions of what it could possibly be like. Unless you’ve been hiding under a croquembouche helmet for the past few years, you’ll know that The Great British Bake Off is … Read more
The Great British Bake Off returned to Prime last night. Amateur baker and Bake Off fan Tara Ward was watching to see how the new Mel, Sue and Mary-less season fared. When last we saw The Great British Bake Off, everything had turned to shit. After Channel 4 bought the show from the BBC for a bargain … Read more
Author Paula Morris, who hosts Nigella Lawson live onstage at the Aotea Centre tonight, shares her own cooking journey. When I moved to England in 1985, to study at the University of York, I couldn’t cook. Not a single thing. I hadn’t learned much at home because my mother disliked cooking and couldn’t stand anyone … Read more
Who had the clown cake? Who had the terrible duck with chips for a beak? Who had that bloody train cake? Georgia Munn revisits the book that defined the birthday parties of your childhood. If you grew up in New Zealand or Australia in the 80s or 90s, your household probably had a copy of … Read more
With three restaurants in Auckland, Bird on a Wire is already a success story. So why did Sophie Gilmour jump on a plane bound for China to open a pop-up restaurant? It was an opportunity to good to pass up. New Zealand food incubator, Hatchery, offered Kiwi food company Bird on a Wire the chance to … Read more
In a world of excess and greed, Madeleine Chapman just wants everyone to get the most out of their food. When I was in my final year at university, I had my heart broken. Not by a young man, but by Hilary Barry. The spear she used to pierce my heart was this tweet. For years … Read more