[ot sa vwa] There are 3 reasons to head to Haute-Savoie, a department in France with the largest mountain range, known for the many ski resorts. Number 1 – the mountains…the hills are alive.. 2 – the lakes,…
I love Summer, especially the long days, easy dinners outside and rosé, but September mornings are crisper and the evenings are shorter. Last night we had a beautiful evening and it was reason enough to set up dinner…
Everyone has a bolognaise recipe. Some use pork mince, red wine, white wine, chicken stock, beef stock, sage, nutmeg ….. I’m sharing my bolognaise recipe, which my daughter thinks is one of my best dishes. She also knows…
Oat milk, miso paste, soya sauce, coconut milk, chickpeas, lentils, olives, aubergines, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, lemons, chilli, olive oil, peanut butter, tahini and maple syrup – My essential vegan shopping list. I’ve been cooking vegan these past…
The word trifle derives from the French word ‘trufle’ – which means “something whimsical” or “of little consequence.” Kitty never knew this. But her festive trifle lived up to its origin and then layered on the extra, more…
Panettone is the perfect Christmas gift. I gifted myself two. One panettone, two panettoni. This Italian yeast-leavened sweet bread/cake makes its appearance during the Festive season. Stanislao Porzio, food commentator and panettone expert explains: “Panettone, as we know it…
A seasonal cheese, only made in Autumn and Winter, thanks to the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, who determines the regulations for making cheese in France. It can only be sold from Sept 10, after it has matured for three…
One of France’s signature drinks, the Kir, an elegant aperitif, has become my favourite wine cocktail. The Kir cocktail is made with one part crème de cassis, or blackcurrant liqueur, and four/five parts chilled dry white wine. One…
We love olives, which are technically a fruit. If we had a tree we would preserve our own, as I was taught on a shoot, but for now we will just make this delicious tapenade with ready to…
Brioche is my kind of Viennoiserie. “Traditional viennoiserie are made from white wheat flour and use packaged yeast cultures. These active cultures cause the quick rise of the dough, creating the perfect flakiness when it is baked….
The last batch of fruit mince pies was baked this morning. This is usually the best batch, with all the careful adjustments of this season’s recipe. This will be the recipe I pass onto my daughter. Dark chocolate,…
Christmas day jam makes Christmas extra sweet. This is Jo Wilcox’s Christmas Day Jam and it features in the latest Nadia magazine Dec/Jan 2019. Jam making is actually so simple, I made this batch last week and it…
It is cherry season in New Zealand, which means Christmas is around the corner. Have you baked your Christmas cake yet? I love a rich fruit cake with marzipan for Christmas. This buttermilk bundt cake recipe is topped…
It is Friday and undoubtedly Summer today. It’s also a long weekend, so here is my Summer Long Weekend PIMMS cocktail recipe. You can also just get the stylish ready to drink bottles and garnish with fresh cucumber,…
Spring means longer warmer days with open toes, picnics, blossoms and popsicles. Here are my favourite popsicles and recipes, which we made on Spring Day! Happy Spring everyone! 1. Watermelon popsicles with yoghurt You will need: 3 cups…
Sunday brunch is incomplete without toast topped with marmalade and cheddar cheese and a strong cup of tea. When we moved to New Zealand I quickly fell in love with the citrus here and Sunday brunch has become…
Chestnut season in New Zealand is March until May. I found these organic Johnny Moo chestnuts at my grocer and decided to roast them and celebrate Autumn. It could not be easier, cut a slit in the shell,…
Weekends are for easy but delicious meals. I photographed this easy recipe for Nadia magazine. Turkish flatbread with mushrooms, mozzarella, chilli, hummus, garlic and red onion, it will only take 30 minutes to make. Simply brush the flatbreads…
We love Easter. On Easter Sunday after morning church, we celebrate by having an egg hunt, some cake and cookies. This year the hunt was in a forest, the perfect backdrop with loads of neat hidding places and…
Blackboy peaches are in season! It is not a hybrid plum-peach, it is an actual peach variety. Their pretty dark velvet skin and fleshy inside make them my favourite peach. Her is an awesome jam recipe which…
So, Nina has made her first cake! A pink Valentine’s lemon, almond and raspberry cake. It’s an “adapted from an adapted” recipe from The Caker. Adapted because we didn’t have 300g almond meal and we used yoghurt instead…
I thought I would share this recipe because it is so easy and delicious. I don’t have the fancy friand baking tins, I just used a muffin tin. This recipe makes 18 muffin tin size friands [which auto…
We celebrate the Queen’s birthday in New Zealand on the 5th June [rather than the monarch’s actual birth date], it is a national holiday with scones and cream, Victoria Sponge and tea celebrations. Naturally we turn to Mary…
It’s 14 degrees in Auckland. That means soup time. We love soup, my daughter ends up eating more bread than soup with her dipping-eating the soup, but who can resist a Wild Wheat soup dipped sourdough? Best bread…
I can eat nuts on and in everything- salads, meat, chocolate, porridge and ice cream! Walnuts and Macadamias are delicious eaten fresh, but this walnut tapenade is so good, I had to share it. Read the whole article…
Blood oranges are citrus royalty in my book. My local food store has to stock up again after my visit, as I piled my brown bag to tearing point. That is how much I love their crimson beauty…
It is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day and I am sharing my favourite pancake or crêpe recipe with you. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent and usually celebrated by…
New Zealand is the land of Milk and [Manuka] honey, in my opinion. The milk and dairy here are the best I have ever had. This shoot was inspired by the milk and my new kitten Sparkles, who…
Celebrate love this Valentine’s Day with a pretty watermelon cocktail. It’s super easy to make, you will need : 10 mint leaves and a few for garnish 1 Tbsp caster sugar 1/4 cup / 60ml lime juice 3…
Chinese New Year, my excuse to eat my weight in dumplings. The year of the Rooster and it is a pretty big celebration around here and dumplings are at the heart of it , well for me. Last…
I have beautiful mint growing in my garden, the bees and I are loving the pretty lavender blue flowers, these are edible and I don’t trim them. You can make a herb tea with the flower heads. My…
Three words. ALMOND CRUSTED PANEER. I’d choose this dish over chocolate ganache cake any day, and I LOVE cake. My dear friend Yudhika Sujanani [www.yudhika.com] introduced me to this treasure while I was shooting her book Memoirs –…
I really love that just about every house in our neighbourhood has a fruit tree or two, we have an orange tree. I often think nobody will go hungry here, kids walk home from school with a fresh…
Who likes warm wine with spices? I do! It’s so Christmasy and it smells delicious. I was thrilled when I was asked to photograph this spicy mulled wine and Copper Kettle Kumara Crisps – my favourite snack!…
Christmas in New Zealand does not include snow and hot cocoa. Inspired by the lush, green sub-tropical climate of Auckland and long Summer days we are making Chocolate pastry Tropical Fruit Mince Tarts, thank you Tracey Sunderland for…