Our Food

There’s a lot to love about this tart. The silky-smooth, almost custard-like filling, the unctuous caramelised onions and the sharp, yet sweet blue cheese that finishes it off. Tarts are fantastic. They make great lunch or dinner fare and they travel well, making them perfect for picnics and potluck meals.

These pork and fennel meatballs were inspired by one of our conversations, a much-loved dish which they often cook for friends.

This Mexican-inspired hot chocolate is lusciously thick and layered with notes of orange and cinnamon and just the right amount of heat from the chilli powder.

The other night as I was preparing this risotto for our dinner, my daughter took off into the garden and returned with a handful of sage leaves which she carefully fried in butter and arranged for us on a plate to garnish our meal. This unfolding love of food is such a gift to witness and one I will naturally continue to foster!

Vanilla and spice-scented custard and chunks of dark chocolate are beautifully contrasted with flaky croissants in this delicious pudding.

Whitney Nicholls-Potts laughs that ‘tea has somehow always been central to making things happen’ in her world. We talk to her about her inspiration and journey to establish her own tea brand and dedicated shopfront and studio space in Whanganui. 

Twenty years ago, Life & Leisure stepped into the chocolatey world of Makana Confections, establishing our much-loved food producer profiles. Twenty years on, we sit down with current owners Brian Devlin and Carole Flowers.

The elements in this salad come together to form a wonderfully moreish meal that will be sure to impress even the most discerning dinner guest. The eggplant is unctuous and rich, the tomatoes fresh and the feta creamy and sharp. Cook the beef to your liking and don’t skimp on the salsa verde – it is vibrant green and perfectly balanced.

This takes potatoes and sausages to dizzying heights and is a lovely dish either to serve as a light meal or to bring to a potluck dinner. The potatoes are deliciously crispy and paired with the crumbled sausage and the peppery rocket they make a satisfying meal.

This is less of a recipe than it is an invitation to get outside and explore what edible weeds you might have in abundance in your garden. Weeds are high in antioxidants and each one offers support to the body in different ways. I love how eating weeds takes you outside into the garden, where you look and listen and reap nature’s abundance. Be careful to eat weeds you know are free from sprays and always double-check that you are picking the right weed.

Tineke-Maree Sutton is bottling up the best of Central Otago with her Taste of the Alps preserves, bringing flavour to your everyday dishes.

I love recipes which contain few ingredients but yet taste utterly delicious and look equally as beautiful on a plate. This is one of them. Choose sweet ripe strawberries and cherry tomatoes as these will add extra flavour and sweetness.

Pickling Delicious

Summer is a time when produce is abundant and is the perfect opportunity to make healthy, nourishing and easy-to-grab home-made ferments. We get some expert advice from Niva and Yotam Kay for safe and delicious fermentation.

The combination of herby green chicken, fresh crunchy vegetables and creamy coconut dressing is irresistible in this salad. My kids loved it so much they went back for thirds!

Grate Cheese

While there are no set rules when it comes to when to eat cheese or what to pair it with, we have some top picks from cheese royalty, Simon and Annabel Berry, on what to sample this summer.  Their biggest piece of advice: ‘Experiment with different tastes, and be creative – this is where the fun begins!’

Pick of the Patch

An innovative Whanganui couple adds a third protein to their farming operation alongside the production of beef and lamb. Bringing pumpkin seeds, pumpkin oil and pumpkin flour to the market is a labour of love.

Sunshine, Patience & Love

Hawke’s Bay born and bred Perry Cornish is a whirlwind of advice, laughter and determination. It is easy to get caught up in his passion for the Coromandel salt farm he and partner Erin Mone have created, and once you try it, I guarantee salt will never be the same again!

This rocky road is as pretty as it is tasty. I had fun decorating mine with sprinkles that I found at Spotlight and rose petals from my garden that I dried especially for the occasion. I thought the colours worked so beautifully together. Have some fun and get creative when decorating yours!

Roasting this chutney in the oven means that you no longer have to slave over a hot pot. Instead, you can tend to other things as the plums, ginger and chilli slowly come together to form this rich, velvety chutney.

This recipe can easily be doubled to make twice as many Christmas gifts. Lovely packed into jars and tied with a ribbon and gift tag. Loved by teachers, uncles and aunts, and employers alike!

These crackers are incredibly morish and if you don’t watch out you’ll eat half the batch before they have even cooled down!

These nuts are deliciously crunchy, cinnamon spiked and just sweet enough. If you like things a little spicy then add in a teaspoon of chilli flakes to the sugar mix.

While many people dream about another life, this pair of Auckland food retail experts turned their idle thoughts into a breakfast spread, took it to market and now have a fast-growing food brand.

Caring for cast iron

Kate and Levi Slavin have taken a ‘dying art form’ and given it a new lease of life with their cast-iron cookware collection.

The humble sausage in bread is elevated to new heights in this recipe. The staples – bread, sausage, onions, are all present to which I have added a lovely lemony aioli and zingy rocket leaves. Simple yet utterly delicious. Double, or even triple this recipe to feed an army.

This version of barbecue sauce is made without store-bought tomato sauce, which is replaced instead with canned tomatoes and extra spices. Brisket is a wonderful cut of meat and here it is slow-cooked in barbecue sauce until tender then thinly sliced and served piled into soft buns with coleslaw and pickled red onion.

This is a simple, yet elegant dish. Onions, potatoes and spinach are gently braised in butter, before eggs, and a lemon and Parmesan cream are added in. It is one of those dishes that works for breakfast, lunch or dinner and is delicious served with some sourdough bread on the side.

Shrub is a fruit syrup made using vinegar and sugar. The rhubarb in my garden is thriving at the moment and makes the most beautifully blushing pink drinks. Here it is combined with warming ginger which goes so wonderfully in this refreshing spring drink.

This cake is the prettiest shade of sunshine yellow and will impress guests with its lovely lemon flavour and not-too-sweet sour cream icing. Decorate with soft yellow or white flowers.

Christchurch foodie and lover of all fine wines and delectable cocktails, Tom Newfield, inspires us to try something new in our favourite cocktail glass as he raises a toast to the vibrant flavours of spring.

This cardamom-scented shortcake is absolutely delicious and is sure to be devoured by kids and adults alike. It is light and buttery and the cardamom in the shortcake batter pairs perfectly with the lemon-spiked pear filling.

Easy to make and full of flavour, this tea makes a fantastic afternoon brew best enjoyed with something home-baked and in good company. It also makes a wonderful present. Mix up a batch or two now and come Christmas they will be full-bodied and ready for gifting.

These French lentils make a hearty vegetarian dinner and are simple, yet utterly delicious. If you need an extra boost of greens stir in a cup of baby spinach at the end of cooking or serve with a handful of microgreens as garnish.

Granted these pancakes have a few steps to them, but prepare the batter and the crumble the night before and you’ll just have the pancakes to cook and apples to fry and pretty soon you’ve got breakfast fit for a queen!