I’m a sucker for lemons. When my meyer lemon tree died a few years ago I was gutted. That particular tree kept us in lemons all year round. It was huge and bountiful, and then it died. I need lemons on a daily basis. I use the juice and zest in dressings, tarts, cakes, salads, […]
Tātarāmoa (bush lawyer)
Tātarāmoa you have held a fascination for me from the very first time I heard of you. I hold fond memories of the times I have found you in many out of the way places and managed to gather some of your prickly leaves to bring home as a tonic/rongoā for my people. Your ability […]
Garlic lentils.
This recipe for garlic lentils is a delicious, healthy, hearty and economical meal to feed a family. I normally serve this with a baked potato or my peanut rice (recipe to follow) and a green salad or cole slaw. In my experience it’s a perfectly acceptable vegetarian option for many a diehard meat-eater. Leftovers are […]
Gracious koromiko
Gracious koromiko, your flowers come in so may hues of pink and purple from the palest lilac to the boldest magenta. One of a select few of our shrubs here in Aotearoa with brightly coloured flowers you are easily recognisable when I visit my London resident kids. I was surprised on my first visit to […]
Kawakawa my heart.
Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsior) is to Rongoā Māori what Arnica is to Homeopathy. Nearly everyone has either heard of it or used it. Easily recognised by it’s heart shaped holey leaves, and lush little-finger sized orange fruit my 3 year old mokopuna can spot it a mile off. In summer when the fruit are in season […]
Kumarahou / Kawakawa tea.
Kumarahou & Kawakawa are powerful purifiers – The combination of these two native medicine plants have a powerful synergistic effect on many systems of the body. Easy to make in a tea form; it works on the circulatory system, urinary, digestive and respiratory organs. It helps to balance blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugars and […]
Finger food savoury muffins.
One of my big challenges is having something nutritious on hand when LB (just turning one) needs a snack NOW. He loves nothing more than a folded over piece of bread with butter and peanut butter. I’ve been trying to come up with an alternative to the sammy and here it is. It’s got the […]
Three ingredient pancakes for baby.
These are LB’s go to favourite snack at the moment. He can hold them easily and they hold together really well. Perfect for an eleven month old who wants to do it himself! Three ingredients in the blender, It doesn’t get any easier than that. 2/3 cup oats, 1 banana and 2 eggs. All organic. […]
Fruitful baby porridge
This is my go to breakfast porridge for LB (my 10 month old). It’s so quick and easy. I put into a pot 1 heaped teaspoon of millet cereal, 2 heaped teaspoons ground almond meal with 1/4 cup organic coconut milk on a low heat, stirring continuously and adding more milk as needed to get […]
Lemon Zucchini Loaf
Every gardener has a glut of zucchini and/or scallopini at this time of the year. Every year I grow four different types as these have become my reliable favourites. Growing these different types makes it more interesting as they all have different tastes and textures. I grow as pictured above cocozelle courgette, crook neck squash, […]
Spicy kumara for baby
Yesterday we attended a friend’s wedding which had delicious Shri Lankan catering. Today I was inspired to make something a little different for my 10 month old baby’s lunch. I was surprised how quick and how easy it was. Even though it wasn’t as good as last nights catered dinner it was pretty good. First […]
Wholefood for babies.
I come from a family of “Foodies”. We grew up on a farmlet milking our own cows, growing our own produce and eating our own homekill. Everyone had their speciality and favourite recipes, everyone except me. I’m the youngest and remember my greatest cooking achievment as a child (7 years old) was heating up a […]