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 […]
Lemon tart
I have a habit of collecting recipes from magazines especially if there is a fabulous photo and storing them away in a folder amongst my cookbooks. Most of the time I never get around to using them but this one, this lemon tart which has been sitting quietly filed away for years now has just […]
Basic butter cake
Years ago we had some visitors from France who shared their basic butter cake recipe with us. We’ve used it many times since, changing it up with whatever fresh fruit we have on hand. You can add lemon rind or fruit such as plums, peaches, berries or apricots either as a middle layer or placed […]
Pan Pugliese
This is a bread you need to prepare a day or few in advance by making a yeast starter. With a soft interior this flavoursome bread is perfect for sandwiches or mopping up a saucy stew. It’s a great summer loaf. The starter when it’s ready can be kept in the fridge for up to […]
Bitter Sweet Kumarahou.
I’ve held back for a long time from writing about any of our native medicine plants growing here in Aotearoa NZ. Kumarahou is a case in point. It’s seen less and less, growing as it does, or at least trying to establish itself on clay banks alongside country roads. It can take years for the […]
Melt in your mouth CAROB FUDGE.
Recently I bought a 3kg bag of organic cacao nibs through our organic co-op. I was on a bliss ball binge using nibs and lots of other goodies, when suddenly it was like….I can’t eat another bliss ball if you paid me, well maybe I could but you would have to pay me quite a […]
Easy as Kimchi
From memory the first time I had this dish was while visiting my kids in London and being taken on one culinary adventure after another. I’m such a spoilt mama! Kimchi is another fabulous fermented food you can easily add to your diet. A Korean traditional dish, it was a way of preserving cabbage for […]
Banana Bread
For my last birthday I was given the NZ cookbook “Whole”. This is Monique Satherley’s Paleo Banana Bread. It’s the best textured gluten free cake/loaf I’ve found to date and I’ll definitely be playing around with this recipe for different blends. What’s more I had all the ingredients in my pantry. It’s super simple and […]
Best Red Sauce
This is the perfect red sauce, it was taught to me rather a long time ago by my very first boyfriend whose parents were Italian. It’s ready in half an hour but has enough depth to satisfy. I like to serve this sauce with my Gnocchi alla Romana Ingredients; olive oil, 1 onion, few sprigs […]
Gnocchi alla Romana
Spring is the perfect time for making and eating this classic Italian dish. It needs a soft green spring salad as an accompaniment along with a simple red sauce. With eggs and milk at their best I just can’t resist. This recipe is not for the gluten or dairy intolerant. It’s rich and decadent but […]
Dandelion Coffee
I’ve been drinking dandelion coffee for years now and heartily recommend a daily cuppa to any of my peops needing some liver support. The liver does a myriad of things including clearing the blood of toxins and nasty chemicals. So yep it certainly earns it’s keep, being bombarded left right and centre with toxins from […]
Lamb Neck Stew.
A family favourite, lamb neck stew is a budget meal perfect for the cooler weather. It can be cooked on the stove top in a heavy bottom pan, in a slow cooker or in the oven in a deep casserole dish as I have tonight. To serve 4-5 people all you need are about 8-9 […]