Farming Old Breed Farm Animals in Ngaruawahia Marion Farrell It had been a few years since I last visited Jonathan and Sarah Walker of Soggy Bottom Farm to see their rare breed pigs, cows and sheep and knowing what an innovative … Read more
Shall or Shallot Virgil Evetts Where would we be without onions? This great and pungent clan of edible lilies is the back bone of practically every great cuisine. Just try to imagine a world without garlic, onions, leeks, spring onions … Read more
The way of the sausage I seem to be a man of increasingly simple tastes. I’ve been in ecstasies lately over the humble sausage. I suppose if I’m honest the sausages I eat aren’t all that humble, but the ways … Read more
a>Autumn Eating Pumpkin and Squash Magical jack-o-lanterns, coaches for princesses to be and perches for goblins-the pumpkin is much like the mushroom in the way that they have a fairy tale air about them. These New World natives must … Read more
Fig-ure it out Virgil Evetts Supermarkets and high street fruiters like to perpetuate a myth that all the best fruit comes out in summer. But we know better. Those of us who truly live by our stomachs and taste buds … Read more
Land of the Gnomes-Autumn Mushrooms Michal Haines The mushroom is an odd affair. Neither fruit nor vegetable, they shy away from the light only to make an appearance when the exact moisture and temperature levels are to their liking. With … Read more
The great Caper caper Virgil Evetts This isn’t going to be one of my usual wide swaths of cynicism columns, nor will it be a list of hot and not. This week, I’m dedicating my lines to just one topic … Read more
The King of Spices-Vanilla Michal Haines Maybe it should be known as the Queen of Spices, but the little trick vanilla played on its own species is wonderfully elegant. Part of the largest group of flowering plants in the world, … Read more
Marcel’s Hotcakes & Crepes They look delicious, where can I buy them? Van Dyck pre-cooked crepes and hotcakes are available nationwide, but depending where you live and what supermarket you shop at, they will either be in a Marcel’s … Read more
Cutting Edge: The best little helpers in the kitchen I have a perverse fascination with the sleazy world of advertising and marketing. There’s a none-too-subtle, but strangely admirable art, in persuading people of at least passable intelligence to buy things … Read more
Tomato sauce: Keeping kids sweet Louisa Clery I recently read an article in a parenting magazine about a woman for whom cooking was once a joy. She’d spend a whole day making vegetable lasagne and all week preparing for impressive … Read more
Kitchen quality time Virgil Evetts So the school holidays are upon us again. Yay. Fortunately our ‘child’ (my baby brother-in-law, has lived with us since he was a mere bairn, long story…) is now a gangly uni-student and needs no … Read more
Picking up chicks and learning to suck eggs Virgil Evetts. I’m never happy unless I’ve got a project on. Whether it’s distilling spirits, making salami, or maturing cheese, I just have to have a folly on the go. I guess … Read more
The Lemon Weed Michal Haines Lemongrass is one of those plants that it seems you cant kill. Ideal really for those with far from green fingers, it seems to stand down right hideous soil, high temperatures, and lack of water. … Read more
