When it comes to Christmas food, traditions are a key part of the celebrations. Sitting down with family and friends and feasting together is a classic way to spend the day. And for many the dishes are steeped in tradition and made with great care and love. My family has always enjoyed wild duck for … Read more
Lamb and pomegranate tagine is our current favourite lamb shank recipe. We cook it in our oven in an iron casserole dish and often use pumpkin as an alternative to the chickpeas, which is equally delicious. Add the pumpkin after about the first hour of cooking. Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons sesame oil … Read more
Most New Zealand meat is from grass-fed animals In New Zealand, the majority of our beef and all of our lamb is totally grass-fed, something we are immensely proud of and which sets us apart from so many other meat-producing countries around the world. Our country’s extensive pastures provide year-round grass in most areas and … Read more
Many people think meat is all about iron though meat has far greater value to our bodies than that. Meat is a key source of protein in our diets. Protein is necessary to build, repair and maintain body tissues, organs and cells in all parts of the body. Proteins are complex molecules and are made … Read more
A number of years ago we hosted an “Awesome Offal Sunday Lunch” for friends and clients. It was before offal became fashionable again and our luncheon created the opportunity for 25 offal lovers to feast on what they loved to eat. Each guest was challenged with creating an offal dish using their favourite offal cut. … Read more
I love it when I find old recipes of my mum’s, written out by hand, and tucked away in a drawer. Check this one out for baking a ham from scratch, just like she use to do on the farm every Christmas. This is virtually unheard of these days as most people buy a ham … Read more
Some traditions or ways of doing things die hard! And not everyone has a thermometer on hand to test the heat of their BBQ. So here’s a quick run-down on the Kiwi way of doing it, for adults only! It entails holding your hand approximately the height of a beer can above the heat over … Read more
We’ve all seen people hack away at a chicken and totally destroy it! There is a simple process to carving a chicken, so it looks attractive on your plate. Here are our tips on how to carve a chicken: Ensure your chicken is cooked well until the juices are no longer pink and run clear. … Read more
Beef brisket is an old-fashioned cut has become very trendy in recent times. One of our chef clients in 2018 ran a meat smoking class for the Wellington on a Plate festival using beef brisket. It’s a versatile, economical cut that if cooked quickly will be tough but when cooked slowly results in flavoursome, succulent … Read more
Browsing through one of my mother-in-law’s cookbooks from the 1950s recently, The League of Mothers, I came across these instructions for making gravy. It’s good to see traditional techniques still work today! Here’s the recipe word-for-word: Gravy to serve with roasts After removing meat from pan, strain off fat, leaving only a tablespoon of fat … Read more