I take immense pleasure from food. Whether I am standing barefoot in the kitchen on a sunny Sunday morning blending herbs from the garden to make a quick pesto, planning a 3 course meal for a mid-winter dinner party, or standing over the stove surrounded by preserving jars, elbow deep in jam, I am happy.
My love of food has been fostered by many things. My Mum, who cooks the most delicious meals from a seemingly empty kitchen, is a constant source of inspiration and advice. I attribute my curiosity for all foods new and unusual to the time I spent in Asia as a teenager where chickens are bought live in the market, wrapped up in newspaper and tied up with a piece of string doubling as a handle. Where the most prized of fruits, the Durian, is banned from hotel rooms due to its pungent smell. And where the fish markets overwhelm the senses, boasting daily catches of almost unimaginable sizes, colours and textures.
For me food is constantly evolving. It adapts to the contents of your fridge or pantry, to the age or tastes of your guests, or most simply, with the seasons. Food can evoke a sense of nostalgia. It soothes and comforts, fuels and nourishes, surprises and satisfies. It brings us together.
More recently it is my vegetable garden and a new found passion for cooking fresh, seasonal, unprocessed food that inspires me. The process of selecting ingredients and experimenting with flavours, textures and colours that compliment each other is at once both challenging and rewarding. And when at last sitting down to eat, it is the company of good friends and family which is always the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
7th January 2012
Larb gai
In the spirit of this brand New Year, I would like to propose a toast to new beginnings and to being inspired anew. There is nothing like seeing out one year and ushering in the next, full of hope and promise, of goals and visions and also of things unknown. 2011 was a great year [...]
19th December 2011
Christmas tea
On numerous occasions I have told of my passion for tea, and on numerous occasions (probably in the same breath) I have told of my desire to blend my own tea. I remember several years ago now feeling particularly inspired, wanting to blend, package and brand my own tea, as well as design wee tea [...]
5th December 2011
Orange chutney
Last night I indulged. I poured myself a whiskey, sat down at my kitchen table and gingerly cued Frank Sinatra’s Christmas carols. Whilst I awaited the protests of my flatmates (which strangely enough never came) I spent the evening sketching. I sketched with purpose, in the hope that from the collection of scribbles on the [...]
25th November 2011
Prawn tacos with chipotle sauce and cucumber slaw
I find the older I get the more attention I pay to my surroundings. I begin to note things like weather patterns and the way they shift and change with the seasons. I take subconscious note of the time of year which the spring bulbs push their wee heads through the frigid earth marking the [...]
4th November 2011
Mango and lime granita
This is my new soon-to-be-summer favourite. Granita. It is quick and easy to make and what’s more, the flavour combinations and colours are endless. A few weeks ago we took part in Taste of New Zealand and we served a selection of granitas to whet the appetite of our food-loving visitors. We did a mandarin, [...]
1st November 2011
Seafood
I have fond memories of being on the beach as a little girl, collecting pipis with my brothers. The tide stretched out for what felt like miles in front of us, exposing a multitude of pools in which gathered wee hermit crabs scuttling nervously back-and-forth under the water in their stolen shells.
25th October 2011
Coconut panna cotta with black sesame tuiles and rocket flowers
Of late I have been inspired by flowers. Perhaps due in part to the arrival of spring under which the slender branches of our cherry tree hang heavy with frilly pink blossoms. It is only recently that I discovered that these blossoms are in fact edible and impart a light, fruity fragrance to whatever they [...]
12th October 2011
Cocoa Granita
When I discover a new recipe I feel as though a whole new world unfolds before me. New methods, flavours and textures all tumble forth to reveal themselves, a jumble of potential combinations waiting to take shape.
3rd October 2011
Squid ink pasta with clams and white wine
As frosty mornings give way to evenings bathed in the gentle glow of spring light it is at last apparent that winter has let slip its icy grip on our fair island nation. Afternoons are no longer suddenly swallowed by night. Instead the light stretches out, filled with bird song, the playful chatter of children [...]
1st October 2011
Black & White
This month we bring you black & white, a celebration of the Rugby World Cup, and more importantly a celebration of our boys in black. We decided to get a little bit inventive and experiment with colours and flavours, with textures and tones and we are happy to say that we are pretty damn pleased [...]
27th September 2011
Jalapeño, lime and macadamia nut popcorn
On asking the boys in the design studio what their ideal rugby watching snack might be, they replied that it was anything they could eat without having to pull their gaze from the flat screen or remove a hand from their ice-cold beer. This fits the bill perfectly. The combination of jalapeño, lime and macadamia [...]
22nd September 2011
Spaghetti el limone
This dish is inspired by a recipe of the same name from a River Café cookbook and is one which exemplifies simplicity at its best. It contains a mere 4 ingredients (pasta not included) which come together perfectly to create a zesty and refreshing summer pasta dish. It is even better when it is made [...]