Two days ago it was Waitangi Day here in NZ; a public holiday to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. The weather was beautiful and so we thought what better way to spend a public holiday than at our local beach

Inspiration for this salad came from a wee gem of a book which I picked up at a book fair several years ago held in a great old hall attached to the Anglican Church down the road from us.   I recall wandering down on a lazy Saturday morning and as I entered into the cavernous [...]

There’s something liberating about dusting off the barbecue after a long, cold winter. It’s a sure sign summers on its way, and with it come long, lazy lunches and al fresco dinners while basking in the sunset.  As it is barbeque month at OurKitchen it was only fitting to ask one of our work mates [...]

I have been enjoying a parsnip revival of late.   Parsnip soup is the dinner du jour in our household this week, but who can resist delicious, sweet roast parsnip? This is a vegetable synonymous with winter, roast dinners, warm fires and chilly nights. 

We are very fortunate to be in the Southern Hemisphere right now, enjoying warm summer days, long evenings and an abundance of fresh produce right when we feel like a bit of light relief after the excesses of Christmas.

After a somewhat indulgent Christmas period, the last thing I feel like doing is standing in the kitchen for hours slaving over a hot stove and the mere thought of sitting down to another oversized meal is just too much. So for a quick and light alternative, (and to help ease some of those guilty [...]

I am very fortunate to have a green-thumbed partner.  This spring he has been tirelessly toiling away in our glass house; tidying and trimming, composting and mulching, possibly talking to the plants, whispering a few words of encouragement – whatever he is doing it is working.

Growing up, I can remember Mum’s dinners often comprising of a side of coleslaw, rich and creamy from the condensed milk dressing. I can remember my sister and I offering to make it and sneaking cheese into it…I think we had just discovered that everything tasted better with cheese.

I made this salad on Christmas day to serve alongside a barbequed rack of lamb and – excuse me while I pat myself on the back – it was good! Fresh, sweet, salty, tart, it combines some great seasonal produce with the fabulous, fry-able Haloumi cheese.  It even looks festive – the bright, pinky-red pomegranate [...]

This salad is from Laura, my fellow product evaluator here at F&P. I can see why it’s such a hit with her family; the flavours are powerful and the colours pop! Here is Laura’s description of her heirloom recipe:

My friend Lou made this salad for my birthday BBQ a couple of months ago. Lou is a naturopath and only too happy to talk to you about the mercury levels in fish, how rosemary improves memory, how her kawakawa cream fixed someone’s eczma.

I love lamb served with lots of fresh greens. I guess that way you are taking full advantage of the iron it provides by serving an appropriate amount of vitamin C with it. So no surprise for the theme this month I chose to make a lamb salad.