Been Pickling for Over a Year
Words Denise Irvine, Images Ashlee DeCaires Friday night at Mr Pickles and a couple of us are in for the duck ramen special, made by sous chef Harriet Boucher. The bowls are brimming with aromatic broth, tender duck meat, noodles, fresh chilli, sprouts and chopped spring onions. It is deeply rich, delicious and comforting, sharpened […]
Home Kitchen
Words and Images by Amber Bremner Yesterday is gone and its tale told. Today new seeds are growing. – Rumi A small but industrious team of former refugees is working hard to make its mark on Hamilton’s hospitality scene, but not in the way you might expect. The team at Home Kitchen is turning […]
BOP Hospitality Awards
Celebrating Hospitality Excellence The vibrancy and variety of the Bay of Plenty’s Hospitality scene were never more evident than at the BOP Hospitality Awards held in August. Mills Reef’s barrel room was full of glitz and glitter as the people who deliver the cream of the Bay’s hospitality were served a superb dinner while they […]
Bellini and Blini
Recipes: Vicki Ravlich-Horan | Photography: Ashlee De Caires Mention Bellini and I instantly flash back to my London days; I was assistant manager of the Notting Hill Brasserie and we served them by the truckload! This was a swanky crowd where we served Dom Perignon by the glass, so it was not unheard of for […]
Wayne’s Cauliflower Fried Rice
Recipe: Wayne Good | Photography: Ashlee deCaires After recently returned from a month in France with one of our tour groups, I could tell after eating my way through masses of pastries, cakes, tarts, baguettes, and all matter of other delicious things, that I was uncomfortably larger than before I set out. Something had to […]
Smoked Lamb Shank with Asparagus, Feta and Pomegranate Couscous Salad
Recipe and images: Fire & Thyme Lamb shanks are a winter favourite. Slowly braised, their meat falls off the bone, making them the perfect comfort food. With spring here it’s time to put away the crock pot and dust of the BBQ, but that doesn’t mean you have to relinquish the joys of the shank. […]
Homemade MallowPuffs
Recipe: Vicki Ravlich-Horan | Photography: Ashlee deCaires As a child bought biscuits were a real treat and they didn’t get any better than the MallowPuff! The key to these is the marshmallow, and I confess I got the recipe for this marshmallow from Ashleigh Brodie, ex Gather Foodhouse in Hamilton. 1 batch of choc chip […]
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe: Vicki Ravlich-Horan | Photography: Ashlee deCaires The original chocolate chip cookies were invented in the 30s by American chef Ruth Graves Wakefield from the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. The recipe for these cookies, where Ruth had added pieces of a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar, first appeared in her recipe book Toll House […]
Maghmour – Lebanese Eggplant and Chickpea Stew
Recipe: Home Kitchen – Adapted by Amber Bremner | Photography: Amber Bremner Although the team at Home Kitchen hail from a number of countries, food served at the restaurant and cooking classes has been heavily influenced by Afghan and Arabic cooking. The catering menu includes food from Burma and Pakistan, and in the future some […]
Ashak – Afghan Vegetable Dumplings
Recipe: Home Kitchen – Adapted by Amber Bremner | Photography: Amber Bremner Although the team at Home Kitchen hail from a number of countries, food served at the restaurant and cooking classes has been heavily influenced by Afghan and Arabic cooking. The catering menu includes food from Burma and Pakistan, and in the future some […]