Life moves fast, and too often cooking feels like just another task on a never-ending to-do list. Gretchen Lowe wants to help busy people rediscover the pleasure of creating delicious food, without the stress.
My Weekend Table is all about bringing back the joy of cooking – offering a collection of beautiful, comforting recipes that make it easy to slow down, connect and enjoy food that feels special but is simple to prepare.
Gretchen is a food stylist, recipe developer, interior designer and photographer. She says, “I have been mixing, baking and sautéing my way through life from a very young age.”
A trained chef, Gretchen has been surrounded by great cooks from her grandmother, an exquisite baker, to her parents and sisters. Blair, her husband, it turns out is also a dab hand in the kitchen and his scones and date night orecchiette feature in My Weekend Table.
Influences such as her travels have shaped Gretchen’s food. Check this out on page 137 with her Dark Chocolate, Caribbean Rum & Raisin Torte or page 111 with her Greek Meatballs and page 48 with her Jamaican Jerk Fish Tacos.
Now, even as a busy mum, Gretchen says, “The kitchen is my haven; a place where I spend most of my time, enjoying every moment.” With My Weekend Kitchen she wants to make cooking feel joyful, approachable and full of heart for everyone, be it a quick dip, a long-awaited date night meal or a feast for a crowd. There’s even a section for kids or fussy eaters.
Gretchen says, “This book is not just about cooking quickly; it’s about cooking cleverly, using bold flavours, thoughtful pairings, and smart techniques to make every meal feel like a moment worth savouring.”
Chocolate-chunk Porridge Banana Bread
This banana bread has quite the reputation and it’s one of my most requested recipes. It’s featured on my table for years now and is easily whipped together in the food processor. It’s that wonderful blend of indulgence and nourishment that makes mornings or snack times something to look forward to. My girls love it – it’s so simple to sneak the good stuff in and they’re none the wiser! (I sneak in porridge oats that have been blended to a flour.)
SERVES 8–10
1⅓ cups porridge oats
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 eggs
½ cup olive oil
½ cup caster sugar (it works well with honey and coconut sugar also)
1½ cups thread coconut
80g dark chocolate (at least 70%), chopped
OPTIONAL SERVING IDEA
berries, coconut yoghurt and walnuts
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf tin and line with baking paper.
In a food processor, blitz the oats to a flour, add bananas and blend until smooth. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and eggs and pulse until just combined. Add the oil and caster sugar and pulse again a couple of times. Remove blade from the bowl and stir in the coconut and dark chocolate.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. I love to serve this bread with berries, coconut yoghurt and walnuts.
My Weekend Table: Celebrating simple food from Aotearoa and beyond, by Gretchen Lowe, photography by Gretchen Lowe, published by Bateman Books, RRP $59.99, release date August 2025