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Roasted Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup

23 Jun, 2020

Roasted cauliflower and blue cheese are the perfect partners in this elegant soup. With it being early winter and cauliflowers both plentiful and “cheap”, if you like the sound of this combo, you’ll love the soup – the roasting of the cauliflower with onions and garlic adds good flavour with the onions slightly caramelising the cauliflower. The chilli kick is great but you can leave it out if you don’t...

“The case for employing mature aged workers” – day 1, level 1 June 9 2020

16 Jun, 2020

As we work our way through these challenging times, one segment of New Zealanders that needs support now more than ever is our pool of mature aged job seekers. What we don’t want to forget is the fact that there are thousands of job seekers in their mid-50’s and over who are looking for work, including many who have or will lose their jobs. These are mainly good people who have made a great contribution to society,...

Ten Job Hunting Tips When Times Are Tough

04 Jun, 2020

It's a tough time to be looking for work as lives and livelihoods have come under incredible pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic. Job hunters, recruiters and employers are struggling with personal and professional challenges. Organisations are facing difficult decisions and an uncertain future with border closures, supply disruptions and changing customer trends. Some businesses and industries are...

Beef cheek and mushroom Ragù (with pappardelle)

19 May, 2020

This is a very easy dish even if it takes quite a bit of cooking time. The end result is a dish that is so tasty and tender….. and you will know all the ingredients, so nothing weird at all! Beef Cheeks are the cheek muscle of cows and they are a very tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked long and slow to make it tender. It absorbs the flavours of braising liquid well and when you cut into it, it is stringy,...

Anglo Indian cottage pie

11 May, 2020

This is a real favourite - eat for dinner and then eat the leftovers cold or warm! The flavours, which are really varied, come together beautifully as the dish is cooked. I haven't met anyone who hasn't really enjoyed this - it is a very old recipe originally given to me by my grandmother which I have slightly tweaked over time. If you have a favourite mango or any fruit chutney, it would likely go well with this dish. This...

Hungarian Goulash

02 May, 2020

A traditional Hungarian Goulash is a soup or stew that is usually filled with tender beef and onions spiced with paprika. Traditional Hungarian goulash is a prime example of how a few simple ingredients, cooked properly, can yield an incredible flavour. Though many variations of Hungarian goulash exist, and every cook makes it just a bit differently, this is my easy version of a very traditional dish from the heart of Hungary. This recipe is...

Roasted vegetables with feta and baby spinach

02 May, 2020

So simple, healthy and tasty - the smell of the vegetables roasting together will fill your kitchen and adjoining space teasing your taste buds in anticipation!! The onions, as they roast, caramelise the other vegetables beautifully We sometimes eat this dish as per the recipe and on other times, add some quickly cooked pancetta or bacon at the end, tossing it with the feat and baby spinach. We also often add either...

Autumnal Potato and Pumpkin Soup

22 Apr, 2020

With some days now getting a bit cooler and most of us cooking at home again and trying to use what we have in our pantries and fridges as much as possible, here is a very easy and “quick to make” soup with very few ingredients The blend of potato, pumpkin, sage and chicken stock creates a thick consistency which holds a fragrant mix of tastes and flavours. If you don’t have sage in your garden or can’t get it at...

Our family Chilli Con Carne

07 Apr, 2020

This is one of our son’s favourite dishes. There are so many recipes for Chilli Con Carne – this is one that I have used for decades, in fact since we used to cook the dish in my lunchtime restaurant in Parnell way back in the early 1980’s!! You can’t go wrong with this recipe and the only variable is how hot you want it to be. The key ingredient here is the cayenne pepper, so if you want the Chilli to be a...

Spaghetti with leeks, peas and pesto

27 Mar, 2020

Another simple and “light” pasta dish. If you have any basil still flourishing in your garden, suggest that you make some of your own pesto and try this tasty dish – our family loved it In case, like me, you have never made pesto, below is the recipe that I used, courtesy of Nadia Lim – I’m not into too much garlic in pesto, so this recipe was perfect for me…and you can of course adjust the ingredients...

Vietnamese Grilled Chicken with Salad

19 Mar, 2020

Fresh, tasty, light and very easy to cook- served with a Vietnamese inspired salad and rice, this dish is so tasty with wonderful cooking aromas as the chicken is being cooked. Big favourite both in our family and also when cooking for guests. You can cook this for large gatherings as well, so a very versatile dish The salad is simple and tasty with lots of coriander, mint and Nuoc Cham dressing which is very simple to make in 3 minutes!...

Martha’s Salade Niçoise

27 Feb, 2020

This is a huge favourite in our family and really is one of those dishes that you can enjoy all year round. Martha makes a superb version, so tasty but so quick to prepare and have ready to eat. Other ingredients can be added but we think that there is more than enough flavour using the ingredients below. You be the judge! Not much cooking, just small waxy potatoes, green beans and boiled eggs. Half our family love anchovies, the other...

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