I'm rather partial to settling down to a platter of cheese and crackers and a good glass of wine to while away a Saturday afternoon, though these days with two kids in tow it is something of a rarity!  Thankfully these crackers are just as delicious on their own, eaten on the run!  Made with toasted walnuts (good for the heart and brain and rich of antioxidants), and oats (a great source of protein and fibre) they are deliciously nutty with a crunchy crumb to them that makes them impossible to resist!  

Since writing this recipe I have been dreaming up and testing all sorts of variations on the theme.....Oat & Parmesan Crusted Spinach Tart, Avocado Chocolate Mousse in Almond & Oat Tart Shells, Coconut & Oat Biscuits.  Watch this space!  

I love a good doughnut as anyone who knows me will attest to, and will boldly confess to being that person at parties, hovering around the food, eating far more chips/pies/cakes than is possibly good for me. However, it is rare to find me cooking this type of fare in my own kitchen.  These days my cooking can best be described as seasonal, whole food cooking.  We grow as many vegetables and herbs as our little garden can muster, and I use unrefined, nutrient-dense ingredients so that I know I'm fuelling my family with the best food I can.  This apple loaf is a good example of something I might make as an afternoon tea treat.  Made with oats (ground up in the food processor) instead of flour it has a nutty density to it and paired with the walnuts keeps you fuller for longer.  Be sure to try the loaf fried in butter and served with yoghurt and a berry compote (heat a few handfuls of frozen berries in a pot) for a decadent weekend breakfast.  Happy long weekend everyone! x   

For many a year oats were my breakfast go-to, mostly eaten in porridge form and sometimes soaked and turned into bircher muesli.  Nowadays our breakfast repertoire has expanded to include eggs (done any which way), chia seed pudding and porridge made with alternative grains such as quinoa, millet and amaranth.  As the old saying goes 'a change is as good as a holiday' and my taste buds do agree.  That said I must admit that there is something particularly comforting about a hot bowl of porridge on a chilly winter morning.  This version, which is made with eggs and vanilla, keeps you fuller for longer and has a custardy flavour to it which makes it deliciously tasty.  Topped off with apple, walnut and raisins fried in butter this might just be your new breakfast favourite.  

Because Nectarine Salsa adds a whole new dimension to corn fritters.  Make this now while the nectarines are still good!

I hope that wherever in the world you might be, you've had a wonderful start to 2016 and you're feeling rested and ready to welcome in a brand new year.  My family, friends and I were lucky enough to spend time on the banks of Lake Rotorangi, deep in the heart of Taranaki. Without power, we cooked with fire, bathed in the lake (or in the bath built into the deck overlooking the lake) and spent our days communing with nature in the best of company. While our surrounds were basic, the food was anything but. The job of watering and feeding the troops was overseen by Celine (camp mother), who is a formidable cook.  She whipped up great batches of breakfast whitebait fritters for the bleary-eyed masses, lovingly tended to great slabs of meat perfectly slow-cooked all day over hot coals and saw to the fact that vessels were never empty. Needless to say, it was a memorable way to see in the new year.    

If buying for the sake of buying just doesn't sit well with you then get into the kitchen this Christmas and whip up a batch of something extra special for the extra special people in your life.  This Red Pepper Jam is really easy to make, looks the part (the perfect shade of Christmas red) and is irresistibly good.  They'll be asking for it again next year!    

Yip, that's me sitting right next to Fleur Sullivan of Fleur's Place (famously Rick Stein's favourite place to eat) and Giulio Sturla of Roots Restaurant, named New Zealand's best restaurant this year!  Together we judged food entries at the Egmont A&P show in Hawera.  A wonderful opportunity to rub shoulders with some of New Zealand's best foodies - lucky me!

Right now there are two things I find it difficult to pass by on the supermarket shelves.  Strawberries and asparagus.  While still a little pricey and not yet at their sweetest the strawberries don't always make it into the shopping basket.  The asparagus on the other hand without fail always do.  More-and-more I find we are eating asparagus raw and it is just delicious.  Make sure you buy unblemished, crisp bunches, the smaller the spears the better (sweeter and less woody).  This recipe for asparagus salad is quick and easy and will convert even the most staunch of asparagus-haters!  

Through these posts I get to satisfy many of my creative outlets; cooking, styling, photography and writing.  I am better at some than I am others and if I am honest with myself it is the writing that tends to stall my blogging.  I am inclined to be more flowery with my prose than I probably should be, a little too self-indulgent.  With this in mind this post is going to be a short one.  Get to the supermarket, get these ingredients in your trolley and makes these delicious wee treats - they may just become a pantry staple.  

There is a tiny place on the west coast of New Zealand not far north of Raglan which holds a special place in my heart.  A good friend of mine calls this place home and for close to 20 years now I have been fortunate enough to be able to escape the big, bad city and spend whole weekends there free of the intrusions of the digital world.  Time slows, shoulders drop and days are spent unhurriedly, eating good food, taking in the fresh air, riding horses, walking through pockets beautiful native bush, all in wonderful company.  

This post is a little late, but as they say, better late than never!  The greatest challenge I have as a blogger is bringing these posts to you on a regular basis, and for me that means once a week.  I'm also working on the boys in the back room (Nick, Sam!!), gently prodding and persuading them to find voices of their own (actually they don't need any persuading there!) in order to offer some diversity and interest and to pepper these pages with thoughts not limited exclusively to all things food.  And while I'm on the subject this is a great weeknight meal.  Quick, easy and really tasty served up with some homemade chutney and a quick green salad.  

I hope all had a wonderful weekend.  Ours was a productive one in the kitchen and saw Nick whipping up a batch of hot sauce (habanero chillies and green peppers from our garden - we're feeling pretty virtuous right now!) and me finely shredding two heads of cabbage for an attempt at sauerkraut.  So watch this space!  Have a lovely week all and long may this sun shine!