Cooking

The world of New Zealand cooking is is known for its varied and innovative cuisine, particularly its use of fresh, local fare from the land and the sea. You too can enjoy the tastes of fresh, quality food with a New Zealand cooking class or the advice of some of our top NZ cooks.

Pacific Rim Cuisine
At present, the buzz in the world of Kiwi cuisine is 'Pacific Rim Cuisine.' Politically, the term Pacific Rim encompasses all the countries which border on the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Rim Cuisine, like the cultures of those nations, is rich in its variety. Flavours from Australia, Thailand, China, Malaysia, the United States, Korea, Canada and the Pacific Islands are brought together. For those who enjoy New Zealand cuisine – sampling, fine dining, cooking up a storm in the family kitchen, or enjoying the changing tastes as you travel from one end of the country to the other – Pacific Rim Cuisine is the perfect excuse to take a snippet from here and a spice from there, to create a truly fusion cooking style.

Cooking with the Stars
For food and wine connoisseurs, there are a number of highly skilled New Zealand chefs who are the Jamie Olivers of New Zealand, publishing successful recipe books, hosting their own television cooking shows, cooking classes and food preparation demonstrations. Even those with their feet firmly planted in the 'can’t cook, won't cook' camp will find these classes and demonstrations enjoyable and informative. Icons within the New Zealand cooking industry include:

• Alison Holst: Alison has achieved legendary status for her nationwide televised cooking programmes, popular cookbooks, columns in both magazines and newspapers, and cooking demonstrations. She has published over 75 cookbooks, selling over 3 million copies. Her cooking style focuses on everyday food, encouraging cooks at home to make tasty and interesting meals that are both nutritious and economical.
• Julie le Clerc: A chef whose food creations show imagination. She has written cookbooks, worked as a head chef in two successful cafes and produced travel writing with a dash of international cuisine. Of her own cooking, she says “My cooking is partly inspired, partly invented, but essentially based on good-quality ingredients cooked well.” Julie gives demonstration classes whenever possible.
• Ruth Pretty: Concentrating primarily on her catering business, Ruth Pretty creates food with an emphasis on quality and imagination. She also runs a cooking school on the Kapiti Coast, on weekends from March to November, where Ruth shares recipes and cooking ideas with participants.
• Jo Seagar: A household name, Jo has enjoyed great success following her popular television series Real Food for Real People. She trained in the prestigious Cordon Bleu and La Varenne cooking schools in London and Paris. She now runs a cookery school, cook’s store and café at Oxford, forty minutes from Christchurch city.
• Peta Mathias: New Zealand born Peta first got a taste for the food business in Paris, where she ran her own restaurant. She is now well recognized in New Zealand as the writer of gastronomic travel books and the host of her own television series Taste New Zealand and Taste Takes Off. Peta also offers a week long cuisine experience in the South of France.
• Allyson Gofton: A face in the New Zealand cooking world for over 15 years, Allyson is a household name and the host of the speedy television show Food in a Minute. She has written several cookbooks and hosts cooking demonstrations nationwide.
• Simon Gault: One of Auckland’s best known chefs, who has established many popular restaurants, bistros and cafes in New Zealand. He has also written a cookbook and made guest chef appearances in a number of international venues.
• Edmonds Cook Book: Published over 90 years ago, this icon of New Zealand cooking and home baking has had countless editions and can be found in most New Zealand homes. Packed with over 200 carefully tested recipes, it is sure to offer something to please everyone in the household.

Take some tips from the stars and practice your own NZ recipes or enrol in a New Zealand cooking class.

Season's Harvest
Although imported fruits and vegetables are commonplace on the shelves of our grocery stores and supermarkets, there are still those who enjoy eating seasonally. Eating foods as they come into season means that you can support local growers, but it also ensures that you're eating fresh foods that have had minimal storage and a shorter distance to travel. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, fresh really is best; freshness equals higher levels of essential vitamins and minerals, not to mention more flavoursome produce.

In winter, you'll be able to enjoy heavier foods with more substance and warm foods, such as soups, stews, roast vegetables and pies. In summer, you'll shift to lighter, fresher foods, such as salads, fruit smoothies and lightly stir-fried vegetables. If we buy foods seasonally, we are more likely to follow this pattern, but also we will look forward to the tasty delights of each season. Your diet should always be balanced, no matter what the season, and should contain adequate levels of nutrients.

This is just a small morsel of the New Zealand cooking experience. To learn more, why not enrol in a New Zealand cooking class or learn from an iconic NZ cook and make your own creative fare at home. Whatever your choice, make sure you enjoy the best of New Zealand's healthy and delicious produce.

Looking for more information? Find NZ recipes in the NZS.com directory.

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Family images from Flickr: Baby Boots, Kids Classroom and Hands.