These places are wonderful as a summer family outing, educational for kids to learn exactly where their food comes from and sometimes you can even take a picnic to enjoy under the trees. Our list is by no means complete and it would be great to hear from you of any PYO places you know about. Please do remember to check opening hours and availability before leaving home! Addresses highlighted in blue are linked to Google Maps for exact directions. OTAGO/SOUTHLAND Cheeki Cherries PYO cherries 247 Ripponvale Rd Cromwell cheekicherries.co.nz Coal Creek Gardens – Pick your own aprico ..read more

I am sure we have all experienced that feeling that you are being watched and this time I actually am.  A cheeky monkey is peering over the roof as we sit enjoying an early evening glass of wine, hoping there might be some food for them.  Monkeys are regular visitors across Tioman island, particularly early morning or evening but generally stick to themselves. Tioman island is in the South China sea roughly 61km off the east coast of peninsula Malaysia, 39km in length and a resident population of 432 (there are way more cats than people and reportedly only 10 dogs on the whole isla ..read more

  Join me on a fabulous trip to South Australia  November 15th – 20th where we will be cycling, tasting wine and eating delicious food. South Australia is renowned for its contrasting stunning scenery, wineries, restaurants and amazing produce. With direct flights from Auckland that have you in Adelaide in time for lunch (and a cycle), it really is so easy and accessible. Helen will be your guide for the 5-ish days and this tour has been carefully selected to showcase some of the best aspects of the area. Please note, prices are based on single rooms, if you are travelling with ..read more

This shortcake is suitable for all types of fruit and is the same recipe base as our hugely popular Raspberry & White Chocolate Shortcake.  What makes it so good is the rich buttery base.  We have 4 feijoa trees so it is great to be able to utilise the fruit in recipes and this shortcake with ginger and lemon is such a lovely combination Feijoa Shortcake was originally posted by foodlovers.co.nz ..read more

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles (gluten-free) was originally posted by foodlovers.co.nz ..read more

This tart is so luscious and so super delicious and it will keep your guests guessing as to what makes it so creamy.  Yes it is the avocado but in some situations it is best kept a secret! Chocolate Ganache Tart (gluten and dairy-free) was originally posted by foodlovers.co.nz ..read more

  New Zealanders have long had a love affair with party style chicken sandwiches and I am almost thinking that we can call them our own.  By using the term “party style” I am meaning the type of elegant chicken sandwich that is produced at cocktail parties as opposed to the one that is packed into a lunch box. The bread – sandwich sliced bread is, I think, unanimous.  The choice then lies between white, wheatmeal and multigrain with white coming out as a top choice.  Freshness is most important, with two friends saying that they will only buy bread on the day required ..read more

Freddie (17) has been on a search for the best chocolate chip cookie although I am not sure that he has done much of the baking, more provided me with the tips. The quest was to find a really good fudgy, chewy cookie and much of this is in the technique as opposed to the recipe.  Refrigerating the dough for 24 hours after mixing is critical.  This give the flavours time to develop and also the flour a chance to meld with the egg and butter and produce a fudgier cookie. Browning half of the butter prior to mixing gives an interesting nutty flavour and the splash of bourbon and vanilla ..read more

This lovely light and tasty recipe is one I developed for MenuAid, a recipe app that not only helps to solve your “what’s for dinner?” decisions but also helps you convert your recipes to a shopping trolley. Prawns with Spaghetti & Pistachio Crumbs was originally posted by foodlovers.co.nz ..read more

This tasty variation on the traditional spinach and feta was created for MenuAid, a recipe subscription app that helps you solve the “what’s for dinner?” decision and also converts your recipe ingredients to online shopping, as needed. Pumpkin, Spinach & Feta Filo Triangles was originally posted by foodlovers.co.nz ..read more