Making and cooking pastry isn’t hard, but there are a few things to keep in mind so it works out perfectly every time. There’s nothing worse than going to the effort of making a nice batch of pastry, then missing a crucial step and ruining it. It’s made me crazy many

Spiced pumpkin pie Pumpkin pie isn’t a common sight in New Zealand, but it should be! I’m chuffed with this recipe – I created it for an impromptu dinner with friends and it went down a treat. Just the right amount of creamy pumpkin, crumbly pastry, buttery coconut c

  Rhubarb, raspberry & vanilla mascarpone sponge cake When my cookbook was launched I was lucky enough to go on a NZ book tour, and I shared the trip with a clever cake baker, Jordan Rondel, who had just released her own cookbook ‘The Caker’.  I like her style of cakes – the

Vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate icing They may look pretty and delicate – but I can tell you, grown men have been known to moan with delight tasting these cupcakes. They’re a winner. I’ve taken ‘icing’ to a whole new level and put nearly a whole blo

Panko-crumbed chicken drumsticks This could possibly be the most delicious chicken I’ve tasted, and it’s such a simple recipe. Not only are drumsticks affordable, they have loads of flavour and cooked like this, the meat is juicy and tender. No need for a deep fryer here,