Christmas is coming
/Meri Kirihimete Gastronomads
I am looking out my window at the huge Christmas tree that has just burst into brilliant red bloom – our wonderful NZ Pohutukawa tree – a true sign that summer is here. Pohutukawa are our coastal guardians and the red flower symbolises bravery, strength and resilience. So having complained non-stop about the horrible weather in Auckland we are now finally happy in the heat and sunshine and girding our loins for the holiday season. I've been teaching Christmas recipes at the Supper Club and think I've already eaten enough mincemeat to put me in a diabetic coma. I finally got my Christmas cake cooked in my old wooden cake box. Just before I cut it I'll cover it with marzipan and decorate with flowering rosemary twigs.
One of my favourite jobs is event speaking because I get to jump on a plane and go somewhere, I get to wear a flash outfit and I get to to entertain. I'm the girl you have to push off the stage – I always think of one last story to tell, be it from my travels, my life in France or my childhood. It turns out that in spite of a carefully prepared speech, people really want to hear about how a girl from a good Catholic school became the person standing in front of them in a big poofy frock and chandelier earrings.
When I'm not begging my friends to feed me, I join them at restaurants so I can have fun and steal other chef's ideas. Some things you can't steal though because the way a chef cooks is a result of secret things like childhood influences, personality, nationality and emotional intelligence. My new favourite is 'Bianca' in Ellerslie, Auckland. Chef Hayden Phiskie specializes in hand made pasta and delicate, perfumed ragus. My other favourite is 'Apero' on K Road – funky French cuisine at the hands of chef Leslie Hottiaux from Toulouse.
Gastronomic Tours in 2025
My favourite tour, (after India) is my chic Uzès tour in my French home town. How can you not love the saucy humour, beautiful weather and bold flavours of the South of France? Not to mention the fashion, spicy wine and medieval architecture. Come and sit around the table in my home and listen to a bit of live French jazz.
India – 3 – 12 March 2025 – Tour Full
Marrakech – 12 – 18 May 2025 – Tour Full
Uzès – 30 May – 5 June 2025
Basque Country – 14 – 20 June 2025 – half full
Puglia – 31 August – 6 September 2025
Portugal – 14 – 20 September 2025 – half full
Christmas Salad
Whisk up a vinaigrette from 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard. Arrange different coloured tomatoes, lots of fresh mint, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese on a platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Too easy!
I wish sweetness and light upon you all for Christmas and may every contretemps you have had with family or friends over the past year be swept away and forgotten in an orgy of love and celebration. If you're looking for an experiential gift for someone, what could be better than a voucher for the Supper Club? I will be in Melbourne for Christmas with some of my brothers so stay coiled for a full report on the Melbourne food scene.
Peta