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There’s nothing like fresh asparagus, and in New Zealand, we are extremely lucky (for a very limited time) to get it straight from the garden to the table. This Jamie Oliver risotto recipe takes the best of spring fresh flavours, marrying fresh mint, asparagus and lemon, all currently in season and at their tastiest. Easy to make, delicious to eat, if you wanted to add some protein, you could always throw in some cooked bacon, or some hot smoked salmon would also taste spectacular alongside this rice dish.

Spring has sprung, the blossoms are on the trees and the days are warming up. This recipe encompasses the freshness and vibrancy of the start of the warmer months. A classic fluffy herby French bread served alongside a palette pleasing pea and mint soup. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a hosting a Spring lunch.

There’s nothing like a home-baked scone, fresh from the oven, golden brown, crunchy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside. We love serving ours with some butter when the scones are cool enough to handle, straight from the oven, so the butter is all melty and delicious. Try baking some of these spectacular savoury scones this weekend – you won’t regret it.

This recipe from British-Vietnamese chef, restaurateur and author Thuy Pham (@chef_thuy_pham) with chopped seasoned prawns nestled within sweet Romano peppers is a wholesome choice that doesn’t compromise on flavour. Whether paired with a refreshing salad, fluffy rice, or comforting noodles – enjoy the perfect balance of healthy eating and indulgence in every bite!

With apples in abundance at this time of year and the cold wintery evenings, it feels like the perfect time to make this easy and delicious pie. Our passionate home cook, Amanda created something special to celebrate Matariki, Māori New Year in New Zealand. The Matariki stars number nine, so you might need to cut a slightly larger slice that has the correct amount, just to make it official.

Taste isn’t defined by the length it takes to cook something or the amount of ingredients if this deliciously moreish soup is anything to go by. Four ingredients, some oil and herbs and you have yourself the most hearty, tasty winter soup imaginable.

This is the quintessential Autumn/Winter comfort dish. Soft pillows of handmade gnocchi, served with grilled, caramelised wedges of pumpkin in a sage butter sauce. Sounds too delicious to be true – but it’s not! And if the thought of making your own gnocchi sounds too onerous, we promise, it’s well worth the small effort for the large and tasty rewards.

This is a fantastic recipe to create with younger children as it’s ridiculously easy and lots of fun to make. The only difficulty will be stopping the mini eggs being eaten before decorating and the hour-long wait before the nets are set.

Quite the table centrepiece, this Guard of Lamb is something to behold. We know lamb racks can be quite expensive, but since Easter is a bit of a special occasion, we believe it’s well worth splashing out on them for this recipe. The delicious herbed crust has to be tasted to be believed and browning the lamb first and cooking it at a high temperature means you can finish it to your preferred level of rare to medium.

Nothing says ‘Easter’ like a hot cross bun. These are super tasty and packed full of fruit and spice. You need a bit of time to let them prove (30-90 minutes) but other than this, they take no time at all to make and bake. Serve them warm from the oven with plenty of butter (or try with cream cheese). You can also store them and toast them the next day, if you can wait that long to try them.

Dark, malty and chocolatey, soft in the center and crunchy on the outside, these moreish cookies are a great way to use up any left over mini eggs. Look, who are we kidding, we know you probably won’t have any left over, if you don’t, no worries! Just substitute with chopped milk chocolate or white chocolate. Rye flour is filled with vitamins and minerals and is high in potassium and magnesium. It’s also much lower in gluten than wheat, so is great for those wanting to consume less gluten in their diet.

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than indulging in Nigella Lawson’s slightly fancier take on the Irish classic, Colcannon. You could swap out the kale for cabbage if you didn’t have any on hand. We think this would be a great side dish for a classic Irish Stew (with a glass or two of Guinness of course!)

While this delicious duck recipe was created to celebrate Chinese New Year by Vietnamese Chef Thuy Pham, we think sliced crispy duck breast with a juicy interior, served alongside a fruity, savoury sauce filled with Asian flavour, sounds far too good to only enjoy once a year. You could serve alongside rice or vermicelli noodles.

When the weather is hot and you’ve been working hard all day, the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking a hot meal. If you feel like something light (that isn’t a salad) and super quick to prepare, try this delicious, fresh prawn stir fry for a healthy quick fix summer meal. Feel free to add or switch out any of the vegetables to suit.

Good things take time, and this traditional Christmas Pud is no exception. It’s not exceptionally labour intensive to make, but there are quite a lot of ingredients and you do need to allow a day before cooking for all the flavours to merge and develop. Plus, you may want to make it well in advance if you are super organised. We provide vegetarian options and substitues for a gluten-free version of this recipe in the ingredients section.

Fruity, spicy and oh so Christmassy, mulled wine may be more traditional in the Northern Hemisphere where the festive season is much colder and more suited to the warm festive beverage. But we recommend you try a glass or two later on Christmas Eve, once all the presents are wrapped and the kids are tucked up in bed, or at the end of the Christmas day when you finally get to put your feet up. You won’t regret it. There are a few unoaked soft and fruity red wines available in New Zealand including Cleanskins Australian Shiraz and Old Fat Unicorm Pinot Noir from South Australia that won’t break the bank, both are available at vineonline.co.nz where you can search for unoaked varietals.

Gingerbread houses are a delicious Christmas decoration, that’s fun to make with the kids and you get to create your own designs with whatever icing and lolly decorations you like. Just make the dough and bake a day ahead to allow your house to harden (no one wants a collapsing gingerbread house!) then assemble with royal icing and go mad with your decorative skills the next day. Maybe you want to do your rendition of the family bach, or if you feel like creating your own grand design there’s plenty of inspiration online. Have fun building.