I will eat pork barbecue until the end of time. We were thinking of getting pork barbecue already prepped for New Year’s Eve. There’s a Filipino shop in Takanini that does it for the Otara markets and you can order in advance for $1 a stick

Dumplings got big in 2018 with heaps of frozen selections in the freezer aisle of supermarkets. The best are those made from scratch at the Asian food-stalls in East Tamaki; pillowy white, either steamed or boiled, the burst of flavourful broth as you bite into them is always a pleasant surprise.

Pork, beef, chicken..we’ve had all sorts. Versatile, they’re also incredibly easy to make

So who cares if they’re selling off Tip Top? Sure, it has some great flavours (I love Gummy-Gummy Gum Drops), but it’s time to educate your palate to something more global like Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s, or something local that actually can be global like Duck Island ice cream. It makes it worth it driving all the way to Hamilton for a tub.

There are chicken nuggets and then there are BP Cafe’s nuggets on steroids (I hope not lol). At a dollar each, they’re meaty, hefty and chickeny.

You don’t need Julia Child’s cooking talent to make a pot. In spite of the posh Frenchy name, it’s as homey and easy to make as adobo. Only one special requirement- choose the wine carefully

It’s the most coveted invitation to the best ribs in town that nobody’s ever heard of. I hope we get invited again next year.

Delicious breads, buttery-cinnammony rolls- and then Jong needed to cut down on carbs and it all came to an end. One day…

It only took me tries to actually duplicate the one we had at a restaurant in Palmerston North- what you’re looking for is a tender, flavourful head redolent with butter and herbs and sitting ever so nicely atop a mash of your own choosing

The fruit of summer always makes me crave for guavas

Can’t get enough of them- pan-fried, grilled or steamed, they don’t have that denseness you sometimes get with sausages where the ‘meat’ is actually fillers and extenders.