Kitchen kudos: How to make it or fake it this festive season

New World makes it simple to add a bit of wow this Christmas with KitchenAid. Image / Supplied.

With New World's exclusive KitchenAid ovenware promotion, it's super simple to add a bit of wow this Christmas – no matter your cooking expertise.

The Christmas buzz is getting louder, and with it, thoughts are turning to what to serve up throughout the festive season. The good news is that whatever your kitchen comfort level, you can still bring some wow-factor to the table.

New World's KitchenAid promotion is here to help with five gorgeous pieces of ovenware that can be redeemed by collecting stickers for every $20 spent on qualifying products in store or online.

Already it looks like Christmas spreads all over the country will feature a piece from the exclusive range, with shoppers moving quickly to collect their favourites. "In just the first few weeks, redemptions of KitchenAid ovenware are out-pacing last summer's smash hit with SMEG," says New World's head of marketing and customer experience, Pippa Prain.

And while there are more than 1 million pieces available from New World stores across the country, she encourages shoppers to redeem their stickers as soon as they have enough available, "so they can have their pick."

Already it looks like Christmas spreads around the country will feature a piece from the exclusive range. Photo / Supplied.

The Medium Baker with reusable bamboo lid is proving the most popular so far, followed by the Mini Cocotte and Pie Dish, with many seeking out bonus products and using the cash top-up options to collect faster.

"There are so many easy and delicious dishes to enjoy using this ovenware," says Pippa, "I'm picking baked brie in the Mini Cocotte as this summer's hot trend for platters.

"We want to help our customers make it, or fake it, in the kitchen these holidays – whatever works for them. So, we've developed some simple but super tasty recipes for each piece of ovenware, as well as some ideas that take next to no effort."
Here she shares some of her favourite foodie formulas from New World's recipe vault, as well as some shortcuts for those of us wanting to enjoy the heat of the sun, rather than the kitchen:

Medium Baker with reusable bamboo lid

Make it: New World's Mediterranean Baked Salmon is sure to be a crowd-pleaser and looks suitably festive with pops of red from fresh cherry tomatoes, sprinkles of green oregano and snow-white feta. Or, whip up the Citrus and Garlic Prawns in the baker before pairing them with a crisp cos and creamy avocado salad. The bonus, says Pippa, is that "either of these recipes would be delicious hot or cold", so you can make it in advance and keep it stored in the fridge until you're ready to go, making good use of the baker's handy bamboo lid.

Fake it: Grab a tasty New World pre-made deli salad and spoon it into your favourite serving dish. "My personal favourite from the New World deli counter is the carrot and kumara salad," says Pippa - and to make it look more 'homemade', simply add an impressive topping. "Cumin seeds and coriander are tasty with this one." Other options for salad toppings include chopped herbs, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, currants, toasted pinenuts, sesame seeds, or even pomegranate seeds, and voila! An impressive and delicious salad ready to take to Christmas lunch, or that Boxing Day catch-up with friends.

Grab some pre-made chicken or prawn kebabs from your New World butchery counter and get grilling with the KitchenAid grill pan. Image / Supplied.

Grill Pan

Make it: While the Grill Pan can be the perfect stand-in for barbecued steaks or sausages, for something a bit special you can't go past New World's beautifully colourful Grilled Stone Fruit Salad for a lovely summery option. "The Spicy Chicken Satay Bites go down a treat too," says Pippa.

Fake it: Grab some pre-made chicken or prawn kebabs from your New World butchery counter and get grilling! Add a few wedges of lemon to the plate of prawn skewers, or some sesame seeds and coriander to soy chicken skewers for presentation pizzazz. The Grill Pan is also ideal if it's not quite barbecue weather outside for everything from store-bought burger patties ("with a slice of smoked cheese, super easy," suggests Pippa), to a good ol' pack of snarlers. "I can also recommend the fresh sausages many of our butchers make in the store, using their own unique recipe."

Pippa Prain, Head of marketing and customer experience for New World, with the recipe of the season - baked brie in the Mini Cocotte. Image / Supplied.

Mini Cocotte

Make it: Whip up the summer platter trend-setter: baked brie. New World's Cranberry and Pistachio Baked Brie has been proving super popular: "I did it the other weekend and it's just so simple but so impressive," says Pippa. For a sweet option the Three-Ingredient Crème Brulee is also quite the showstopper.

Fake it: For a platter, grab your favourite hummus, spoon into a Mini Cocotte, drizzle over a bit of olive oil and sprinkle on some cumin seeds, paprika or cracked pepper, add some of your favourite crackers or chopped vege sticks and you're sorted. "There is a really yummy Pams Fresh Guacamole, which would be great too," says Pippa. "Chop up some fresh tomato to mix in for a homemade touch, and sprinkle chopped coriander on top". Or for a dessert option, serve store-bought chocolate mousse (sshhh!) in individual Mini Cocottes for a finish that's sure to please your last-minute guests. Another easy dessert option, suggests Pippa, is to layer up a mini Eton Mess, with some store-bought meringues, fresh berries and whipped cream or yoghurt. Yum.

Find more information about New World's KitchenAid promotion and New World recipes at newworld.co.nz