New Zealand's queen of cuisine draws upon our country's natural bounty to create delectable, home-cooked food.
In her new TV series Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook, Annabel Langbein shows how easy it is to make sensational home-cooked food when you use the freshest seasonal ingredients.
The Southern Alps provide a spectacular backdrop to Langbein's food-hunting expeditions, which see her journey into secluded fiords, brave a local beekeeper's hives, cast a line for the freshest salmon and gather home-grown fruit and vegetables from her garden.
Returning to her simple cabin kitchen beside Lake Wanaka, she prepares a three- or four-course meal to share with friends.
Her time-saving techniques and clever cooking tricks (how to remove the seeds from a chilli or whip eggs to perfection) provide the home cook with the know-how to create restaurant-style dishes that won't stress them out.
The TV series has been made for an international audience. It launched in Australia last night and has also been sold to a host of European countries. With its stunning location and pick of New Zealand produce, it showcases this country's food, wine and enviable lifestyle in equal measures.
"It's about showing how easy it is to bring good food into today's fast-paced world," says Langbein.
"When you show people how, it's easy for them to see how they can cook great food without having to spend a whole lot of money or time, or resort to opening packets and cans."
* Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook, TV One, 7pm, Saturdays.