KEY POINTS:
Nosh is opening on Ponsonby Rd next month. The foodie favourite in Glenn Innes reckons the inner-city suburb is crying out for a food market and so it's launching Nosh Metro combined with a revamped Liquor King on its corner site with that all important parking.
Nosh Metro is a scaled-down version of the parent shop, but it will find room for a delicatessen stocked with local and imported fare, Black Rock Butchery with its gourmet meats, including its award-winning sausages, seafood, breads, flowers, fruit and vegetables.
Nost owners Clinton Beuvink and Chris Moore say they want to make food shopping an experience, not a chore and they'll stay open late on weeknights. Next year they're planning in-store chef demonstrations.
"We hope to inspire and encourage customers to experiment in the kitchen and our specialty retailers, who are experts in their field and passionate about their products, are keen to share their knowledge," Beuvink says.
Nosh Metro, 254 Ponsonby Rd, Ph (09) 360 1580. Monday to Saturday, 10am-8pm; Sunday 10am-6pm.
Itidakimasu
Look out for the Japanese Restaurant Guide in your favourite Japanese restaurant. It's a giveaway and while not highly critical it's a useful guide to around 30 of Auckland's better eateries. There's general advice on styles of cooking, etiquette, drinks and a handy breakdown of each restaurant's specialities (including vegetarian options) and their facilities. If you love Japanese food this will help you find more places to try.
Delia's back
Delia Smith of How to Cook fame hung up her apron six years ago, but now she's returning to television next year with a new series updating her first book, How to Cheat at Cooking, first published in 1971. It's about taking shortcuts without compromising on quality so has a very now message. The show will also update the no nonsense cook's image with the sort of personality driven coverage that first led her to retire. Outside food, her interests are a strong Catholic faith and football - with husband Michael Wynn Jones she is majority shareholder in Norwich City Football Team. The "Delia effect" was most vividly illustrated in 1995 when her recipe for cranberry sauce saw a UK-wide pre-Christmas shortage of the berries.
On the kitchen shelf
Wayne Conway, partner of designer Kate Sylvester at home and work, has lent his graphic design talents to a cookbook put together by the school their three boys attend.
The Westmere Home Kitchen is a fundraiser and gathers school families' favourite recipes together. Conway says it was a great community project to be involved in and the contributed recipes and images reflected Westmere's modern relaxed urban lifestyle.
He based the look of the book on the 1950s suburb itself, saying: "I wanted the design to reflect this, but in a contemporary way."
It sells for $25 at local outlets including: Garnet Road Foodstore, Meola Kitchen, Wine Vault, Dear Reader, La Madu, Re Ab, Jafa, Landreth and Co and Garden Party.
Farm favourites
Recipes from the Heartland is another collective endeavour, this from the New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes Cookbook. Reminiscent of the good old Edmonds Cookbook, this collects together tried-and-true recipes according to category. There's handy advice on making conserves and preserves, plenty of home baking and much, much more, including handy hints for around the home. $25 from Penguin.
Gut instinct
If you've got a special needs eater to cater or buy for, then Gluten-free Cooking ($39.95, Penguin) is a godsend. Author Sue Shepherd is an Australian dietician, and though the list of intolerances she deals with (gluten, lactose and wheat), plus irritable bowel syndrome and fructose malabsorption may not sound an appetising coverline, the lovely photography of this cookbook makes it much more moreish than the usual health guide. Layout is also clean and modern to match the recipes, some of which have a crisp Asian flavour that will delight the dietary challenged looking to branch out. As well as sections on main and vegetarian meals, there's advice on preparing your pantry, filling a gluten-free lunchbox, finding sandwich alternatives and serving scrummy afternoon teas.
Sea stories
Food from the Sea: How to catch them and cook them ($19.99, Harper Collins) is the sort of paperback to take to the bach. By keen fishermen Daryl Crimp and Norman Holtzhausen it identifies a fish a page by illustration, explains how they're caught and how they're best cooked. A brief but useful section on fish preparation (including killing, chilling and storing) is followed by about 100 tasty but simple recipes, ranging from fish stock to snapper with champagne sauce. Reel it in for the fish fan's Christmas stocking.
