The dish: A taste of London

dine by Peter Gordon. Photo / Supplied

If you've lived in London, the superior supermarket chain Waitrose will most certainly have been on your radar. Its products are designed to meet the needs of busy, sophisticated urbanites who like the good things in life. The exciting news is that Nosh Food Markets have just signed an exclusive agreement with Waitrose to stock its products here. In store this week, you'll find what will be a growing range of quality products - including one of the hottest items in London last Christmas, Heston Blumenthal's Waitrose Hidden Orange Christmas Puddings. This sold out in Britain as foodies were quick to discover this incredibly moist Christmas pudding with a candied orange in the middle. As it cooks, the essential oils from the orange peel infuse the pudding from the inside out. $14.99-$49.99. Don't miss out.

Speaking of good old London town, renowned chef Peter Gordon is offering fabulous dishes from his signature restaurant in London, The Providores, here in Auckland at his Federal St restaurant, dine. Book a table for lunch or dinner and you can enjoy mixing and matching from a selection of Peter's favourites from both the dine and Providores menus. Let your taste buds travel to London. Available until 31 October. To book, ph (09) 363 7030.

Pine for these

Who knew we could grow pine nuts in Marlborough? The clever people at Pinoli, thankfully. They planted their first European stone pines (pinus pinea) in 1998 and have patiently tended them until, last year,when they were ready to harvest their first crop of the treasured kernels to bring to our local market. Their premium pine nuts can be differentiated from imported varieties by their silky, elongated appearance and intense creaminess.

Pine nuts are a nutritious and tasty addition to salads and sweet and savoury dishes and roasting or toasting them brings out their full flavour. But watch them carefully as they can burn before you know it. Processed lovingly in small batches to ensure maximum freshness, Pinoli nuts are available from Sabato, 57 Normanby Rd, Mt Eden.

Menu pick

From one extreme to the other: We're mid-season for whitebait so we recommend you try The French Cafe's refined fried whitebait sandwich with lemon mayonnaise and shaved fennel salad - it's absolutely divine and you'll see why this restaurant has won so many awards and accolades and is considered one of Auckland's best. Alternatively, Murder Burger on Ponsonby Rd has its own version - served old school, on slices of Tip Top white bread with garlic butter and lemon. Now that's what we call choice. Available while the season lasts.

Win with Viva

Viva is delighted to offer readers the chance to combine art and wine and to celebrate that 26 years ago Cloudy Bay's sauvignon blanc marked the beginning of a new era for the NZ wine industry, putting the Marlborough region on the world map and establishing Cloudy Bay as a pioneer.

This prize includes a limited edition A3 print of stencil artist Flox's Cloudy Bay 2011 sauvignon blanc-inspired mural. Flox, aka Hayley King, bought Cloudy Bay's first 2011 sauvignon blanc to life in a 3m x 2m mural, created on board using stencils and spray paint. Inspired by the new vintage, Hayley says, "The mural illustrates a symmetry of what we all know as our beautiful country, Aotearoa, combined with representative elements from the Cloudy Bay 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, the soft colour palette, iconic NZ native birds, fauna and mountain silhouette, creating a subdued and organic composition." To enter, email your name, address and contact phone number to vipviva@nzherald.co.nz with Cloudy Bay in the subject line. Entries close October 24. Winners announced October 26.

Raw talent

While Dallows Restaurant, Sale St, has been closed for a month, its head chef Nick Honeyman been anything but idle and now we can tell you why. He's been creating and testing recipes for his new menu which will launch Cru Restaurant in the Sale St location. For Nick, this reflects an exciting new beginning. "For me Cru is a chance to combine my love for the French classics with a more modern approach - using some molecular techniques - while honouring the pure flavour and integrity that so many ingredients available here in New Zealand contain in their raw form." Nick and his team will officially launch Cru tonight at the opening of Taste of New Zealand Festival in Victoria Park. Those keen for a sneak preview of Nick's new menu, with dishes such as sashimi yellow tail with rockmelon sorbet, yuzu gel, cucumber and black truffle, should make their way to the festival from today to October 22. To book for Cru Restaurant (opens October 27), ph (09) 307 8148 or email sale-st@sale-st.co.nz

Put it on the list

* Cheese is alive - let's keep it that way. Wrapping your cheese in this commercial-grade cheese paper allows it to breathe, prevents it from drying out and extends its shelf life. Formaticum Cheese Paper, $15.99, from Farro Fresh.

* Add some genuine Spanish flare to your next cocktail party with a jar of banderillas - olives, gherkins, onions, pimiento and chillies - all ready to go on a cute cocktail stick. $13.90, from Sabato.

Family ties

The Family of Twelve was born in 2005. It is a collective of 12 highly regarded, family owned NZ wineries, covering the length and breadth of our country and wine varieties. Among them are the likes of Kumeu River, Ata Rangi, Pegasus Bay, Felton Road and more. Now the Family is having its first official outing at SkyCity's The Twelve Bar, a bar that has been created to exclusively serve the Family's wines. This Thursday, from 5-7pm, meet winemaker Clive Weston of Nautilus Estate in the bar to chat and sample his wines. Next Thursday, you can meet Kumeu River Wines' Paul Brajkovich and Melba Brajkovich.