In For the Love - a real taste of Kiwi life

Karena and Kasey Bird are lovers of food, family, their community and New Zealand

In For the Love of they have created a cookbook that is vibrant, stylish and filled with easy and delicious recipes.

The food is paired with beautiful scenic shots of the duo's small beachside village of Maketu in the Bay of Plenty. It is a special cookbook which highlights New Zealand's unique culture and is the first from the current winners of Masterchef New Zealand.

"This book has been a labour of love, it is filled with our favourite recipes, candid photographs of our tight-knit whanau as well as lots of shots around our small rural community of Maketu," Karena and Kasey say.

"We had a very clear vision for the book and there were several touchstones we followed when creating the recipes.

"Food should be inspiring not scary. These recipes are achievable and approachable and we want them to inspire cooks and non-cooks alike to have a go in the kitchen."

Humble ingredients made special: "We love using everyday ingredients and making them in to something tasty and impressive."

Flavour is Queen: "No matter what, it must taste great."

Food is about not only feeding the stomach but also feeding the soul - "The way we show our love for people is by cooking for them.

"Food has always been at the heart of our family gatherings and it is something we closely associate with aroha. We want to share what is important to us through our love of food."

The book is divided in to six sections.

The initial pages cover breakfast and afternoon snacks, everyday favourites and slow cooked recipes

The heart of the book is for the love of Whanau where the girls share family favourites handed down over generations.

Plus, there's a section for those who want to really impress and another filled with sweet yummy desserts and baking.

"The food is vibrant and each dish has its own personality and style," the sisters say.

"There is such a variety but all of the recipes use easily accessible ingredients, are delicious, always work and have had the same amount of love put into each of them."

Wanting the book to be special and truly represent their creative ideas and vision, Karena and Kasey decided to write and publish it themselves.

They worked closely with Deborah Aspray who captured the beautiful food shots and pictures of Maketu and the family. The design is by Kate Frances.

Karena and Kasey have crafted something special in a book filled with delicious recipes and stunning images.

It provides readers with the opportunity to share both their stylishly stunning food and a part of their lives they are passionate about - the love of food, family and friends.

"This is not only a cookbook but a snapshot of our lives.

"We want this book to share our love for food and also our love for our family our community and everyone who has supported us along the way." - Karena and Kasey

Karena and Kasey will be at Paper Plus in Stratford this Friday, April 17 at 10.30am.