From Te Pātaka: Food memories of New Zealand

Cook up a kiwi storm with these traditional recipes, peppered with creative spices. Highlighted are a few famous people’s recipes from their family or cultural traditions, such as Simon Gault’s summer BBQ recipe, and Charles Royal’s traditional kai. There’s also tales from a famous Wanaka restaurant, local sausage recipes, camping recipes and much more. Try these recipes to switch up your dinner plans this summer.

Kiwi favourites cookbook : celebrating 75 years of Wattie’s in Kiwi kitchens
“A collection of best-loved kiwi recipes from 75 years of Wattie’s in New Zealand kitchens. The taste and smells of our favourite childhood food is called comfort food for a reason! From shepherd’s pie and corn fritters to carrot cake and pavlova. In the last 75 years New Zealand had been through enormous changes, but the tried-and-true recipes passed on from our mothers and grandmothers can still delight us!” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Summer with Simon Gault / Gault, Simon
“The Kiwi summer goes hand in hand with good times, friends and family, and the finest, most nutritious food. In Summer, beloved chef Simon Gault shares his favorite recipes, offering quick fixes for the BBQ, picnics at the beach, stints at the bach, keeping the kids happy and exploiting the best produce of the season. With a focus on healthy, tasty and stress-free eating, it’s mouth-watering food for everyday people – a book to make summer entertaining easy.” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Bangers to bacon : a New Zealand guide to making, cooking and using sausages and cured meat / Schmid, Jeremy
“Whether it’s the good old kiwi-style sausage sizzle, the gourmet venison sausages, or even the vegetarian snags, sausages are a staple in the New Zealand household. Author demonstrates step-by-step processes to make fresh sausages; hot smoked, cured, dried and vegetarian sausages; dry cured and wet brined meats, Mash and Toad in the Hole and humble Bangers.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

From kai to Kiwi kitchen : New Zealand culinary traditions and cookbooks
“In the past two decades, cuisine and culinary history have attracted increasing attention, with both popular and academic books reflecting the growth of interest. Recipes are both markers of the socioeconomic conditions of their times and written representations of a culture’s culinary repertoire yet, they have not been the primary focus of research projects. Acknowledgement of their potential contribution to our understanding of culinary history has been slow. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Cooking 4 change : 101 famous Kiwis share their favourite recipes
“Cooking 4 Change is the brainchild of celebrated New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell, his business partner Christian Kasper and TV host Erin Simpson. They asked a wide range of New Zealand celebrities to share their all-time favourite dishes in order to raise money for longstanding local charities. The recipes and stories are accompanied by sumptuous photography, mostly taken inside each celebrity’s own kitchen, and shows a remarkable when kiwis work together for the charities. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Francesca’s Italian kitchen : delicious Italian recipes made in New Zealand / Voza, Francesca
“Francesca’s Italian Kitchen is a popular South Island restaurant serving authentic Italian cuisine. This cookbook presents Francesca’s popular pasta, pizza, lamb shoulder ragu, cannellini bean salad and desserts using local NZ ingredients. Co-owner Francesca Voza has restaurants in Wanaka, Christchurch, Dunedin and Timaru. This book is peppered with photo taken from trips to the south of Italy and Wanaka. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Blue sky kitchen : creative cookery for Kiwi campers / Saker, Nicola
“Love camping, but fed up with canned food? Read on! Nicola Saker gives campsite cuisine a fresh new flavour with these mouth-watering recipes, some of which are her own creations and others collected from close friends and family. Along with a host of delicious new recipes – many involving New Zealand’s superb seafood bounty and old favourites, such as chilli con carne to potato salad. She also offers practical advice on food hygiene and storage, campfire tips and safety, and cooking kits.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

My Indian kitchen : delicious recipes for New Zealand cooks / Ismail-Singer, Ashia
“My Indian Kitchen features recipes for well-known traditional Indian dishes alongside a range of new and exciting Indian tastes and textures, these recipes are also Ashia’s food memories which has been passed down through generations. These are easy to make with ingredients that are easy to access in New Zealand. With chutneys and bites for grazing, light lunches, mains, desserts, home baking and more.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The rugby pantry : healthy measures & guilty pleasures / Dagg, Daisy
“Daisy is partner of All Blacks Israel Dagg and Amber is partners of Victor Vito. They shared recipes for mouthwatering meals that are also healthy enough for an athlete as well as personal anecdotes, which made them popular on Facebook. From Red Wine & Garlic Lamb Shanks with Herbed Mash & Cabbage or Sage, and Milk Poached Crispy Pork Belly, to Crispy Skin Salmon with Ginger Kumara Mash; from delicious desserts such as Tamarillo Tart or Apple & Feijoa Crumble.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Cooking with Charles Royal / Royal, Charles
“Here New Zealand’s foremost Maori chef combines traditional ingredients with tantalizing culinary flare.” (Catalogue)

Don’t spend all day cooking: New recipe books

Cooking over summer should be fast, easy and delicious, making sure there is still plenty of time left to sit back and enjoy the warm evenings. Here are some the latest cookbooks released this month to make meals quick and stress free this summer.

The plain cake appreciation society / Pamment, Tilly
“Welcome to The Plain Cake Appreciation Society. Where 52 simple, seasonal cake recipes inspire you to pause throughout the year, bake something delicious, and reflect on all that’s good in your world.  Find your own slice of joy in the Weekday Lemon Cake or Raspberry-studded Tea Bars at the height of a breezy summer, or the Rainy Day Chocolate Loaf and Ginger and Rose Madeleines for when the weather sets in. Uncomplicated and easy to make, these recipes will provide delicious inspiration all year round.” (Catalogue)

Classic : a timeless recipe collection / Goodwin, Julie
“Author, presenter, MasterChef, mum and nan – Julie Goodwin is also Australia’s most trusted home cook. In this ‘best of’ collection she shares tried and trusted recipes you’ll want to make again and again for your own family and friends. With comfort food, hearty family feasts, quick mid-week meals and the bakes and treats she is known for, as well as celebration show stoppers and an indispensable collection of condiments and sauces, this is classic Julie Goodwin at her best.” (Catalogue)

Do yourself a flavour : 75 easy recipes to feed yourself, your flatmates and your freezer / Freeborn, Fliss
“If you’re a young(ish) person who wants to expand their kitchen repertoire beyond pesto-pasta and beans on toast, then you’re in luck. Do Yourself a Flavour is full of ways to take your cooking to the next level. Brimming with over 75 recipes, plus tips and tricks for turning leftovers into fabulous meals in their own right, you’ll be covered for all situations, from those quick fridge-to-face moments, through to making a delicious dinner to feed your plant-based pals and raging carnivores alike.” (Catalogue)

Rick Stein’s simple suppers / Stein, Rick
“From bestselling cook and food writer Rick Stein, comes the iconic Simple Suppers – a joyful collection of over 100 genuinely easy and delicious recipes paired with stories that celebrate the simple things in life.” (Catalogue)

Mary makes it easy : the new ultimate stress-free cookbook / Berry, Mary
“In this brand-new collection of 120 recipes, Mary shares her tips and tricks to make home cooking stress-free, easy and – of course – delicious. Divided into clear chapters, featuring one-pot recipes and 5-ingredient meals, easy bakes and desserts as well as prep-ahead and store cupboard favourites, this book contains fuss-free, crowd-pleasing food that everyone will enjoy. Each recipe is beautifully photographed and accompanied by no-fuss tips and advice on preparing ahead and freezing. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Jeremy Pang’s simple family feasts / Pang, Jeremy
“Easy feasting is back on the menu with this new collection from TV’s Jeremy Pang. Bringing together the best flavours from across East and South East Asia, Jeremy Pang’s Simple Family Feasts includes more than 80 irresistible recipes for the whole family to enjoy. Nine of the ten chapters in the book are dedicated to a different country in East and South East Asia, each one offering a range of dishes inspired by that particular cuisine.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Modern Chinese : 70+ easy, everyday recipes from the winner of MasterChef NZ / Low, Sam
“Sam Low demystifies modern Chinese cooking with a collection of accessible, simple recipes that can be cooked with ingredients from the supermarket. He describes in detail how to build your pantry of classic Chinese ingredients, setting the foundation for cooking. Having grown up in a diasporic Chinese household, Sam creates recipes with a unique take on nostalgic traditional classics, while adding a new narrative to what it means to cook modern Chinese.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Air fryer magic : 75 easy recipes for frying, roasting, & baking
“In this ultimate cookbook, the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen shows just how versatile air fryers can be with dozens of tested, perfect recipes for delicious mains, easy appetizers and sides, decadent desserts and super-fast breakfasts. Plus, the experts share their lab-testing notes about which type of air fryer to buy, the best ways to clean and maintain your machine, as well as top-tested tools and techniques for successful air frying (psst…make sure to not crowd the basket!).” (Catalogue)

Good food fast: Latest cookbooks

The month of March can sometimes feel like a busy one. Autumn is here, the universities have started back, and the evenings are slowly getting darker. This selection of new cookbooks share the same theme; quick, easy and delicious. There’s a new recipe to try for everyone in our collection!

Is this a cookbook? : adventures in the kitchen / Blumenthal, Heston
“Well, it’s full of Heston’s typically brilliant, delicious and inventive recipes. Every recipe is simple, straightforward and totally do-able. This is Heston at his most accessible. But there’s so much more. Each of the 70 recipes is accompanied by Heston’s thoughts, stories, insights and hacks, turning each cooking session into a journey that will excite and inspire and reveal a whole world of culinary possibilities and fresh perspectives. It’s the next best thing to having Heston as your sous-chef. So why not get in the kitchen and have an adventure?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Good food fast : delicious recipes that won’t waste your time / Jonzen, Emily
“Discover over 80 simple recipes that can be thrown together in a flash, from speedy mid-week meals to relaxed weekend feasts for friends. Most can be on the table in 30 minutes tops.”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)

 

Real life recipes : fantastic fuss-free food / Kerridge, Tom
“The ultimate cookbook for simple everyday recipes that fit your needs and won’t break the bank.” (Catalogue)

 

 

 

The edgy veg : easy eats : quick, tasty, vegan / Hutchings, Candice
“In her follow-up to the bestselling The Edgy Veg: 138 Carnivore-Approved Vegan Recipes, Candice Hutchings, returns with Edgy Veg Easy Eats, a collection of brand new recipes that don’t sacrifice creativity or bold flavour for ease or time. In these delicious pages, you will find vegan food built differently.   Flip open to any page, and each recipe will take you no longer than 45 minutes to make, while never compromising your need for great taste. No more backbreaking, long-haul, wallet-robbing treks to the fancy health food store for you. In no time at all you will be serving up dinner with an attitude and a cheeky side.”– Provided by publisher.” (Adapted by Catalogue)

Pimp your air fryer / Grigg, Jake
“Pimp Your Air Fryer goes against what you think a cookbook is. Written by Jake Grigg, aka the Air Fryer Guy, it is a recipe book that is not only fun and light-hearted, but one that promotes creativity and challenges the fundamentals of cooking. The Air Fryer Guy is a TikTok and Instagram sensation. His videos went viral after he started making wacky recipes in his air fryer.  So, if you have just bought an air fryer and you are still learning the tricks of the trade, or if you are an air fryer OG and looking for some next-level hacks and creativity, this is the book for you!”–Publisher’s description.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Fool proof veggie one-pot : 60 vibrant and easy-going vegetarian dishes / Rosenthal, Alan
“Celebrate the essence and simplicity of one-pot cooking with everything from creamy pastas and risottos to fragrant curries and stir-fries, with 60 delicious and modern vegetarian recipes that are full of flavour”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

 

Go-to dinners : make ahead, freeze ahead, prep ahead, easy, assembled / Garten, Ina
“Cooking during the pandemic inspired Garten to rethink the way she approached dinner. Here she shares strategies for making delicious, satisfying, and uncomplicated dinners. Many of the recipes are freeze-ahead, make-ahead, prep-ahead, or simply assembled from leftovers from another dinner. She even shows you how to assemble amazing boards using store-bought ingredients! — adapted from front flap” (Catalogue)

Sweet treats and drinks: Recent cookbooks

February may be the last month of summer, but there’s still time to sit outside and enjoy the warmer temperatures with a delicious snack! Here is a small selection of some of the new food and drink books on our shelves now — try out your baking skills and create something delicious, or add a drink to go with your sweat treat. We hope you find new recipes to enjoy below while the warm weather lasts!

Simply vegan baking : taking the faff out of vegan cakes, cookies, breads and desserts / Cox, Freya
“70 fun and accessible recipes for all your favourite classic bakes made vegan – from Great British Bake Off‘s young vegan star, Freya Cox.  Try any of the 70 reassuringly familiar recipes and you’ll be amazed that they’re so effortlessly vegan.  Recipes include: salted caramel cupcakes; carrot cake; triple chocolate cookies; cinnamon rolls; white chocolate and raspberry blondies; banoffee pie slices; lemon meringue pie; black forest gateau.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

What’s for dessert : simple recipes for dessert people / Saffitz, Claire
What’s for Dessert includes lots of make-ahead, no bake, and simple stove top desserts, while still combining Claire’s trademark of dependable recipes with wow-factor ingredient combinations to create show stopping and viral-worthy recipes. Filled with a variety of recipes, including chilled and frozen desserts, easy cakes, pies, tarts, galettes, cobblers, and crisps, soufflés, stirred custards, and bars, cookies and candy.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Celebrate! : bake every day special / Dunn, Jane
“100 simple recipes to make every day a celebration, from […] bestselling author Jane Dunn, the blogger and baker behind Jane’s Patisserie. Celebrate! is packed with simple bakes, mouth-watering flavours and moreish treats that will make every day special. Good things come to those who bake!” (Catalogue)

The great British bake off : favourite flavours
“A feast for both the eyes and the taste buds, these flavourful bakes will leave you inspired to mix and match different combinations, or to indulge yourself with some classic tastes and textures. Whether you’re looking for a tart blackcurrant millefeuille, a fresh passion fruit trifle, a sticky ginger treacle tart or a rich chocolate and speculoos cake – Paul, Prue, the Bake Off team and the 2022 bakers are here to show you how to get the perfect result. From earthy to spicy, and from tangy to creamy, this book showcases how to bring out the very best flavours in whatever you create.” (Catalogue)

Mocktails, cordials, syrups, infusions and more : over 80 delicious recipes for alcohol-free drinks
“It’s time to reclaim alcohol-free drinks from the bland and the boring, and instead elevate the cordials, infusions, syrups and mocktails to unprecedented heights of deliciousness.” (Catalogue)

60-second cocktails : amazing drinks to make at home in a minute / Harrison, Joel
60-Second Cocktails: Amazing Drinks to Make At Home in a Minute is the latest book from award-winning drinks writers and TV presenters Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley. These simple-yet-delicious cocktails are divided into three chapters: ‘No Shake, Sherlock’ – the easiest to make, requiring little or no preparation, and using standard spirits and mixers; ‘Shake It Up’ – slightly more complex concoctions that need a quick shake or stir; and ‘Magnificent Mixes’ – special drinks for the more decadent drinking occasions which require a little more prep, or an unusual ingredient here and there.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

How to make the best coffee at home / Hoffmann, James
“The author demonstrates everything you need to know to make consistently excellent coffee at home, including: what equipment is worth buying, and what isn’t; how to grind coffee; the basics of brewing for all major equipment (cafetiere, aeropress, stovetop etc); understanding coffee drinks, from the cortado to latte and the perfect espresso.” (Catalogue)

The curious bartender : in pursuit of liquid perfection : recipes for the finest cocktails / Stephenson, Tristan
The Curious Bartender: In Pursuit of Liquid Perfection is the sixth book by master mixologist, spirits entrepreneur, award-winning bar owner and bestselling author Tristan Stephenson. Tristan’s back to shake up the cocktail world once more, crafting classic cocktails and offering his signature reinventions using his world-renowned mixology skills.” (Catalogue)

Top 100 Non-Fiction books from 2022

Highlights of 2022

Our list of the top 100 non-fiction books for 2022 includes the best in memoirs and biographies, poetry, local history, science and technology, health, cooking, music, art and architecture. We’ve selected an eclectic mix of acclaimed local authors, New York Times Bestsellers, Pulitzer prize winners and breakthrough newcomers, meaning there’s plenty of choice for the deep-dive readers and coffee book lovers alike (and everyone in-between).

2022 Non-fiction Highlights — Browse the full list
Browse the full list with all our picks, or browse just the topic you enjoy!

I'm glad my mom died / Jeanette McCurdyMy fourth time, we drowned / Sally HaydenAs ever, the compelling human stories encompassing grief, love, personal trauma and strengths of character shine through, with a hearty selection of memoirs and biographies to choose from, including Sally Hayden’s critically acclaimed My fourth time, we drowned. Topping our most heavily reserved new non-fiction title of 2022 was Jennette McCurdy’s hit memoir I’m glad my mom died. A little further off the beaten path, was Hua Hsu’s ‘quietly wrenching’ coming-of-age memoir Stay True, and the visual delight of Kate Beaton’s graphic memoir Ducks: two years in the oil sands.

Contributions to the local poetry scene were beautifully espoused in Khadro Mohamed’s We’re all made of lightning and in the visual expressions of the poet/painter collaboration within Bordering on Miraculous. Shining locally likewise, the great architectural designs in Making Space and HomeGround, which highlight design as a conduits to push social boundaries in Aotearoa New Zealand communities.

Regenesis / by George MonbiotCalls for climate awareness were made riveting in The Alarmist, Nomad Century and Regenesis. Our oceans were also a focal point for many this year, and explored in great depth, with Jellyfish age backwards, Secrets of the Sea and in Adrift: the curious tale of Lego lost at sea, among others.

The collapse of historic empires, stories of divided nations and political parties in turmoil were explored in a multitude of ways in the vast array of global history titles featured on our list. Included are Legacy of Violence: A history of the British Empire by Pulitzer prize winning Historian Caroline Elkins, and Fragments of a contested past: Remembrance, denial and New Zealand history by Joanna Kidman.

Wawata: Moon Dreaming / by Hinemoa ElderWe let the world’s first astronomers take us on a star gazing tour, and found daily wisdom in Hinemoa Elder’s Wawata: Moon Dreaming. Cap off 2022 by allowing yourself to become enveloped in worlds both near and far, and understand our past, present and future within the Top 100 non-fiction books of 2022 list. Pair with our Top 100 fiction books list, and you’re all set for your Summer Reading Adventure.

Edible cities: Books on foraging

A selection of our books on foraging

via GIPHY

So far, raumati (summer) in Wellington has been pretty idyllic. Hopefully, you’ve been able to get out and enjoy the outdoors, maybe by taking a dip in the surprisingly welcoming ocean or enjoying time in the garden with a good book. If you’re looking for a new outdoor activity, and are keen to explore around Wellington a bit more, foraging could be an ideal new hobby for you! Wellington has an array of forgeable foods growing all around the city, including mushrooms, koromiko flowers and dandelion!

Of course there are risks with foraging, you need to be confident in identifying plants before you eat them! We suggest first connecting with Wellington’s vibrant foraging community. There are plenty of supportive online communities, and professionally led courses you can attend to gain this required knowledge.

Our libraries also have a wealth of resources to help you in your foraging adventures! Below is a booklist to get you started. Happy foraging!

A forager’s treasury / Knox, Johanna
“Features profiles of many edible plants commonly found in New Zealand, including advice on where to find them, how to harvest them and how best to use them”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)

Find it, eat it : cooking foraged food gathered around New Zealand / Daly, Michael
“Divided according to edible weeds, food foraged from the fields, forest and seashore and a pantry section, Michael Daly provides recipes that demonstrate the use of wild foods in everyday cooking.”–Publisher information.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

A field guide to the native edible plants of New Zealand / Crowe, Andrew
“Over 190 trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, mushrooms, lichens and seaweeds are described in detail in this useful and attractive book, with information on which part is edible and when, how plants have been utilised, particularly by Maori, their nutritional value, and where they can be found. In a separate section, Andrew Crowe also describes important poisonous plants that are native to New Zealand or are likely to be confused with the edible plants.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Seaweed and eat it : a family foraging and cooking adventure / Houston, Fiona
“Part cookbook, part natural history guide, with tasty recipes, fascinating folklore and inspiring ideas for seasonal feasts, this book leads the reader through the process of identifying, learning about and cooking unusual and wild native foods.” (Catalogue)

The edible city : a year of wild food / Rensten, John
”  In The Edible City, urban forager John Rensten gives us the tools to identify, source and cook delicious food from the year-long bounty around us, whether that’s winter cress and wild garlic soup, nettle and three-cornered leek gnocchi or stinging nettle tempura. This account of a year of urban foraging is perfect for the armchair enthusiast or home cook looking for exciting new ingredients to experiment with.” (Catalogue)

The thrifty forager / Fowler, Alys
“Fowler takes a fresh look at foraging, encouraging you to look closer to home, from the weeds in your garden to the trees in your street…Alys showcases her favourite edibles with a plant directory packed with useful information – photographic identification, plant description and tips on how to grow and how to eat it (including recipes such as fruit leathers and chutney) – that will give you the confidence to identify plants yourself.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Food you can forage : edible plants to harvest, cook and enjoy / Francis, Tiffany
“An accessible and engaging guide to foraging for families and amateur naturalists.” (Catalogue)