Food, Wine & Beverages

Our cat Parker is a greedy little fellow, always with his paw out for something to eat. The thing that surprises us is that he never gets bored, as we would if we ate the same thing day after day.

Much as I enjoy browsing round food stores there are times when I don't feel like going out to shop. On those days I have a look to see what's in the pantry, fridge or freezer and have fun putting together a serendipitous meal

Nowadays people have a better idea of what Italian food should be, although sadly, to many it's still just pasta and pizza but with good Italian cooking, all roads lead to home.

With the smell of wood smoke on the night air and the first misty chill of oncoming winter, my appetite turns to the warming, comforting and hearty dishes that keep the cold months at bay.

Getting three home-cooked meals a day into our grandchildren seems like an impossible goal given today's pace of life. Yet children's need for good, nourishing food remains a constant.

In our house, and I suspect in quite a few others, thick-cut rib-eye and sirloin steaks are for special occasions in these difficult times and even a pork chop of respectable thickness is rare.

I have loved mussels ever since the early 60's, when my mum and dad first took me to eat them on the old boat in Barcelona harbour that served the shellfish fresh from the mussel "farm" that surrounded it.

Whether yours is by the beach or in the backyard, state of the art or run of the mill, fuelled by gas, charcoal or driftwood there is something wonderful about cooking on a barbecue.

Being able to eat your way to a healthier you sounds too good to be true, but that's just what the annual Wattie's National Soup week aims to teach us.

The aim of a good healthy lifestyle is to include a variety of many different foods that will supply plenty of nutrients and to balance your energy intake with your activity levels!