ED’S LETTER

THIS GORGEOUS EDITION is a winner for sure! Not only do we bring you our Cuisine Good Food Award-winning restaurants – to ensure you know the people and places to have on your dining-out radar for 2020 – but we also give you a look inside the prestigious Ōra King Awards where, as you can see, I made a beeline for the kitchen. Plus there’s the the very first Coastal Lamb New Zealand Challenge; all of these showcase New Zealand chefs at their very best. As we hit shelves and mailboxes you will hopefully be winding down and slipping into summer-holiday mode, so we’ve focussed on a healthy dose of the Mediterranean to help you take on the new year with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of flavour. The result is a spectacular mix of the traditional and the new, so get ready to immerse yourself in some sensational meals that are packed with the feel-good vibes of all of the wonderful produce that is at its best at this time of year.

Ginny Grant brings you a terrific bunch of hacks to take your holiday meals up a notch without having to think too hard and Emma Galloway gives Grecian favourites a meat-free makeover. Fiona Smith takes on classic Mediterranean ingredients and turns them into a glorious taste of New Zealand summer and Will Bowman and Jane Lyons of The Next Meal are re-imagining classics with vegetables for your optimum health. For a little something extra we’ve thrown in a sustainable menu from Wellington’s Ortega Fish Shack because you can’t do summer without some serious seafood and no one does it better than Ortega.

Of course, when you are not dishing up for family and friends, make the most of the ever-evolving restaurant options around you and head out for a treat. It’s an amazing time to be dining out in New Zealand.

Read on and cook and eat well... KELLI BRETT, EDITOR, CUISINE