FROM THE EDITOR
I totally blew it with the pork loin but I smashed the salmon with udon noodles out of the park. Two recipes I remember from With Fork and Spoon — Annabel Langbein’s first cookbook, one for the disastrous outcome and one that was so impressive and yet so simple it became a constant in my repertoire. But the loin was another story. It had been marinading in pineapple and I had invited people over. But I cranked the oven up high, drank too much, got into an argument with someone, forgot the pork and, by the time I remembered to pull it out of the oven, we were all so far gone and so was it. But there was salsa, which I remember was really great; if only it could have been a standalone dish. I tell this story only to illustrate my own miserable failing, not that of the author or recipe — innocent parties in the whole sorry affair. This week, Canvas food columnist Annabel Langbein looks back on her life in food. Bella is part memoir, part recipe book. It’s full of brilliant stories and photos— like the one on our cover, which is like a Marianne Faithfull album cover. To celebrate, we also have a fantastic giveaway, a luxury escape at Robertson Lodges for two. Enjoy the story of Annabel’s adventures, and check out the prize on page 7.
Nga mihi nui
Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito — a symbol of protection, connection and strength and the great legacy of Maori carver Tene Waitere (1853– 1931). Hinemihi is one of Aotearoa’s most important offshore taonga and while the whare itself sits in a Surrey garden in the UK, you can now see it as part of Auckland Artweek, as an impressive triptych by photographer Mark Adams — each panel measures 1335mm x 1065mm each — at Onslow restaurant. The backstory is remarkable. In 1881, Tuhourangi iwi commissioned master carver Waitere to create the whare Hinemihi and it stood near the famed Pink and White Terraces. When Mt Tarawera erupted in 1886 the whare was a shelter for a handful of survivors, including Waitere and his whanau. It was acquired by the Earl of Onslow who, in 1892, shipped it to Clandon House, in Surrey, where it has remained for 128 years. Clandon House burned down in 2015 but Hinemihi has survived. Whether the taonga remains in the UK or is shipped back to Aotearoa remains to be seen but for now it can be revered in an elegant dining room.
To see the work see the website, onslow.nz or visit Onslow, 9 Princes St, Auckland.