Charmian Smith

For this weeks On the menu review, Charmian Smith visits the Southland farmers market, the new official healthy food website and analyses Ribena's new ready-to-drink blackcurrant range.

Tony Tan is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Vietnamese, Malay, Nonya, Spanish, Thai and Chinese cuisines.

When it comes to fast food, Faith Willinger's 30-second appetiser - a chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano drizzled with a few drops of balsamico tradizionale - must beat all others for speed, flavour and style.

Pinot noir is becoming a fashion item as much as a wine to enjoy.

Australian Jane Ferrari is unlike other wine marketers despite spending most of her working life hosting wine lunches and dinners around the world.

Beautiful creamy curds cradled by strong green leaves: Charmian Smith takes a closer look at the not-so-humble cauliflower.

The idea of creating fabulous food without recipes appeals to many of us, but few have the courage or skill to do so.

Shiraz is Australia's most famous red wine, generally a rich, spicy wine sometimes slightly jammy and sometimes with a firm finish.

In these days of rising food prices and health awareness, a packed lunch is cheaper and probably healthier than buying a pie or even a ready-made sandwich. At least you know what went into it. Charmian Smith investigates some lunch boxes.

It was my pleasure to watch these young Hawkes Bay reds from the Gimblett Gravels area develop as I tasted them over several days.

Chefs with gardens or gardeners who supply vegetables directly are much to the fore these days, as there is a renewed interest in gardening and especially in growing vegetables.

One of the characteristics of New Zealand wine, especially of its whites, is the crisp acidity that leaves a tingling freshness in the mouth.

The annual Monteith's Wild Food Challenge is now in full swing with about 120 restaurants around the country (10 in Dunedin and 13 in Central) going wild and wacky with their food.

The Grape Escapade was a surreal experience - on one side a floodlit colonial Portuguese town hall, on the other, light spilling through the glass walls of a modern multiplex entertainment centre; at one end a stage featuring Indofusion music and Bollywood-style dancing, and in the courtyard between, tables and chairs and wine and food stalls with eager customers keen to learn about wine and enjoy themselves.

Tomato soup, once New Zealand's favourite has been displaced by fancier flavours, but there's not much to beat a good, old-fashioned tomato soup - or is there? Charmian Smith compares bought and homemade versions.

Some of the more interesting New Zealand pinot gris is made in a savoury, full-bodied style perhaps influenced by the wines of Alsace, in France.

It's hard to appreciate the dark complexities of pinot noir at 10am on a cold Cromwell morning.

Central Otago winemakers are turning their attentions to whites as well as reds. Charmian Smith has a sneak preview of the new wines.