Charmian Smith

Winemakers are never satisfied.

Jamie Oliver is a young chef with a mission to teach the world to cook and eat good, simple, healthy food, for which I admire him.

It's thyme-flowering time in Central Otago. Charmian Smith is inspired to take some home to use in her kitchen.

Central Otago wine growers - especially the pioneering ones - have a reputation for stubbornness, determination and individuality, and no-one epitomises this more than Verdun Burgess and Sue Edwards and their dramatic vineyard, Black Ridge near Alexandra.

One of the most practical cookbooks on offer at the moment is the latest in Sophie Gray's destitute gourmet series, Delicious (Random House, pbk, $35).

There's something about European wines that makes them good with food - often better, actually, than by themselves.

Are we in danger of losing an authentic southern snack? Prof Helen Leach tells Charmian Smith about the endangered real southern toasted cheese roll.

Community recipe books are useful in the present and treasures for the future as we see by the work of people like Prof Helen Leach, David Veart and Alexa Johnston, who have written books based on research in old community cookbooks to come up with stories about our culinary past.

Nearly 30 Central Otago winemakers were showing more than 90 wines in Dunedin last week to trade and public.

There are a host of food and wine books on offer for Christmas, from small and specialised to exotic and informative. Charmian Smith sorts through some of what's on offer.

"Oh my God," said one of my fellow tasters as she brought the glass of sauvignon blanc towards her nose.

The first Central Otago cherries appeared at the Otago Farmers Market in Dunedin on Saturday.

Turkey is traditional Christmas fare but cooking one can be daunting. This recipe from the ODT archives will show you how. .

There's undoubtedly an incentive for winemakers who have worked for larger companies to want to go and do their own thing.

Stopping at a roadside stall to buy fresh produce is one of the delights of holidaying around New Zealand.

A book for food lovers, especially lovers of Southeast Asian food, is Sri Owen's Indonesian Food (Pavilion, hbk, $60).

At this time of year - or at any time really - it's nice to sip something special, something a bit different with a few close friends.

It's scary when you go to a barbecue and find someone putting the cooked chicken on the plate that held the raw chicken, or that the potato salad has been left in the sun for hours.

Looking for a great barbecue red?