Q. What came first — the love of gardening or cooking?
My love of gardening came first as I always had my own wee vegetable garden as a child. Cooking came later when I started working in the hospitality industry when I was 16.
Q. What is your favourite food?
I love creative salads that come from the garden. My chicken Caesar pasta salad is one of my favourites.
Q. If the prime minister came for dinner what would you serve?
This is easy! My lamb wellington followed by my silky panna cotta with berry compote.
Most definitely a meat thermometer. It takes the guess work out of cooking all proteins and gives you the chef’s edge over cooking the likes of venison or a good steak.
Q. When are you at your happiest?
Another easy question — when I look after my grandson, Charlie. He just loves to be pushed around the garden in the stroller and take in all the atmosphere of what Nana has created for the next generation.
Q. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
This would have to be my macaroni cheese. Simple comfort food cooked well.
Q. How did this book come about?
I had been involved in property investment and development for over 30 years. It was now time to follow my passion for food and entertaining.
The indoor/outdoor flow of my house is wonderful and allows you to set up for meals in multiple different areas of the house — inside or outside.
Q. How do you cope with a big garden?
I do have help with the garden for a day per week. Saturday is always my gardening day and any other times in the week that I can spare. My favourite part of gardening is harvesting all the goodies from the vegetable garden to make into beautiful, healthy meals.
Q. What are your top tips for home entertainers?
1. Do as much as you can the day before.
2. Serve canapes instead of an entree. This allows you time to mingle and makes everyone feel at ease.
4. In addition to wine, I like to serve a cocktail as well. I make up the cocktail as non-alcoholic and leave a bottle of either vodka, gin, or tequila for anyone that wants to oomph up their drink.
5. Enjoy yourself — don’t be stressed if something doesn’t turn out perfectly. There is nothing a few extra herbs or icing sugar can’t hide.
The recipes on this page are from Heazlewood’s Table at Tangleby and would make a perfect picnic or casual lunch with friends and family this summer.
The book
Table at Tangleby by Sue Heazlewood, Photos: Neil Smith, RRP $64.95, published by Auckram Publishing, available tangleby.co.nz
Nutella rice krispie slice
This slice has a tendency to disappear rather quickly.
Makes 18
50g butter
225g white marshmallows
325g Nutella
175g rice bubbles
300g white chocolate
METHOD
1. Line a 28 x 18cm slice tin with baking paper.
2. Place the butter and marshmallows in a large saucepan and stir over a low heat until melted.
3. Remove from the heat, add 175g of the Nutella and stir until smooth.
4. Add the rice bubbles and mix well.
5. Use slightly wet hands to press the mixture firmly into the prepared slice tin.
6. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in short bursts in a microwave, stirring between bursts.
7. In a separate bowl, slightly melt the remaining 150g of Nutella.
8. Pour the two mixtures over the base and swirl with a skewer or fork to get a marbled effect.
9. Refrigerate until set before serving.
Sausage & egg picnic roll
Boiled eggs add the wow factor to this tasty sausage roll, making it a fantastic addition to a summer picnic or casual lunch. It’s shown here with a Greek peasant salad.
Serves 6
450g sausage meat
½ onion finely diced
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Ground black pepper, to taste
350g flaky pastry
A little flour, to sprinkle
6 eggs hard-boiled and peeled
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan bake). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Mix the sausage meat, onion, Parmesan, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and pepper in a bowl.
3. Roll out the pastry into a 35cm x 25cm rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
4. Sprinkle a little flour over the pastry to stop the sausage mixture from sticking, then arrange the sausage mixture lengthwise down the centre of the pastry.
5. Place the hard-boiled eggs in a row down the centre of the sausage mixture.
6. Wrap the sausage mixture over the eggs to encase them.
7. Roll the pastry over the sausage mixture, folding in the ends.
8. Place on the prepared tray with the seam to the underside, brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
9. Make cuts along the roll like a strudel.
10. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
11. To serve, slice with a sharp knife to reveal the egg.
Greek peasant salad
A light, bright and delicious salad that transports well, so it’s perfect to take to a pot-luck barbecue.
Serves 4
1 large red onion — thinly sliced
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
5 tomatoes cut into 1.5cm pieces
½ cucumber cut into 1.5cm pieces
½ cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup pitted kalamata olives — halved
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
100g feta cut into chunks
Method
1. Combine the onion, oil and vinegar in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, mint, basil and olives.
3. Add the onion mixture and season with salt and pepper.
4. Top with the feta to serve.
