Fort Greene makes a mean sandwich - the artisan bakery makes its bread from scratch and uses sustainably sourced produce to showcase the might of a well-made sarnie. The bakery and eatery specialise in these and delicious Viennoiserie, offering a bright spot on the K Rd lunch scene.
The last two years of the pandemic have obviously presented challenges for the owner/operators, Liam and Andrea. "But we have become resilient," says Liam. "We have learned to think outside the box and try new things to make it work."
Coming up to Anzac Day, Liam's Nana's Anzac biscuits will join the offerings - see below for the recipe. And the team are also creating and trying out new sourdoughs every Saturday for their loyal and discerning customers. "And in a couple of weeks we'll start again with our filled croissant cubes," adds Liam.
Here we ask Liam about his culinary home habits.
Fort Greene, 327 Karangahape Road, Auckland. Website: fortgreene.co.nz
I would describe my kitchen at home as... In a word - Spartan.
The changes I'd make to turn it into a dream kitchen... New appliances and an island for prep purposes.
Things you'll always find in my fridge are... butter, cheese and various pickles and ferments.
Some of my pantry staples are... a large array of whole spices and rices. On the nights that there is time and energy, I like to make curries from scratch.
My favourite ingredient to cook with is... onions because they are versatile and they form the base of almost every major cuisine from Europe to Asia.
The kind of dishes I most love to make are... One-pot dinners (curries, stews, etc) minimum dishes, maximum flavour.
My go-to in a hurry is... Pizza. Generally pretty traditional with the toppings in our house. Leave the tinned spaghetti at the door.
And if friends stop by unexpectedly... we always have sourdough at home, so sourdough and anything we find in the fridge (dips, cheese, usually some charcuterie from the Grey Lynn Butcher).
My drink of choice is... I actually have to admit I am a real sucker for a Roses Lime Cordial and soda.
Something unexpected I make from scratch is... hot sauce. I always have a bottle of my own hot sauce at home and I put it on everything. I've been experimenting lately with lacto-fermented hot sauces as well. Watch this space.
I cook at home... far too often. We have an 8-year-old and 1-year-old so we have to cook and eat healthily. When I'm not making dinner for Andrea, Olivia and myself, I'm preparing balanced baby food from scratch for Sofia.
My favourite place to eat right now is... At the moment with a 1-year-old our eating outs are more like takeaways at home. Go Go Daddy in Ponsonby Central never disappoints.
A kitchen gadget everyone should own is... Not really a gadget, but everyone should have at least one Le Creuset cast iron pan. I was gifted one on my departure from Ponsonby Road Bistro in 2012 and have made almost every meal in it since.
My food philosophy is... Small, local, simple and keep trying new things.
