KEY POINTS:
A Christchurch mother is banking on her organic biscuit venture striking a chord with other parents wanting to find healthy snacks for their families. Michelle Blakely became so frustrated she couldn't find her son Connor biscuits free from additives, trans fats and MSG, that she decided to manufacture her own.
She worked with a food technician for two years to come up with the recipes for her Wildlife Downunder range which has just become the first children's biscuit to get the Heart Foundation Tick. Along the way, her husband joined the business and the couple sold their house to fund it.
Michelle also enlisted the help of a leading paediatrician and nutritionist to refine her recipes and, most importantly, did plenty of taste testing on small subjects. No artificial ingredients, refined white sugar or dairy are included in the recipes, honey is used for sweetening and fibre content is high.
"We are really pleased our biscuits meet the high nutrition standards set by the Heart Foundation," says Michelle.
The biscuits are available in two flavours: chocky and wild vanilla.
* From supermarkets and organic shops, priced from $5 to $6.
Cuisine queens in waiting
Domestic goddesses are made not born, so turn your little princess into a fully fledged queen of the kitchen by sending them off to cupcake cooking school early.
Two courses, both aimed mainly at teens or pre-teens, have caught our eye, one at Main Course cooking school in the old gas building at Victoria Park Market and the other at Auckland institution Milly's Parnell warehouse kitchen. Main Course runs its Cool Kids Workshop on the last Saturday of each month and aims to encourage budding chefs to realise how much fun cooking can be. They'll learn how to plan a menu, find ingredients and how to make and present delicious food. Sessions run from 10am to 1pm and participants get to make their own lunch and sweet goodies, plus extra to take home.
Milly's is running a special Mother's Day Baking Class on Saturday April 28, so your little angel(s) will be able to serve up a treat on your special day.
Those aged 14 and over can get along alone to the 2pm-3.30pm session, but younger children require a companion, with dads especially welcome. Learn how to make easy cookies, pancakes, and, yes, cupcakes. If you're the one that's missed out in the culinary department, learn how to fool the kids - or at least their friends - with Milly's special Easy Kids Cakes class on Tuesday, April 3. You'll be able to whip up a perfect themed birthday cake, right down to the decorative piped icing.
* Booking details: Milly's course costs $35 per person. Ph (09) 309-1696 or email your contact and credit card details with which course you wish to attend to customerservice@millys.co.nz
* Main Course, $89, Ph (09) 302-1460 or for details of this and other adult courses see maincourse.co.nz.
Rice one
Rice bran oil is gaining a worldwide following, claiming to be healthier than alternatives. The mild-tasting oil contains vitamin E and lecithin producing high antioxidant levels. As it is lightly viscose not much is absorbed in cooking, reducing overall calories. It's also easy to use at high temperatures, making it good for barbecuing and frying.
The Alfa One Rice Bran Oil brand has released a cooking spray priced at $5.29 from supermarkets to complement its oil and spread selection.
Kumeu company Prenzel has a gourmet take on rice bran oils, with infused versions and vinaigrettes. The oil is available in Tuscan, chilli, garlic, citrus, rosemary and butter flavours. The vinaigrette comes in an avocado and citrus blend.
* Prenzel products, which also include flavoured salts, are available from Prenzel Kumeu, 325 State Highway 16, Huapai (09) 412-7550, and Prenzel Whitford, 7 Whitford Wharf Rd, Ph (09) 530-888 or online at prenzelgifts.co.nz .
Get your talons ready
Raptor Rubs are a new range of herb and spice rubs for meat and vegetables. Made with quality natural ingredients, including La Chinata Spanish smoked paprika, culinary lavender, ground juniper berries, porcini powder and horopito, the 100 per cent vegetarian rubs can pep up roasts, grills or barbecues. Lightly spray or brush your produce with oil, then coat with the rub to add flavour. They come in four varieties suitable for chicken, steak, salmon and another for lamb, game and vegetables.
Available in 100g jars or 500g pouches at selected stores, including Sabato, Westmere Butchers, Eiffel en Eden and Island Time Deli on Waiheke Island or via the website raptorrubs.co.nz.
Raptor Rubs is so named because the company is committed to the conservation of raptors. Each container carries a picture of the New Zealand bird and a percentage of the profits goes to the Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust (wingspan.co.nz). New Zealand was home to the world's biggest and now extinct raptor, the haast eagle, which had a wingspan of 3m.
Best in the biz
The hospitality industry is looking for nominations for its annual Lewisham Awards, which reward excellence among eateries and their restaurateurs, maitre ds, waiters, bar staff, chefs, baristas and more. Industry workers are asked to vote for their favourites who will be honoured at an awards night in May. For information lewishamawards.co.nz
Instant pick up
No time to nip out of the office for a quick cup of coffee? Then keep a few of the new Coffee Break bars in your top drawer. Think muesli bar with a hit of caffeine. Whole grains are mixed with roasted coffee beans in three flavours: espresso, vanilla latte and mocha, with either chocolate or yoghurt topping . From Nice and Natural, the bars cost $3.99 and are available at supermarkets.
Aloha Mt Maunganui
Fancy a Sundowner by the beach? It's a long way to drive, but we at The Dish, reckon it's worth having a reason to hit the road occasionally, so to keep the taste of summer flowing just a little longer, check out the new Hawaiian-style beach bar at Mt Maunganui.
The cruisy Aloha Lili is sarong and jandal friendly and just across the road from the boardwalk. With its retro-themed decor, complete with bamboo screens and surfboard tables, the look may be casual, but the team are pros, led by owners Miles Newey and Jo Birdsall, who have a strong pedigree at bars both internationally and locally (including Blake's Hotel in Britain and Euro and Pasha in Auckland) and executive chef, Michael Price, who survived Gordon Ramsay's Claridges Hotel in London and spent time behind the stoves at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck.
Food options range from fine dining to gourmet pizzas. Bar manager Matt Jeffery (the Green Room, Match and Euro) has a menu of classic cocktails and his own creations with names like Te Puke Thunder and the Waimea Wipeout.
* Aloha Lili is at 1 Marine Parade (under the twin towers) Mt Maunganui. Ph (07) 574 3360.
