Lifestyle

Taste the good life

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

Marlborough is a foodie's heaven and many of its delights are in season right now.

Beer excitement high in March

By Geoff Griggs - The Marlborough Express

Eagerly anticipated each year by Kiwi beer aficionados, March 6 is the day when Dunedin brewer Richard Emerson releases the new vintage of Emerson's Taieri George.

There's no excuse for not trying something new

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

Nobody likes change. Generally we're much more suited to routine and knowing what's coming next. This applies equally to the constant of the daily commute for city dwellers to the rhythms of rural life. Even animals get in on the act – with routine-obsessed bovines literally lining up at the gate waiting to start the trip to the milking shed.

Scrumptious and sustainable

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

Once in a while you find something really special, something that is just a little bit different but feels familiar. It has an aura that makes it stand out from the crowd in a good way.

All kinds of treats from tomatoes

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins." - Laurie Colwin (American author)

The taste of a family tradition

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

It was with great pleasure that I once again found myself in the Marlborough Sounds, getting comfortable with a couple of goat. Not just any old goats, but a rather friendly pair from Sherrington Grange.

Low-carb beers right for some

By Geoff Griggs - The Marlborough Express

This week, I thought it was time to look at a class of beers that until now I've studiously ignored: reduced carbohydrate beers

Blooming downsize

By Lynda Papesch - The Marlborough Express

Not having much room hasn't stopped one avid Blenheim gardener from putting down roots.

It's not just the hops, it's the grain

By Geoff Griggs - The Marlborough Express

Last week the news media reported an overall drop in alcohol consumption in New Zealand for 2009. According to Statistics New Zealand, the total amount of alcohol produced for consumption last year fell by 3.1 per cent to 471 million litres.

Seasonal saviours

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

Sweetcorn, sweet peppers (capsicums), eggplants and tomatoes are at their best and at their cheapest, even if you haven't grown your own. So now's the time to enjoy "in-season" budget meals.

Increasingly creative labels vie for market share

By Deborah Walton & Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

The Watcher is another new wine label on the shelves and it is worth watching out for, as the sauvignon blanc is really rather good.

What's in a spud's name? Plenty

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

There are some things that you just cannot do on a computer or in front of a TV, so I raise my pitchfork to the kids spud in the bucket competition that will be judged this Sunday at the Marlborough Farmers Market.

Tread carefully, drink wisely

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

There's little about modern grape growing and winemaking that could be described as bucolic or romantic. Movies with scenes of people meandering through rows of vines, working as if there is never any pressure, are pure fantasy.

A celebration of great local flavours

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

Once again, another Marlborough Wine Festival has been successfully organised, with the people who control the weather doing an outstanding job.

A thirst for Thornbridge

By Geoff Griggs - The Marlborough Express

Sometimes – just occasionally, and usually not for very long – I wish I lived in Wellington.

New tastes from London

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

Put London on your travel menu. You don't have to be a dedicated foodie to relish the buzz and cultural delights of the markets and restaurants.

Tiger treats

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

Chinese New Year – the Year of the Tiger – begins on February 14 (also Valentines Day). Many of us can expect it to be a time of drama, intensity, change and travel.

A vegetable your kids will love

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

I had no idea that corn – also called maize – has existed as a species for about 7000 years, and is known to have been cultivated by humans for about 4000 years.

Almost lost, now found

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

Viognier is a "heat hungry" grape variety that does best in New Zealand's warmest grape growing regions. Pronounced "vee-yon-yay", it was almost lost to the world before it was rediscovered by winemakers in the new world. As recently as 1968 there were fewer than 14 hectares of viognier left in France, its traditional homeland.

A welcome change of brew

By Geoff Griggs - The Marlborough Express

I must admit I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I first saw a bottle of Martin Townshend's beer on the supermarket shelves. I had heard that the Englishman had set up a small craft brewery on his Upper Moutere lifestyle block and had high hopes for the English-style real ales he had begun making, but I was unprepared for the brewery's brand name.

Keeping well

By Mandy Evans - The Marlborough Express

It's hard to get much done indoors when the weathers nice outside. This summer has been so variable, it's not only our plants that have to make the most of the warm weather before it fades into yet another cool weather pattern.

In praise of the trout

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

A fly fisherman's wife once said: "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and you get rid of him for the whole weekend."

Fox and the grapes make a fine wine story

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

John Belsham is a name known to many in Marlborough – a wine judge, winemaker and consultant, he is also the owner of Foxes Island Wines.

Legend in a lunchbox

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

Food for thought – it takes energy to keep a young brain thinking and a young body growing at school each day.

Drat that rat in the garden

By Mandy Evans - The Marlborough Express

I'm a morning person, and always have been. It's a peaceful time of day. After a poke around the garden, it's nice to sit with a coffee at the computer and work while the world slowly awakens.

Courgette capers

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

Zucchini is the Italian name for these small marrows but over the border in France they are known as courgettes, the term used by supermarkets and greengrocers in New Zealand.

Mystery of Italian wine labels revealed

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

Italian wine labels can be a challenge, so approach them with a sense of adventure. Here are some points to help you find your way.

Nectarines so luscious

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

The best things in life are often the things we want but simply cannot have. In the fruit world nectarines would be rated as one of the most succulent fruits when fully ripe and freshly picked.

In a pickle

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

When is traditional preserve not a preserve? When it is a marmalata.

Getting agrip on flavours from Italy

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

Earlier this month, I wrote of a comment overheard at dinner: "Italian wines are no good."

Spud appeal

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

The best thing about spuds at this time of the year is that there is still dirt on them. This is even better than having a small sticker on them saying "new potato", for it is the seal of approval that they are in the best condition and have been freshly dug.

The plot thickens

By Lynda Papesch - The Marlborough Express

Courses in horticulture and floriculture helped a Picton couple redesign their garden into a colourful feast for both the eye and the dinner table.

Allow kids a fair suck of the sauce bottle

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

Mother of Three, held to ransom by tomato sauce.

Get rid of the drunks - not the glasses

By Geoff Griggs - The Marlborough Express

Glasses will not be available at this year's Blues, Brews & BBQs.

Win a copy of Marlborough on the Menu

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

By food writer Jan Bilton and wine expert Belinda Jackson.

Favourite summer finds

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

Light, zingy flavours are just the thing for a hot summer's day.

One-pan winners

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

I'm a great fan of one-pan meals during the holiday season. They're quick and easy to prepare and washing up is a breeze. It doesn't matter whether you're camping or caravaning, unwinding at the bach or relaxing at home, one pan is all you need to make gourmet meals the easy way.

A year of reflection in the kitchen

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

Step back 12 months ago and things were sounding grim. We were just about to start an economic recession, jobs were going to be lost, wages were frozen and it would be years of uncertainty and fiscal frustration before we found our way back into the black. From what we were being told it was going to be one hell of a year and on reflection it has certainly been a interesting 12 months.

Twisted tale one of success

By Geoff Griggs - The Marlborough Express

Enormously successful and one of the country's most revered brewpubs

Impressing your guests

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

Summer may be here, but there's still a place for a good red wine when that juicy steak comes off the barbecue. Many of us spend a great deal of time and money preparing a flash barbecue dinner, so it's only right that we should have an appropriate wine.

Dream comes true for Sydney couple

By CHERIE HOWE - The Marlborough Express

Phil and Deb Clegg have escaped their old hair salon in the Kenepuru Sound.

Christmas trees full of memories

By Lynda Papesch - The Marlborough Express

Beads, baubles and family heirlooms take pride of place on the branches of a special Christmas tree.

Salad days

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

According to historians, salads were enjoyed by the ancient Romans and Greeks.

Our whiteheart nut grows into a sweetie

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

One of the unsung heroes of the Marlborough region is our nut industry, which produces walnuts, almonds and, specifically, hazelnuts.

See the year out with a gorgeous red or two

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

Time to mop up the last of the year's reviews.

Riverby scoops Aust prize

By Deborah Walton and Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

After some rigorous trans-Tasman testing, a Marlborough riesling took top honours in a prestigious and expansive Australian competition.

Take a break from it all

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

The question on some people's minds this festive season is: Does belching contribute to global warming?

BIG on barbecues

By Jan Bilton - The Marlborough Express

`Tis the season to be barbecuing. There are so many simple but tasty recipes for the outdoor hotplate.

Luscious local fruit forms the berry on top

By Chris Fortune - The Marlborough Express

The best time of year is when summer berries come to the marketplace. They are sun-ripened and bursting with flavour, and explode into your mouth with freshness and taste.

Think pink

For Christmas cheer

by Debbie Walton & Peter Morice - The Marlborough Express

Sparkling wine and Christmas celebrations go hand in hand, but sometimes it's fun to do things differently. Imagine a table set for Christmas lunch, and among the sparkle and festive touches are wine glasses frosted by the cool, freshly poured rose that almost glows in its enticing pinkness.

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