There is a tiny place on the west coast of New Zealand not far north of Raglan which holds a special place in my heart. A good friend of mine calls this place home and for close to 20 years now I have been fortunate enough to be able to escape the big, bad city and spend whole weekends there free of the intrusions of the digital world. Time slows, shoulders drop and days are spent unhurriedly, eating good food, taking in the fresh air, riding horses, walking through pockets beautiful native bush, all in wonderful company.
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From time to time it can be a difficult sell getting clients across the line on laying good front-end foundations to a project, and letting us as designers do what we do best - getting to the coal-face in order to understand if the problem we are solving is the right one.
Read MoreDespite having woken many more times than I would have liked to last night I just can't help but feel buoyed by the sunshine this morning. The sun and it's radiant heat, in a very short space of time have the ability to cause my shoulders to drop and my breath to slow. Furthermore I find that within seconds of curling up cat-like in whatever patch of sun I can find a much-welcomed feeling of peace begins to wash over me. Never mind that I am working, surrounded by piles of freshly laundered nappies. I digress!
Make this nutty spicy sprinkle! Like sunshine it will bring you peace and joy. Unfortunately it doesn't result in folded nappies.
Read MoreAwards season is in full swing again, and here at Indemic we are pretty lucky to work with with some very clever folks from all around New Zealand. Following on from a stellar performance at the Fieldays in June, taking out both the Innovation awards' top gong and the most viable business prize for their Check-Up Mastitis kit, Farm Medix are at it again, with a nomination for the NZ Innovators awards. If you wish to show Leon and Nat some love for all their hard work, throw a vote in the hat for the peoples choice here http://www.innovators.org.nz/enter-the-awards/the-peoples-choice , without question they are well and truly deserving of the support, congrats team.
Read MoreWith two little men occupying a good percentage of my time I have to grab at the opportunities to share recipes as they present themselves. I have learnt that I am much better at being spontaneous these days than I am at planning things. So whilst my big guy is at creche (no doubt elbow-deep in sand and soaking wet) and my little guy sleeps I am putting fingers to the keyboard to bring you this very quick and easy recipe for pizza. I find that more-and-more I like to cook meals which are heavy on the vegetables and light on the nutrient-hollow things like bread. However this is a combination which I find extremely hard to resist and let's face it indulging on pizza every-now-and-then is one of life's little pleasures!
Read MoreIt's 3pm and as I sit here typing I can hear the drip drop, drip drop of the rain as it falls from our eves onto the garden beds below. Sparrows sit, feathers glistening, in the top of the tree whose sorry branches seem to wrap themselves, like fingers, over the top of the fence at the back of our garden. A soft blanket of grey cloud hangs in the sky. It is peaceful and still and while my babes sleep I'm eager to share with you another of my recipes.
Read MoreThis past week our little family have all been suffering the ills of winter. Snuffly noses and sleepy dispositions, we have all been a little out of sorts. As I sit here at my computer a foggy head means even writing this introduction comes in fits and starts - the words don't flow the way they normally would and inspiration is, frustratingly enough, out of reach.
Read MoreI must apologise for my hiatus. This blog took off with a hiss and a roar but I have to admit that there was a moment there when I thought that it might fizzle out just as quickly. You see I have been experiencing technical difficulties of the highest order. It was bad. Tears and hair-pulling bad. But I'm over it now and must publicly thank Nick for his unbounded reserves of patience.
Read MoreThis one has been a long time coming. Not just the month it has taken me to actually get around to writing about it (where the hell did that go Sam??!!), but more than 4 years it has taken us to build the business to the point where we could take the next big leap...and it is with that we welcome aboard our man Sammy B (Sam Burton, formally) the first actual employee of Indemic.
Read MoreThis post is a little late, but as they say, better late than never! The greatest challenge I have as a blogger is bringing these posts to you on a regular basis, and for me that means once a week. I'm also working on the boys in the back room (Nick, Sam!!), gently prodding and persuading them to find voices of their own (actually they don't need any persuading there!) in order to offer some diversity and interest and to pepper these pages with thoughts not limited exclusively to all things food. And while I'm on the subject this is a great weeknight meal. Quick, easy and really tasty served up with some homemade chutney and a quick green salad.
I hope all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was a productive one in the kitchen and saw Nick whipping up a batch of hot sauce (habanero chillies and green peppers from our garden - we're feeling pretty virtuous right now!) and me finely shredding two heads of cabbage for an attempt at sauerkraut. So watch this space! Have a lovely week all and long may this sun shine!
Read MoreI must confess that I hesitated to post this recipe as it was one I wrote way back at the end of last year when strawberries were in abundance and I was powerless to their pull. Now the offerings on the shelves of our fruit and vege shop are pale and undoubtedly lacking in flavour having flown half way across the world just to appease the appetites of those who cannot live without summer fruit in winter. However.....it does happen to be summer in the Northern Hemisphere, AND for those of you located South of the equator then frozen strawberries will work just as well. Thinly sliced pear would also be a delicious substitute and should you be a white chocolate fan then give that a go too. Really it is one of those recipes that you can adapt to suit your taste or the contents of your pantry. And as it is grey and wet outside, yet again, then this is the perfect comfort food, served snuggled up by the fire.
Read MoreLast year, not long before the arrival of our second baby, I received an email offering me the opportunity to write a fortnightly recipe column for the Food & Wine section of Fairfax's regional newspapers. Since having left Fisher & Paykel Appliances, where I was part of a team who started the in-house food blog Our Kitchen, I missed recipe writing, styling and photography and had contemplated starting a blog of my own. So when this opportunity presented itself, as cliched as it sounds, it really was a dream come true for me. I feel incredibly lucky that I can write recipes, style and shoot again and all from our home, fitting it in around our two beautiful boys.
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This inaugural post marks a new chapter in Indemic's history. We have decided that it's high time we shared some of the good things in life, and more specifically the good gastronomic things. And so it is with pleasure that we announce that I (Emma) will be coming to you live and direct on a weekly basis to share the fruits of my kitchen musings. With a bit of luck the boys in the back room will follow a few of my posts up with their thoughts on beer (pairing perhaps?), bikes, design and the state of the Auckland housing market!
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