Author: Matthew Sullivan
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Choosing the Right Potato
When I moved to Melbourne and discovered the Queen Victoria Markets, and discovered potatoes are not all the same.
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Rom’s Gingerbread
This is Rom’s most iconic recipe. Gingerbread, beloved by her children, grandchildren, and friends alike. A mate and I were almost driven mad by the aroma while it baked in Palmerston North. Gingerbread, still warm from the oven and spread generously with butter, is one of the best things in the world. Warm gingerbread with…
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Sukiyaki
This sukiyaki comes from a single typed page sent home in 1974 to the mothers of Room 9 at Highbury Primary School. It was written for electric frypans, scaled for children, and annotated with practical advice about where bamboo shoots might be found. The dish was part of a Japanese meal prepared at school after…
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Custard Fruit Cake
This custard fruit cake comes from a card written out by my father Tom. Its origins are unknown, but the method is unmistakably of its time: butter rubbed into flour, eggs cracked into a well, and boiling milk stirred with soda before being poured straight into the mix. The dried fruit was always soaked first…
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Sago Fruit Pudding
A lighter Christmas steamed pudding from Rom’s kitchen, made with sago, brown sugar and dried fruit, gently spiced and finished with a quiet splash of rum. Soft, comforting, and best served hot with cream, this was the other pudding that always belonged at Christmas.
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Broccoli and Orecchiette with Yoghurt and Peas
A simple, generous pasta built around vegetables and a soft yoghurt dressing. Orecchiette, broccoli and peas are folded together while still warm, finished with basil, pine nuts and olive oil—an easy dish for sharing, from the wonderful Hetty Lui McKinnon.
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Rom’s Christmas Pudding
A traditional New Zealand Christmas plum pudding from Rom’s family notebook — made weeks in advance, soaked generously with brandy, and finished with a properly reckless table-side flambé. Served hot with Edmonds custard, it’s as much ritual as dessert.
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Rom’s Christmas Cake
A dense, dark Christmas cake handed down from my mother Rom — deeply moist, quietly rich, and made to last. Perfect with custard on Christmas Day, or enjoyed later with a cup of tea, a glass of sherry, or a wee dram on a quiet evening.
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Venison and Lentil Ragout
A slow-cooked ragout of venison sausages, lentils and kumara, gently sharpened with lemon and rosemary. The kind of winter bowl that looks after itself all afternoon and rewards you with something deep, generous, and quietly comforting.
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New England Fish Chowder
A simple, hearty New England fish chowder—bacon, potatoes, milk and lemon—made from “whatever fish is cheapest” and good stock. It’s the kind of soup that eats like a meal, and tastes like the kitchens we lived in.