technique: Baking
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Mary Beaven’s Potatoes
This is very simple alternative to boiled or baked spuds which elicits compliments every time.
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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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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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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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Vegetable Tian with Caramelised Onions
A warmly spiced vegetable tian layered with caramelised onion, roasted eggplant, zucchini and tomato. Served hot, it’s a deeply savoury dish that lets simple vegetables shine.
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Corn Bread
Golden, tender and lightly sweet, this cornbread is perfect alongside stews, soups, and barbecues.
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Kim’s Lemon Polenta Cake
Moist, fragrant and naturally gluten-free — Kim’s polenta cake strikes the perfect balance of citrus brightness and rustic charm.