The benefits of fermented food
Fermented foods are becoming increasingly trendy, and there's evidence the fermentation and the compounds produced are linked with physical and mental health.
Charmian Smith
Company harvests bounty from sea
Company harvests bounty from the sea
For most Kiwis, seaweed does not spring to mind as a food although many of us have eaten nori wrapped around sushi.
Food packaging getting a bad (w)rap
Food packaging getting a bad (w)rap
Many of us would prefer our food to come with less packaging, Charmian Smith writes.
Food integrity selling point
Food integrity selling point
When we buy food, we expect it to be what it says it is and to be safe to eat, but things may not always be what they seem.
Excess salt lurks in many foods
Beware the excess salt that lurks in many a food item
While out for coffee the other day, I had a savoury muffin and found it disappointingly salty. Lunching at another cafe a few days earlier, I'd had a BLT sandwich that was so salty - both the bread...
Bugs fit for the menu
NZ restaurants embrace bugs as a protein fit for the menu
These days you may well find a few ants, locusts or huhu grubs turning up on plates in some of New Zealand's leading restaurants.
Food with dollop of fun
Food with dollop of fun
Gales of laughter come from All Saints' church hall early on Thursday morning.
Otago Polytech puts green spaces to work
Otago Polytech puts green spaces to work
If you walk round the grounds of the Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin you’d be forgiven for thinking they don’t look like normal institutional gardens, writes Charmian Smith.
Habits take time to undo
Habits take time to undo
Healthy eating resolutions are best approached with small bites.
Fresh and local: farmers' markets tick foodies' boxes
Fresh and local: farmers' markets tick foodies' boxes
Wherever you go in New Zealand, there's likely to be a local farmers' market. They are wonderful places to visit and connect with the local community and food culture.
Making our local food system sustainable
How sustainable can we make our local food system?
Food connects people, but it's more than just sitting round a table together.
Sorting diet facts from diet fads
Sorting diet facts from diet fads
There's a plethora of diets around these days: wheat-free, vegan, dairy-free, raw, paleo, bone broth, among others. Many have origins in the weight-loss industry.
Rediscovering an emotionally intelligent approach to food
Rediscovering an emotionally intelligent approach to food
We all know that food high in sugars, fats and salt are not good for us. Yet, as a community we keep buying it and eating it in ever larger portions.
NZ sheltered from food crises but diets will change
NZ sheltered from food crises but diets will change
What will we be eating in 30 or 40 years? With an extra couple of billion more people on the planet, how will everyone be fed, Charmian Smith asks.
Food wastage astounding
Food wastage astounding
Waste not want not: we all know the old aphorism. And it may never have been more relevant, as waste becomes a major global issue. Charmian Smith talks to Dr Miranda Mirosa about the scale of the problem.
Flower power in the figgery
Flower power in the figgery
Given our love of Mediterranean cuisines it's surprising we haven't embraced fresh figs as readily as we've taken wine, olives and olive oil into our kitchens. Charmian Smith talks to Murray Douglas, who grows and processes fresh figs in Hawkes Bay.
Food for thought: What's natural?
Food for thought: What's natural?
Charmian Smith investigates what is in the food we routinely pull from the supermarket shelf or buy ready made to eat.
Food for thought: Processed food star ratings
Food for thought: Processed food star ratings
Charmian Smith investigates what is in the food we routinely pull from the supermarket shelf or buy ready made to eat.
Seasonal surprises
Seasonal surprises
After retiring from the ODT early last year, Charmian Smith took a gap year to explore the North Island, discovering the history and scenery, and the local produce.
Guided by the past
Guided by the past
For thousands of years Pacific peoples navigated double-hulled voyaging canoes over the ocean. Those skills and that knowledge has been rediscovered and are alive and well in Hawkes Bay, Charmian Smith discovers.