Our people: their food - this is how Allyson Gofton describes her most recent book, Country Calendar Cookbook (Penguin).
It is a collection of recipes from families who have featured on the long-running television programme.
The idea for the book started with Allyson watching one of the programmes which finished with the family having a barbecue on the beach and wondering what was in the paua marinade.
She and her team, journalist Joan Gilchrist and photographer Allan Gillard, spent February and March travelling the country, and visiting farmers and producers.
"There was a highlight almost every day when we met these people, to be welcomed into their home to be part of the family for one or two days, to cook with them, and just to hear about their lifestyle and their interests and passions. Everybody is living their passion with what they do.
They have great care for the land they are working and it's heartwarming to see that money is not always the end goal - it's about their passion and their belief, doing something with their land that is going to be sustainable, and there's a lot of bloody hard work out there."
She was heartened to find home cooking was still very much to the fore in New Zealand kitchens, despite the current fashion for elaborate food.
However, in the wider community she feels people have lost knowledge about food and cooking. By default, education has fallen to marketers and they are not always accurate and are more concerned with brand awareness or individual companies or industries.
"When I see a product like the preserving sugar Chelsea has brought out for making jam set - on the back they've listed the fruits you use it for and one of them is raspberries. Well raspberries do not require a sugar with pectin to set - you have to cut it and it's disgusting!"
When Watties brought out frozen mashed potatoes some time ago, their research showed that people under 36 wouldn't cook a potato because they had to peel it.
"As a result you get a company putting out frozen mashed potato to solve the issue instead of teaching them that potatoes are washed and you just put them in the microwave. That's what it's come to."
In the debate about the rising obesity epidemic, no-one has recommended that cooking be reintroduced to schools.
There are now in some cases two generations of parents who have not been involved in the kitchen, and Gofton says it is essential children should learn the basics at school.
"In a country the size of New Zealand with its roots firmly stuck in agriculture, in understanding what makes for a healthful life, we cannot see that we should make food science and cooking elementary within in our schools, an absolutely essential subject - it's a life-skill," she says.
Lentil and pumpkin pasties
During the picking season, Lois prepares these pasties for the pickers for their lunch.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Makes: 10-12
1 cup brown lentils
3¼ -4 cups water or stock
1 cup peas
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
50 grams butter
1½ tablespoons garam masala (recipe follows)
2 cups mashed pumpkin
2 x 400gm packets frozen puff pastry, defrosted
beaten egg or milk to glaze
Cook the lentils in the water or stock until tender. Add the peas and cook for a further 5 minutes before draining off any remaining cooking water. Allow to cool. Cook the onion in the butter in a hot frying-pan until softened. Stir in the garam masala and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Stir in the pumpkin and season, if wished. Allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 210degC. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll both blocks of pastry out to a 2mm thickness on a lightly floured bench and cut out 10-12 rounds that are each 16-18cm. Layer the pastry scraps on top of each other and reroll and cut out as required.
Divide the filling mixture evenly among the rounds. Brush the edges of the pastry with water, then bring together and pinch or crimp the edges together.
Brush the pasties with beaten egg or milk to glaze and place on the prepared tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until well-cooked and golden brown.
Serve hot with a favourite pickle or chutney.
Rippon's garam masala
Lois says her recipe for garam masala makes a good jar-full, which can be kept in an airtight container forever and can be used instead of curry powder or with curry powder to give extra flavour to Indian curry recipes.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Makes: ½ cup
20 large black cardamoms
9 tablespoons coriander seeds
5 tablespoons black peppercorns
5 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
Recipes reproduced with permission from Country Calendar Cookbook with Allyson Gofton with photography by Alan Gillard. Published by Penguin Group NZ. Copyright - Allyson Gofton and Alan Gillard, 2011
