Having suffered through a cold winter, seeing the first daffodils and lambs appear is enough to put a smile on your face and give you hope for a long, warm summer.
In the meantime, we can give ourselves a bit of a lift in the kitchen by turning our hands to some lighter flavours.
While we might still need a few winter warmers - snow in September is not unheard of in our neck of the woods - a little brightness on the dinner table helps raise the spirits.
Alison Lambert puts a health focus on her spring with protein-packed shakes, a breakfast salad and a colourful popsicle for the warmer days.
And Sam Sinclair looks forward to rhubarb, creating a custard tart with a ruby-pink rhubarb topping.
Taupo mum of three’s Anne Cameron shares some nice and easy family recipes from her new book Just a Mum’s Kitchen, while Australian journalist and presenter Tom Forrest, with his grandfather Steve, gives a new spin on bush tucker - just what is needed as we start planning our next adventures as the weather gets warmer.
We also celebrate a milestone with our wine writer Mark Henderson, who along with two buddies, has fallen on his sword to do more than 500 wine tastings for his weekly column since he joined Fresh in 2015. He gives us a little peep into the behind-the-scenes wine tastings as well as some of the changes in the wine industry he has seen over the past decade.
While our seedlings might just be appearing through the soil, it is hoped that in a few months we will be enjoying fresh vegetables from our gardens. In the meantime, a few tweaks with herbs and spices can be all you need to give a fresh outlook as spring rolls in.
Enjoy.
Rebecca Fox
Lifestyle editor
