Sir Rod Stewart laments split with New Zealand wife Rachel Hunter: Rocker says age gap reason for end
Stewart has spoken to the Times about Hunter, their age-gap love and
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
13 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
The why of the pie
Judging the inaugural Arrowtown Lifestyle Village Pie Competition was a heart opener that made me think we are losing the point of pies — wolfing down not-so-great ones out of necessity as a meal on the go or one of convenience has given the pie a bad rap. Twenty-five pies were entered in the competition, each a winner in their own way, with the top three chosen for exceptional flavour and pastry work. Over a drink at the end of the day, I was captivated by the stories behind the pies and how they came to be. The lightest, flakiest pastry was made by Gary Mullings who once owned a bakery (one of many entrepreneurial ventures) who can't share the recipe because he "just throws things in a bowl". Wild pork was the flavour-bomb in Jo Muir's pie, which came with a swede top because their grandson, who now owns the Muirs' Mossburn farm, grows them. The pork was care of neighbouring Dunrobin Station. Lynne Fellowes brought a taste of her Tasmanian homeland to the competition through a scallop pie with a touch of curry — apparently a big deal in Tassie. Deemed a treat by the judges, two crayfish pies came about thanks to a resident's Southland connections. Fay Dodds, maker of one of the crayfish pies and an unctuous Royalburn lamb shank pie, talked of a stressful day in the kitchen. "I don't like to lose, and I am not good on home-made pastry," she said, laughing. It turned out her home-made pastry on the lamb shank pie was better than the store-bought one of the crayfish pie. At this point I need to explain we judges were instructed to deduct points for store-bought pastry. As a store-bought user, I thought that was fairly harsh but the bakers didn't seem to mind. I was hoping there would be apple pie and delighted in the cutest apple turnovers and Mary May's beautifully presented, well-spiced apple pie with walnuts. Two pumpkin pies, one with a streusel-style topping, the other (using a pumpkin grown at the village) a walnut brittle, with both toppings bringing an appreciated level of crunch. Cherries that were hand-picked, pitted and frozen by Lynne Fellowes were cooked into a pie with pastry work that presented beautifully. The reason for Carolyn Hammond's winning blackcurrant shortcake pie was the fruit, picked from her family farm, residing in her freezer. Taking out the savoury pie win, Vicci Lawrence adapted an Austrian friend's beef, mushroom and merlot casserole recipe. The surprise category (where bakers picked a recipe out of a hat) win was Adrianne Kinsey's mince potato top pie that reminded us what the humble Kiwi pie is all about — pass the Wattie's tomato sauce please. Pies are a creative way to cook ingredients to hand. There's no need for fancy fillings, but they must be well made, which means care and attention. That's the point of pies — like well-wrapped presents to share with others. Beef, mushroom and merlot pie This is my adaptation of Vicci Lawrence's adaptation of her Austrian friend's casserole recipe using accessible ingredients to produce rich and rewarding flavours that work well in a pie. I have used store-bought pastry. Please feel free to make your own, as Vicci did perfectly on judging day. Serves 4 Ingredients 1kg stewing beef (shin, cheek, chuck, blade) ¼ cup flour 2 Tbsp olive oil 20g butter 1 onion, diced 4 rashers bacon, sliced in small pieces 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 sticks celery, diced 2 large cloves garlic, sliced 2 cups diced mushrooms 2 Tbsp tomato paste 1 cup merlot 500ml beef stock 1 bouquet garni (fresh bayleaf, sprig of thyme, rosemary, parsley tied with string) 3 sheets flaky puff pastry, defrosted Method Cut the beef into 2cm pieces and toss in flour seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper. If using beef shin leave the meat on the bone as they give the stew good flavour. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil and 10g of the butter in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Fry onion and bacon for 2 minutes then add carrot, celery and garlic. Fry, stirring, for 3-5 minutes then remove from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil and 10g butter, turn up the heat and fry the beef until browned all over. Add the vegetables back to the pan along with the mushrooms. Stir and add tomato paste and wine, stirring for 2 minutes to scrape the brownings from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the stock and the bouquet garni. Turn the heat down and simmer, with the pan lid tilted for 3 hours, or until meat is meltingly tender and the stew has thickened. If it is looking too liquid towards the end of cooking remove the lid to cook some liquid off. If it is looking too dry, add liquid. This can also be cooked, covered, in a 150°C oven. Once cooked leave the stew, preferably overnight, to settle and cool, removing any bones (if using) and bouquet garni. Heat the oven to 200°C. Line a 20cm pie dish (deep is good) with pastry, pinching extra pastry together to fill the tin with a little overhang. Spoon in the cold stew and place a sheet of pastry on top and run a knife around the outside edge of the pie to trim excess pastry. Use excess pastry to cut decorations if desired. Use a knife to poke a couple of vents into the top of the pie, brush with an egg wash (1 egg beaten) or milk, and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and hot. Blackberry shortcake pie For her winning pie, Carolyn used a recipe from Riverstone Kitchen that Bevan Smith ran in the ODT in 2012. You will find his column in the archives online. The recipe is everything I look for in a sweet bake — not too sweet, or tricky and you can taste the goodness. The recipe is easily halved and baked in a smaller tin for less time. I dusted mine with icing sugar to serve. Serves 10 Ingredients 250g unsalted butter 250g caster sugar 2 large eggs 370g plain flour, sifted 2 tsp baking powder 750g blackcurrants, stalks removed 1 cup icing sugar 2½ Tbsp cornflour 1 Tbsp vanilla essence 3 Tbsp caster sugar, to dust Cream or ice cream, to serve Method Heat oven to 170°C. Grease and line a 28cm tart tin with removable base with baking paper. To make shortcake pastry, cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well before adding flour and baking powder. Mix until combined and turn out on to a well-floured bench. Gently knead mixture to form a soft dough, dusting with a little extra flour, if required. Divide into two pieces and roll out each half between two sheets of plastic wrap to make a circle 30cm in diameter. Place each pastry sheet in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to firm up. Remove one sheet of pastry from refrigerator and discard bottom layer of plastic wrap before lining the bottom of the tin. Mix blackcurrants, icing sugar, cornflour and vanilla in a bowl. Remove top layer of plastic wrap from pastry and spoon fruit mixture on top. Remove second sheet of pastry from refrigerator, discard plastic wrap and place on top of the tart. Press down lightly on the edges to seal pastry together. Remove excess pastry hanging over the sides of the tin, lightly brush tart top with water and dust with caster sugar. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until pastry is a deep golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving with cream or ice cream.
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
50 Years Of Avant-Garde Sound
Press Release – Chamber Music New Zealand For half a century, New Zealand's legendary and most adventurous contemporary chamber music ensemble, From Scratch, have created performances where sound, image, and invention collide. This September, they tour nationally with Chamber Music New Zealand, presenting a multimedia programme to stimulate and captivate audiences. Last year the group celebrated its 50th anniversary. Through the years, From Scratch has performed at prestigious festivals internationally and locally, including the Paris Art Biennale, New York New Music Festival, and Sound Watch Festival in Tokyo. The group has an impressive range of recordings on film and sound that chart their musical journey. The CMNZ performance tour will feature one of the classic From Scratch originals, Songs for Unsung Heroes, an extended composition by Phil Dadson that celebrates those lesser known individuals through history who have influenced humanity's development. Additionally, they will present three short films by Kiwi filmmakers that the group will accompany on an assortment of surprising and entertaining instruments. Founded in 1974 by Phil Dadson, the group through the years has developed an international reputation for their original and highly rhythmic compositions. The group is widely known for its inventive DIY instruments, having built many of their original instruments using industrial and found materials. The best-known ones are the large racks of acoustic PVC pipe instruments shaped like giant panpipes, which sound a little like bass guitars and electronica. Other instruments such as their 'sprong' and 'nundrum' use threaded rods and steel springs in unexpected ways. 'Our hope is to immerse the audience in a rich and engaging journey, with an ingredient of magic in the mix of sound an image, so they walk away with an overall feeling of wonder and rhythmic euphoria,' says Dadson. The films included in the programme are: • Black Moon, by Teresa Peters, which pulls the viewer into an abstract world of slowly morphing Rorschach imagery. • Metroplex, by Greg Bennett, an animated dystopian view of the human condition. • Arcs & Sparks, a montage by Phil Dadson, presents a wry and slightly sinister take on the elementary laws of physics and breath. From Scratch will be touring Auckland, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Dunedin, and Christchurch. The group will also be presenting intimate tailored performances for people with disabilities in Auckland and Christchurch through Chamber Music New Zealand's community engagement programmes. Called 'touch tours', these performances will give audiences the opportunity to interact with the musicians and their instruments.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Taika Waititi celebrates 50th birthday with star-studded Ibiza party, including guests Matt Damon and Cara Delevingne
Acclaimed New Zealand director Taika Waititi celebrated a milestone birthday over the weekend, drawing Hollywood celebrities, friends and family from around the world to the Mediterranean. Waititi, whose portfolio of work includes the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit and Kiwi favourite Hunt for the Wilderpeople, turned 50 on
