Dietary Requirements

Dietary Requirements

A monthly food podcast to discuss what we’ve been eating and drinking, hosted by Sophie Gilmour with The Spinoff’s Alice Neville and Simon Day.

Latest Episodes

23 December 2020

Wrapping up the year in food

The pod squad gathers for the last time this year to commiserate and celebrate the best food and drink of 2020. In the final episode of the year Sophie, Alice and Simon share their culinary highlights and lowlights from a year that had nearly everything. It started with Simon and… The pod squad gathers for the last time this year to commiserate and celebrate the best food and drink of 2020. In the final episode of the year Sophie, Alice and Simon share their culinary highlights and lowlights from a year that had nearly everything. It started with Simon and Sophie adding children to their lives – and a breast milk taste test – and it ended with the hospitality industry hanging by a thread. Through it all we saw exciting innovation from restaurants, cafes and bars, as they tried to stay afloat through Covid-19. We desperately missed our cafe coffee and watched sourdough baking take off through lockdown. When we escaped from our homes we rediscovered our old favourites and new places around the country making delicious food. Finally, to end the year we have a book to give away: Beyond the Vines: The Changing Landscape of Wine in Aotearoa New Zealand by Cult Wine director Jules van Costello. Beyond the Vines tells the stories of 65 of the country’s most exciting and innovative producers, and looks at the history and future of the wine regions as well as the 50+ grape varieties New Zealand grows. Send us a photo of you having a glass of wine in the most summery spot possible and go into win one of two copies. Instagram: @dietaryrequirementspodcast Download this episode, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.

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22 December 2020

The Spinoff presents SUPERPOD 2020

Pour yourself some eggnog and join the hosts of The Spinoff’s podcast network for our annual Superpod round up of the year that was. Representing Gone By Lunchtime, Dietary Requirements, The Real Pod, Papercuts, The Fold and On The Rag our hosts dive into the key events, issues, heroes and… Pour yourself some eggnog and join the hosts of The Spinoff’s podcast network for our annual Superpod round up of the year that was. Representing Gone By Lunchtime, Dietary Requirements, The Real Pod, Papercuts, The Fold and On The Rag our hosts dive into the key events, issues, heroes and villains of 2020. From National’s botched election campaign to Ben Thomas’ take on TikTok, via the collapse of Bauer, the rise of oat milk, with a detour through controversial frozen grapes and Simon’s Sausage Spot, there’s something for everyone in this year’s Superpod. Featuring special guests producer T and Covid-19.

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14 December 2020

What makes a good sandwich?

Two of Auckland’s best sandwich makers join sandwich aficionados Simon Day and Stewart Sowman-Lund to talk about their craft. Why are sandwiches so good? It’s a question anybody who’s ever eaten a sandwich has probably wondered at some point in their lives. And who better to ask than this week’s… Two of Auckland’s best sandwich makers join sandwich aficionados Simon Day and Stewart Sowman-Lund to talk about their craft. Why are sandwiches so good? It’s a question anybody who’s ever eaten a sandwich has probably wondered at some point in their lives. And who better to ask than this week’s Dietary Requirements guests, Aletheia Elder of Hare and the Turtle and Huri Neill of Hero Sandwich House. The pair are sandwich artisans at the crest of a new wave of Auckland sandwich culture, and two of their biggest customers are Simon Day and Stewart Sowman-Lund. With regular Dietary Requirements co-hosts Alice and Sophie out of action, the sandwich-loving lads step in to ask all the important questions. What elevates a sandwich from good to great? What’s the optimal number of components? What’s New Zealand’s best sandwich (spoiler / not spoiler: it’s the chicken salad sandwich at The Fed). And if you could go anywhere in the world for any culture’s version of the sandwich this weekend, where would you go? Download this episode, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.

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23 November 2020

What is seltzer and why is it suddenly everywhere?

The Dietary Requirements team drag Lucy and Matt out of the office and into the studio to discuss some of The Spinoff’s most controversial food topics from the past week. Exciting news – Dietary Requirements is moving from monthly to fortnightly episodes! We’ll still have a special guest from the… The Dietary Requirements team drag Lucy and Matt out of the office and into the studio to discuss some of The Spinoff’s most controversial food topics from the past week. Exciting news – Dietary Requirements is moving from monthly to fortnightly episodes! We’ll still have a special guest from the food world once a month, while the other episode will usually involve roping in some friends from the office for a food yarn. This is one of the latter. With regular co-host Sophie Gilmour away, Simon Day and Alice Neville have grabbed office manager MVP Lucy Reymer and partnerships manager Matt McAuley to discuss some of the topics dividing the office this week. Why are New Zealand fridges suddenly heaving with seltzers? What even is seltzer? Is the new Whittaker’s x Supreme flat white chocolate good or bad – or both? What about fennel? Is a layer of butter necessary on peanut butter toast? And how did Simon manage to revive a Nando’s burger that had been in the office fridge all weekend for his lunch on Monday? All this and more on this fortnight’s Dietary Requirements. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider. Please share Dietary Requirements with your friends and get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz

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3 November 2020

Kai Māori with Monique Fiso

This month on Dietary Requirements, chef Monique Fiso joins us for a chat about Hiakai – her acclaimed Wellington restaurant, and the title of her stunning new book. Calling Monique Fiso’s new book a cookbook doesn’t really do it justice – there's so much more to it, tracing her personal… This month on Dietary Requirements, chef Monique Fiso joins us for a chat about Hiakai – her acclaimed Wellington restaurant, and the title of her stunning new book. Calling Monique Fiso’s new book a cookbook doesn’t really do it justice – there's so much more to it, tracing her personal journey and charting the history of kai Māori as well as guiding readers on how to incorporate indigenous ingredients and techniques into their own cooking. The book is titled Hiakai, also the name of Fiso’s Wellington restaurant which was last year included in a Time magazine list of The World’s 100 Greatest Places, among many other honours. Before opening Hiakai in 2018, she worked at some of New York’s best restaurants, and recently appeared on shows like Netflix’s The Final Table and National Geographic’s Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted. Since opening Hiakai, Fiso has been at the forefront of the revitalisation and celebration of kai Māori, and writing and researching the book allowed her to delve further into the techniques and ingredients of our indigenous culture. She joined Simon Day, Alice Neville and Sophie Gilmour on this week’s Dietary Requirements for a chat about it. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider. Please share Dietary Requirements with your friends and get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz

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2 October 2020

How to celebrate Chuseok 추석, or Korean Thanksgiving

In this episode of Dietary Requirements, Sophie Gilmour, Alice Neville and Simon Day are joined by chef Yutak Son for a crash course in festive Korean cuisine. This week is Chuseok 추석, or Korean Thanksgiving. To celebrate, chef Yutak Son has teamed up with Satellites and the Korean consulate to… In this episode of Dietary Requirements, Sophie Gilmour, Alice Neville and Simon Day are joined by chef Yutak Son for a crash course in festive Korean cuisine. This week is Chuseok 추석, or Korean Thanksgiving. To celebrate, chef Yutak Son has teamed up with Satellites and the Korean consulate to put together a meal kit for the occasion, and the Dietary Requirements team were lucky enough to get their greedy hands on one. Yutak works as the head chef at The Shed at Te Motu Vineyard on Waiheke Island, but made the voyage across Tīkapa Moana earlier this week to join the DR crew in the studio and talk them through the most important eating event on the Korean calendar. Have a listen to find out how to celebrate Chuseok 추석, what’s traditionally on the menu and hear Yutak’s picks for the best Korean food in town. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider. Please share Dietary Requirements with your friends and get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz

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11 September 2020

The lockdown sourdough phenomenon

What is sourdough and why did so many people become obsessed with it during lockdown? This month’s Dietary Requirements podcast cracks open the starter to investigate. What are we talking about when we talk about sourdough? On one level it’s just flour and water, but on another it’s so much… What is sourdough and why did so many people become obsessed with it during lockdown? This month’s Dietary Requirements podcast cracks open the starter to investigate. What are we talking about when we talk about sourdough? On one level it’s just flour and water, but on another it’s so much more than that. To help unpack the lockdown sourdough phenomenon, former (and future) Metro editor and friend of the pod Henry Oliver joined regular Dietary Requirements hosts Simon Day, Alice Neville and Sophie Gilmour for this month’s episode. Henry got into making sourdough in a big way back in level four, and ended up publishing a whole book about it as part of Objectspace’s Ockham Lectures Pocket Edition series. Who better to taste-test Alice’s latest attempt, judge the quality of the crumb(?) and share tips on how to keep your starter alive and kicking? What qualities are we looking for in a good sourdough, and who sells the best loaf in New Zealand? There’s also a bit of mag chat about the sudden end and recent resurrection of Metro magazine, and some discussion around the huge impact Covid-19 is having on the hospitality industry, and what needs to be done to keep the lights on in the country’s eateries and drinkeries. Listen here, or download this episode (right click and save). Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider. Please share Dietary Requirements with your friends and get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz

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10 July 2020

In praise of food courts

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by The Spinoff's managing editor, mall rat and self-confessed food philistine Duncan Greive. On this month's Dietary Requirements, the gang's back in the studio,… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by The Spinoff's managing editor, mall rat and self-confessed food philistine Duncan Greive. On this month's Dietary Requirements, the gang's back in the studio, and we're joined by our esteemed leader Duncan Greive to talk all things malls. The newly opened Commercial Bay in Auckland has flipped the old idea of a mall on its head, reckons Duncan, so we got him along to talk us through his theory. To keep the theme going, we reminisce about our favourite food courts and food court experiences, plus ponder how the hospo scene is reconfiguring post-Covid, eat Sichuan noodles from Sunny Town and bully Duncan about his taste in food. Plus, a very naughty dog throws a Stanley-shaped spanner in the works... Listen below, and follow our brand new Instagram account @dietaryrequirementspodcast to see what we're up to (OK, what we're eating) in between pods. To listen, use the player below or download this episode (right click and save). Make sure to subscribe via iTunes, or via your favourite podcast provider. And please share Dietary Requirements with your friends. Get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz

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30 May 2020

Politics, poutine and quarantine (plus an earthquake)

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by The Spinoff's resident poutine authority (and politics editor) Justin Giovannetti for our second together-but-apart Zoom pod. On this month's Dietary Requirements, we're still… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by The Spinoff's resident poutine authority (and politics editor) Justin Giovannetti for our second together-but-apart Zoom pod. On this month's Dietary Requirements, we're still physically apart but together in spirit, buoyed by the level-two joy of being allowed out of the house to partake in our favourite activities: eating and drinking. Our guest is The Spinoff's fresh-from-quarantine (OK, managed isolation) politics editor, Justin Giovannetti, who takes a break from throwing curly questions at authority figures to beam in from parliament. Justin is not only a politics whiz but an expert on poutine, the culinary delight that ranks alongside maple syrup, Trivial Pursuit and, um, Justin Bieber as among Canada's greatest contributions to the world. Justin (Giovannetti, not Bieber) is writing a book about the glorious Québecois concoction that comprises French fries, cheese curds and gravy, though his magnum opus has been put on hold thanks to a pesky global pandemic and a move to the other side of the world. This episode also features a real-life account of what food is really like in quarantine (spoiler alert: many pancakes), plus we talk about what cooking in lockdown taught us, share highlights from our long-awaited returns to dining out – and are subjected to a terrifying LIVE ON-AIR earthquake. To listen, use this player or download this episode (right click and save). Make sure to subscribe via iTunes, or via your favourite podcast provider. And please share Dietary Requirements with your friends. Get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz

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20 April 2020

In which we eat our feelings

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're beaming in from our respective bubbles, joined by Al Keating of Coffee Supreme. Although we can't be together in person, the Dietary Requirements team was… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're beaming in from our respective bubbles, joined by Al Keating of Coffee Supreme. Although we can't be together in person, the Dietary Requirements team was not about to let a little nationwide lockdown get in the way of bringing you another episode, especially at a time when eating and drinking is basically all that's getting some of us through. We're joined on our Zoom pod by Al Keating, CEO of Coffee Supreme, to discuss the crippling effects of the Covid-19 crisis on the industry and whether cafes will be able to come back from it, plus Alice's obsessive longing for a flat white. We discuss our lockdown cooking go-tos, ponder why the hell we're so hungry all the time, and think about all the fine establishments we're going to hit up when lockdown's over. Plus, Alice introduces a new family member, and Simon raps some Hairy Maclary (as you do). Listen here or download this episode (right click and save). Make sure to subscribe via iTunes, or via your favourite podcast client. And please share Dietary Requirements with your friends. Get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz

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2 March 2020

Checking in to Hyderabad Hotel for biryani and beer slushies

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by Jos Ruffell of Garage Project and Sammy Akuthota of Satya to talk about their exciting new venture. Hyderabad Hotel is a new pop-up… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by Jos Ruffell of Garage Project and Sammy Akuthota of Satya to talk about their exciting new venture. Hyderabad Hotel is a new pop-up venture by Garage Project and Satya, which opened in Ponsonby last month. It's here for a good time, not a long time, and the Dietary Requirements team went along to talk to the two people who made it happen and try out the menu. Enjoy this podcast with a side of spiced beer slushie, and if you're in Auckland don't forget to head down to Hyderabad Hotel before it's gone.

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31 January 2020

Summer eats, RTDs and a breast-milk taste test

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by food writer Ginny Grant and a whole lot of babies for our first podcast of 2020. For information regarding your data privacy, visit… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by food writer Ginny Grant and a whole lot of babies for our first podcast of 2020. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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19 December 2019

The Spinoff presents SUPERPOD 2019

Join various hosts of The Spinoff podcasts Gone by Lunchtime, On The Rag, The Real Pod, Paper Cuts, The Offspin, and Dietary Requirements as we look back at the car crash that was 2019. In this special end of year podcast hosted by Leonie Hayden, we dissect the country's response to national… Join various hosts of The Spinoff podcasts Gone by Lunchtime, On The Rag, The Real Pod, Paper Cuts, The Offspin, and Dietary Requirements as we look back at the car crash that was 2019. In this special end of year podcast hosted by Leonie Hayden, we dissect the country's response to national disasters, the highs and lows of MAFS, international literary scandals, the madness and tragedy of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Mad Chapman's Pulitzer Prize-winning chip ranking and more, plus we add our entries to the official The Spinoff 2019 Honours and Dishonours board. Pour yourself a Baileys and settle in. Check out more of our podcasts here including the pop up pod The Spinoff Book Out Loud (The Spinoff Book is available in stores now). If you want to continue to support the work we do, behind the mic or on the site, check out The Spinoff Members, where you can support independent media for as a little as a dollar a week! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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13 December 2019

It’s our ham-crazed, Negroni-fuelled Christmas special

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by Hilary Pearson, general manager of Freedom Farms, for our Christmas episode. To listen, use the player below or download this episode (right click and save). Make sure… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by Hilary Pearson, general manager of Freedom Farms, for our Christmas episode. To listen, use the player below or download this episode (right click and save). Make sure to subscribe via iTunes, or via your favourite podcast client. And please share Dietary Requirements with your friends. Get in touch if you have any questions or requests: aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz Our beloved cohost Sophie Gilmour is MIA this month, but she has a pretty good excuse – just a few days before we recorded, Sophie gave birth to little Odette, her first baby with husband David. Sending big aroha their way! Rest assured Odette will be joining us on the podcast in the not-too-distant future (and Soph will probably tag along too). Stepping capably into Sophie's shoes this episode is Hilary Pearson, general manager of Freedom Farms, which has sponsored this podcast and The Spinoff food section since inception some 18 months ago – if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't exist! Tis the season for ham and what Hilary doesn't know about that most festive of meats isn't worth knowing, so we interrogate her for tips, tricks and tales from Christmases past, and she talks us through these three out-of-the-ordinary glaze recipes. We also ponder pavlova – specifically why it's so bloody hard to nail it in a humid Auckland summer – and discuss some delicious alternatives. Speaking of ham, do you want to win one? We're giving away two Freedom Farms half champagne hams, each of which comfortably feeds 12 with Boxing Day leftovers to boot. Only catch is you have to pick it up in Auckland, either from Freedom Farms' office in Parnell, or The Spinoff HQ in Morningside. Email aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz with ham giveaway in the subject line to enter. Meri Kirihimete, and see you next year! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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22 November 2019

Feeding bellies not bins with Nick from Everybody Eats

This month we’re joined by Nick Loosley of pay-as-you-feel dining concept Everybody Eats. A third of the food the world produces doesn’t end up in our stomachs. It’s a mind-boggling statistic, especially when you consider that at the same time, food poverty is a very real problem for many communities… This month we’re joined by Nick Loosley of pay-as-you-feel dining concept Everybody Eats. A third of the food the world produces doesn’t end up in our stomachs. It’s a mind-boggling statistic, especially when you consider that at the same time, food poverty is a very real problem for many communities – including here in New Zealand. Nick Loosley has just opened the first permanent home for his pay-as-you-feel dining concept Everybody Eats, where food that would otherwise be wasted becomes a three-course meal prepared by chefs, served in a restaurant setting. Everyone is welcome, and you can pay as little or as much as you like. As well as tackling food waste and food poverty, it’s about social cohesion – encouraging people from all walks of life to come along, share a table and a yarn with someone with whom they might otherwise never cross paths. Nick joins us in the studio this month to talk about why he’s doing what he’s doing, and how he became a pro at feeding 300 people. Over leftovers from Everybody Eats’ new Onehunga restaurant and booze-free Lindauer, we share waste-reducing tips and agree best-before dates are bullshit. Plus, we’re giving away a Freedom Farms Christmas ham! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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31 October 2019

Food podcast: Smashing peanut slab pies with the man behind Eat Lit Food

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month we're joined by controversial food 'grammer Albert Cho of Eat Lit Food. Albert Cho, the 22-year-old Aucklander who's garnered a huge following for the forthright, often… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month we're joined by controversial food 'grammer Albert Cho of Eat Lit Food. Albert Cho, the 22-year-old Aucklander who's garnered a huge following for the forthright, often foul-mouthed reviews he posts to his Instagram account Eat Lit Food, joins us in the studio this month. As we have a hoon on a couple of Cooney Hooneys (the unholy pie/peanut slab mash-up that Albert brought into the public consciousness), he takes us through his meteoric rise in the social media sphere (he's now got more than 39,000 Instagram followers) and we discuss the changing face of food media, pissing people off, racism and food obsession. And what's our verdict on the Cooney Hooney? Tune in to find out... For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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20 September 2019

Food podcast: In which we snack on creepy-crawlies to save the planet

Covering Climate Now: Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we go crazy for crickets in a climate week special. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff… Covering Climate Now: Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we go crazy for crickets in a climate week special. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here! September's Dietary Requirements is all about how what we eat and drink affects the world around us – yep, it's a climate crisis special. We're joined in the studio by Wairarapa cricket farmer John Hart and his partner in crime Chris Petersen of Rebel Bakehouse (both of whom are pictured in the work of art above) to talk the ins and outs of farming insects for food. As we snack on some buzzy buggy snacks, we don't shy away from hard-hitting questions like "do the crickets have personalities and do you give them names?", and discuss the place of farming in a climate-crisis world. As it's vegan week in The Spinoff office (well, for some of us), we share some plant-based cooking tips and restaurant recommendations while sampling Alice's rather tasty vegan cookies, and of course we drink some deliciously sustainable beer. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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6 September 2019

Dietary Requirements: Big-ups to the beer, biscuits and badass hospo scene of Wellington

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by one of Wellington's finest sons, musician and food writer Samuel Flynn Scott. In our Wellington special, capital culinary evangelist Samuel Flynn Scott joins… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by one of Wellington's finest sons, musician and food writer Samuel Flynn Scott. In our Wellington special, capital culinary evangelist Samuel Flynn Scott joins fellow displaced Wellingtonian Alice (plus a couple of Aucklanders) to chat about Visa Wellington On a Plate and the ins and outs of the little city's big food and drink scene. Alice and Simon reminisce about the culinary highlights of their recent visits to the capital while we sup on the city's finest craft beer and chew salted caramel cookies from Leeds St Bakery. As we virtually traipse the streets of Te Aro, we talk cafes and bars, roti chenai and toast, Moore Wilson's and Golding's Free Dive, and discuss to what extent the city has embraced VWOAP. Meanwhile, there's a disturbing revelation about coconut water, Sam desperately defends Wellington's weather and we blow our own trumpets re our recent victory in the NZ Food Media Awards. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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31 July 2019

Dietary Requirements podcast: A cross-cultural culinary journey from scones to tahdig

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by comedian Pax Assadi to discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of white people food. Growing up in Auckland with an Iranian dad and… Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by comedian Pax Assadi to discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of white people food. Growing up in Auckland with an Iranian dad and a Pakistani mum, Pax Assadi enjoyed a diverse culinary upbringing – from biryani to tahdig, cheese toasties to mashed potato with Kaitaia Fire (for breakfast), he developed a taste for it all. Well, not all of it... as Pax tells us, he reckons most white people food is rubbish. Will Alice's freshly baked cheese scones convince him otherwise? (Spoiler alert: yeah nah.) The other hosts boldly attempt to impress our guest with Persian and Pakistani dishes, with Simon even giving tahdig, the notoriously tricky crispy bottom that Iranians live for, a hoon. Will it pass muster with Pax? You'll have to listen to find out... Meanwhile, we discuss constipation, Alice #humblebrags about her recent European travels, Sophie talks about her trip to, er, Sandringham, Tina takes the mic and Simon drops a two-for-the-price-of-one bombshell. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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21 June 2019

Dietary Requirements podcast: We get hungry for hāngī in this Matariki special

Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by hāngī master Rewi Spraggon and his co-owner in The Māori Kitchen, Ganesh Raj, to have a yarn about Matariki, the Māori new year. … Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we're joined by hāngī master Rewi Spraggon and his co-owner in The Māori Kitchen, Ganesh Raj, to have a yarn about Matariki, the Māori new year. Every winter, the nine stars of Matariki reappear in the dawn sky to signal the start of the Māori New Year. In te ao Māori this is a time to celebrate new life, to remember our tūpuna, and look forward to our future. It’s about friends and family, and is a very good excuse to come together for kai. This year Matariki is 25-28 June and events to mark it are happening all over the country. Hāngī master, chef, artist, musician, TV presenter and all round cool guy Rewi Spraggon has been advocating for giving Matariki the respect it deserves long before it was cool, and next week he'll be putting down a hāngī at Takutai Square in Britomart for Matariki. If you're in Tāmaki Makaurau, go check it out and get yourself some kai: more details here. Spraggon knows a thing or two about bringing hāngī to downtown Auckland already: he and business partner Ganesh Raj opened The Māori Kitchen at Queens Wharf in March, which serves up traditionally cooked hāngī in sandwiches, wraps and pies. Spraggon and Raj joined the Dietary Requirements crew to talk Matariki (and Puanga!) and tell us why we should all be getting our hāngī on a lot more. For more on Matariki, read this great explainer in The Spinoff Ātea. And check out this cool behind the scenes of a hāngī mini documentary. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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