About

After all, I think some of the best stories start in (or lead back to) the kitchen, just like the best parties.

In fact,I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where food was very important. We cooked, ate, talked about it, and even read about it. However, I didn’t realise how good I had it until I went to boarding school at 13. There, I entered a world of sticky banana custard, pineapple coleslaw, strange fruit, and mystery meat.

Moreover, I became a journalist nearly 20 years ago, mainly because I like telling stories. Since then, I’ve written about everything from anthrax to zoos. That includes plenty in between, for print and digital platforms in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

As a journalist, I love the way food connects people with their families, their culture and their roots. As a cook, I know of no better way to make friends and influence people than to sit around a table and eat together. And as a mother, I love being able to share family traditions and foster new ones.

Now, as a freelance writer and editor, I regularly contribute to a range of publications, including Cuisine, Frankie and New Zealand Life & Leisure. From 2015 to 2018 I wrote a a weekly recipe column, published every Wednesday on stuff.co.nz and in the Dominion Post, The Press and the Waikato Times.

From 2019-2020, I wrote a fortnightly recipe column for Be Well, a magazine published every Monday in the New Zealand Herald. You can find them online here.

In January 2020, I started writing a fortnightly blog for thisnzlife.co.nz, which you can find here.

And in October 2021, Penguin Books NZ has published my first cookbook, Homecooked.

If you want to get in touch, here’s how to do it.

Bon appetit!

Lucy