Articles by Sally Sumner

RECIPE : Frozen Cherry Chocolate Pudding Cake · Ingredients 1kg store-bought Christmas pudding, crumbled 6L vanilla ice cream, softened 2 cups cherries in cane sugar syrup (from delis and specialty food shops) 2/3 cup (165ml) cherry syrup Chocolate shards and pitted fresh cherries, to decorate · Chocolate Icing 1/2 titanium-strength gelatine leaf 11/3 cups (330ml) thickened cream 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa…

Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It was traditionally a time to honor deities as well as ancestors, and it has also become a time to feast and to visit family members. Celebrations of Chinese New Year traditionally last for 16 days, starting from Chinese New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. A period of public holidays is observed in many Asian…

If you have ever delved into the history about the Christmas season, you will know it is both complex and varied. From its origins steeped in pagan and Christian beliefs alike many centuries ago, it has evolved into a holiday that is celebrated by over 159 countries officially and 23 unofficially making it the most celebrated and universally recognized holiday worldwide. The Christmas season has been involved in a cessation of hostilities in…

There is something about strawberries that says Christmas in New Zealand. The bright red, sweet summertime berry is in full season mid-December and there are plenty to go around. In some places you can even pick your own. They are beautiful just as they are, with whipped cream or dipped in Chocolate or try some of the below recipes to mix things up a bit this Christmas. They are easy enough to even get the kids involved! Christmas Tree…

The Advent Calendar · Advent calendars are undoubtedly a festive staple in New Zealand as in many countries around the world, with children and adults alike leaping out of bed to discover what is behind the little numbered door that day. Modern advent calendars can hide anything from chocolate to wine behind their doors as we count down to Christmas. · But where did advent calendars come from? Let’s explore the history of this popular festive…

Returning after our Covid Break – the South Auckland Woodturners Guild Christmas shop will be there again from 28 November to 24 December with more than 2000 hand-made items you will love. · As in 2020 we will be at 245 Great South Road. That is opposite the Countdown car park, south of the Library and a little south of the Averill Street intersection. · This is the only public sale we have of things made by our club members. It is hard to…

The best asparagus is fresh and November is the perfect month to enjoy this highly seasonal crop. To tell if asparagus is fresh, look for stalks that are a rich, deep green color that get lighter toward the end of the stalk. The stalks should be firm to the touch. Pass by any stalks that are limp or dry with cracked ends. The tips of the asparagus should be tightly closed and the stalks should be uniform for even cooking. · One of the quickest…

It’s been an interesting month, local body elections resulting in many fresh faces at councils across the country and a new Auckland Mayor starting to make some noise (writing to Watercare and council chief executive Jim Stabback telling them to stop all work on the Government's Three Water reforms and asking for entire CCO boards to step down.) Renegade Labour MP Gaurav Sharma resigned prompting a referendum (byelection) that Labour probably…

November 26th 1961 – The Drug Thalidomide is withdrawn from the market after affecting over 10,000 babies worldwide Thalidomide changed our relationship with new medicines for ever. It took five years for the connection between thalidomide taken by pregnant women and the impact on their children to be made. Not only did thalidomide change people’s lives, but it resulted in tighter drug testing and reporting of side-effects. · Thalidomide is…

If you are anything like me, then the death last month and subsequently funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II has been very much a pointed reminder into the history behind both the Monarchy and its impact on us as a member of the Commonwealth. She was a remarkable woman of service and the funeral if you haven’t already watched at least part of it, is well worth it. It is indeed a moment of History that will never be repeated in our lifetime.…