Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/67815
Keeping Track of it All: WW: What priority do you place on monitoring your cookbooks' performance? & Now Then was the dilemma! I decided I would write about the food that I was cooking for my family and friends. I like to seize every opportunity possible to make special occasions of the little events in our every day lives. The sharing of food with friends and family is one way we celebrate the events that mean the most to us, not only the momentous occasions but the small everyday happenings that occur in all our lives; birthdays, wedding anniversaries, perhaps a new job, an exam success or a sporting win. Many of these, often small moments are the inspiration for my recipes. During all of this I was still working for Sunbeam Appliances as their Territory Manager for Otago and Southland. I retired in 2003 after 22 years with the company. WW: What were some of the core values you built your name and reputation on? Have these changed over time? My recipes are clearly and concisely written. They work. The method is simple to follow and does not involve complicated procedures. The ingredients are basic pantry staples that most people have in their kitchens. I like bold, rich flavours and I try to achieve this keeping saturated fat and sugar to the minimum. I don't make a big fuss about this as many people equate low fat with boring. WW: Just how are you ensuring your product and food is closely aligned to market needs? I think that its success is due to the fact that the recipes work. If I do introduce an ingredient that is likely to be unfamiliar to a number of readers, it is usually an ingredient that I think has a multitude of uses and one that they will become very familiar and confident with and enjoy using. I try to steer clear of the really unusual – something you may use a teaspoon of and then it sits in the pantry untouched until well past its 'use by date'. I try to simplify the method so that time consuming and fiddly steps are eliminated without compromising taste and quality. I want fast, fresh food with strong natural flavours. Each new edition of the slow cooker cookbook, whilst containing many new recipes, also covers the absolute basics so that newcomers to slow cooking are assured of success. The basic does and don'ts are covered in every book. My writing style is very clear, concise and straight forward. WW: What are the three biggest ways that cooking has changed since you began? 1. Many more ingredients available than 25 years ago 2. Leaner cuts of meat and chicken 3. The arrival of the celebrity chef When first released I note the performance on the Best Sellers List in the Sunday Star Times. After that I check three-four times a year with my publisher Random House. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do if the book is not selling at retail level. I think a huge number of my books sell by word of mouth. Planning Heading: WW: What are some of your key goals for the future over the next 18 months? I will continue to write my monthly column for the Otago Daily Times but A Southern Woman's Kitchen is my swansong. Well maybe! Fuelling the Fire: WW: Where do you draw your personal power from? I love to walk along the beach or in the bush and I love to garden. The peace and solitude I find with these activities gives me strength and calmness. I also have a very supportive husband who believes in me and encourages me in all I do. Tony doesn't cook. He says why would he when he is married to someone who cooks as well as I do. However, he is invaluable in the kitchen and he quite often peels and chops vegetables, trims meat of unwanted fat and takes on all manner of tedious chores, and of course he always cleans up after me. He willingly eats both the successes and failures as recipes evolve. Sometimes I cook a recipe a dozen times before I am happy with the result. higher levels WW: Which women foodies or chefs have you watched with interest? Lois Daish is a superb food writer and wrote the Listener food column for many years. Annabel Langbein is a good food writer and because of her TV series is well known overseas as well as in New Zealand. I do admire Nigella Lawson's writing style. I am also a fan of Nigel Slater, Stephanie Alexander and Peter Gordon. WHO'S WHO 2012 | 23