The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Super-soft gluten free orange cake: Cook time: 60 minutes   Prep time: 180 minutes   Serves: 8-10   3 small oranges   6 eggs   1 cup caster sugar   2 1/2 cups ground almond   1 tsp baking powder   Pinch of smoked flaky salt   Garnish: 1/2 cup whole almonds, roasted and crushed   2 tbsp icing sugar   Start with the longest part of the cake by cooking the oranges.   Place the oranges into a large po...

Kiwi fans of reality TV have a new service to check out- where all their favourite shows are gathered in one place. Hayu launched in New Zealand last Thursday, and it offers viewers easy access to popular reality shows including Real Housewives, Keeping up with the Kardashians and Below Deck- to name a few. Entertainment commentator Chris Schulz says this marks New Zealand's 21st streaming platfor...

We're six days away from election night- and the competition is amping up. Next week marks the last week of the election campaign, and Luxon and Hipkins will be rallying as many votes as they can from prospective voters. NZ Herald political editor Claire Trevett and Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls recap an 'odd' election campaign loaded with vandalism, lies, accusations and arguments over...

The All Blacks will have to beat world number one Ireland if they're to make it to the last four at the Rugby World Cup. Ireland has trounced Scotland 36-14 to make it 17 wins in a row and top Pool B. ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith explains how the All Blacks can get ahead in next Sunday's match. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For over 40 years, the Topp Twins have been entertaining Kiwi music fans with their unconventional country sound. Lynda and Jools Topp began as a pair of Huntly farm girls who always stuck together, and that led to years of success in music, comedy and yodelling. The duo detailed their unique childhood and personal journey in the new memoir ' Untouchable Girls: The Topp Twins Story' "People connec...

More Kiwi retailers are drawn towards facial recognition technology, as crime continues to surge. A recent Retail NZ report shows the sector has suffered over $2.5 billion in losses in the past year, and 92 percent of retailers have been the victim of a crime. Dentons Kensington Swan lawyer Campbell Featherstone says it's important for Kiwi retailers to take a coordinated approach with this techno...

As you will know by now, I love a general election; but there was a moment this week when I realized I was done.    Over it.   Counting the days until it was done and dusted. The moment was when I saw a tweet from the current Minister of Health, which had Christopher Luxon dressed up as a chicken and a comment he should turn up to the Press’s leaders debate.   The last time I heard a person accuse...

Black Ferns superstar Ruby Tui has had an extraordinary last few months. Off the back of her raw and intimate personal exploration detailed in her debut book ‘Straight Up’, Ruby and the Black Ferns celebrated their sixth World Cup win- and opened up a conversation about the impact of women’s rugby. “I’m really just extremely grateful and content to be in this position. This was probably the last -...

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue, author of Room. Eliza Raines and Anne Lister met at boarding school when they were 14 years old, in 1805, and embarked on an intimate friendship, pledging undying love. It becomes apparent that true love did not survive through a series of letters written by Eliza to her friend some ten years later, when it’s clear that she’s in torment and her life has unravelle...

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton is still making her way through Europe- and she's explored some more under-looked coastal towns. Megan visited Trieste, the Italian port city two hours away from Venice- considered the maritime gateway of the region. From there, Megan stopped by Slovenia, home to iconic architecture, rich history and indulgent desserts. LISTEN ABOVE     See omnystudio.com/listener...

This week on the Sunday Panel, BusinessDesk Investments editor and host of Cooking the Books Frances Cook and Victoria University senior lecturer Morgan Godfrey joined in on a discussion about the following-   No matter which side of the aisle wins, it's very likely that both major parties will need to form three-way coalitions. Is this good or bad news for voters? What do we think of Winston Pete...

In 2018, Kiwi author Heather Morris released the bestselling novel ' The Tattooist of Auschwitz'- and everything changed. 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' sold millions of copies worldwide and there's plans to adapt it into a TV series. Off the back of that success, Morris returned with her second historical novel- 'Sisters Under the Rising Sun', a tale of resilience taking place in the midst of World...

A new study has exposed the surprising link between omega-3 fatty acids and reduced depressive symtoms. The research, taken from British Journal of Nutrition, says that areas with omega-3-rich diets have lower incidents of depression. Wellness expert Erin O'Hara says fish, flaxseed, chia seeds, soy beans, and walnuts are loaded with omega-3. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Brown sugar and lavender panna cotta with blueberries   Cook time: 5 minutes   Prep time: 15 minutes   Serves: 6-8   3 leaves gelatine sheets   400ml can coconut cream   ½ cup brown sugar   1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise and seeds scrapped   10 lavender flowers (optional)   300ml cream   Blueberry compote (makes about 2 cups)   2 cups frozen blueberries   2T honey   4 star anise   Soak the gelati...

Have you ever avoided eating garlic because you were worried about how it might affect your breath for the rest of the day? Now, science has a solution!  Published in the journal Molecules,  researchers took raw and cooked garlic and looked at ways to neutralise the sulphurous compounds that linger in the mouth and give you that garlicky breath.  Previous research has shown that eating raw apple,...

Labour's Chris Hipkins brought some unexpected political fire into Wednesday's second leaders' debate, to the surprise of experts and viewers. Hipkins seemed confident in his performance on the night, giving himself a rating of nine, while Luxon rated himself a seven. ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says Hipkins' debate performance was surprising, following a 'lackluster' and 'lifeless' start to L...

Former NSW police detective Craig Semple knows the mental toll of a high-stakes job. For 25 years, Semple focused on high-risk law enforcement, dealing with drug, gang and homicide investigations and investigating some of Australia's most notorious criminals.  It came with a cost- as Semple suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after retiring from the force. He detailed a raw...

A former gang leader has been arrested in connection with the 1996 killing of US rapper Tupac Shakur. 27 years after Tupac's death, Duane Davis was taken into custody on suspicion of murder. Shakur was shot times at age 25 while stopped at a red light on the Las Vegas strip. KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin says the suspect and Tupac Shakur were in rival gangs- and it's unclear if the retribu...

National's Chris Luxon finally confirmed that he's open to collaborating with New Zealand First, if necessary. Recent polls show a three-way coalition between parties will be needed, regardless of who wins the election- meaning National and ACT will need the extra support from Winston Peters. National's former Deputy Leader, Paula Bennett, says it would have looked arrogant to prospective voters i...

Driving around the country this week – mainly Auckland to the Central Plateau and back, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s only one main political party in New Zealand and a couple of minor parties. Once I left the heavily placarded suburbs of Auckland, there was a smattering of Greens, Act and Te Pati Maori signs on the side of the road, but very few for Labour.   This may be down to budget -...

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron, creator of the Slow Horses books and TV series. The UK government has ordered a inquiry into MI5’s activities in Berlin back in 1999 when they were involved in a disastrous event. MI5 is determined that the inquiry won’t succeed and engage in completely pointless bureaucracy to ensure that. But then a classified dossier is handed to the two civil servants in charge...

BloggerAtLarge writer and season traveller Megan Singleton recently gallivanted off to Italy to experience everything the region has to offer. She took a train out of Rome into Naples, and followed that up with a day trip to the Amalfi Coast to visit Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. She highlights the St Genaro festival, the ruins of Herculaneum and the coastal towns surrounding the Amalfi Coast as u...

This week on the Sunday Panel, The Front Page podcast's Damien Venuto and Coast's Lorna Riley joined in on a discussion about the following: Co-governance- a column by Heather du Plessis-Allan discussed the newly-released poll showing that 48 per cent of respondents want a referendum on Māori co-governance. Only 17 per cent said no. ACT is the only party backing a referendum on co-governance and e...

A new Netflix series examines the world's Blue Zones- sparking questions about the habits other regions can pick up. Blue Zones are regions where it's common for people to live past 100 with less chronic disease, a list that includes Okinawa, Sardinia, Singapore and the Greek island of Icaria. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says these zones encourage healthy diets, natural exercise and...

Yoghurt marinated pork chops: 10 loin chops   250ml yoghurt   1 onion, peeled and diced   10 cloves garlic   10 curry leaves handful of coriander   1 tsp mustard seeds   1 tbsp cumin seeds   1 tbsp fennel seeds   1 tbsp ground turmeric   juice of 2 lemons   1 tsp chilli flakes   2 tbsp vegetable oil   1 tsp fine salt   Blitz the onions, garlic, curry leaves and coriander until smooth. This is your...