The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Whole roasted cauliflower with awesome cheese sauce and garlic slurry: 1 head of cauliflower   1 tsp smoked paprika   6 cloves garlic   2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves   2 tbsp grapeseed oil   pinch of sea salt   Béchamel  sauce   50gm butter   50gm plain flour   600ml milk   2 bay leaves   4 Tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated   1 Tbsp Dijon mustard   3 tbsp extra virgin oil   Preheat the oven to 180*c...

Sorry, not too nice a topic for Sunday but one that probably needs some awareness.   Where did your eggs come from?   Most people would think – a chicken, and leave it at that, but the specifics are that they come from a female chicken, so what happens to the 7 billion male chicks that are born worldwide every year?   Most hatcheries across the world still sort chicks by their sex a day after they...

Celebrity scientist Dr Joel Rindelaub looks forward to hearing solutions posed by bright young Kiwis in a new competition. Dr Rindelaub and Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles are on the judging panel of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2023, a challenge open to school years 5 to 10. Dr Rindelaub has been championing the importance of STEAM (science, technology, English, arts and maths), claiming these s...

Kiwi author Josie Shapiro's award-winning debut explores the pleasure and pain of athletic success.  Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts tells the story of Mickey Bloom, an awkward, bullied child who finds freedom and opportunity in running- until she's pushed to the brink. This book awarded author Josie Shapiro the Allen & Unwin Prize for Commercial Fiction. She says she was inspired...

Award-winning comedian and podcaster Guy Montgomery is certainly driving audiences crazy- for him. He's appeared on our screens in Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Taskmaster, and Have You Been Paying Attention?, as well as a brief stint on Celebrity Treasure Island. This week, Guy Montgomery took out the Best of the Fest prize and is in the running for a Fred Award for his show 'My Brain Is Blowing Me Craz...

This week I found myself shocked, angry, and saddened by what I read in the news. You’d think as you get older, with all we’ve been exposed to, that there’s not much left to shock us with? In a way I’m glad I can still be taken aback. It’s a sign I’m still an optimist, think the best of people, and haven’t become totally cynical about humans and the world we live in. But one story this week really...

A new survey shows more Kiwis are concerned about where their KiwiSaver investments go. Mindful Money's annual survey says 74 percent of people expect their investments to be managed responsibly and ethically. 59 percent would move their funds if they weren't invested in a way that aligned with their values. BusinessDesk editor and Cooking the Books host Frances Cook says perceptions around ethica...

The second day of Labour's election year Congress will give voters an idea of what to expect ahead of the 2023 election. Speaking in Wellington yesterday, Grant Robertson, Kelvin Davis and Carmel Sepuloni all took multiple digs at National and ACT over proposed changes to the Superannuation policy. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Labour's pot-shots against National fell over at the f...

Everything Is Beautiful and Everything Hurts by Josie Shapiro. Winner of the inaugural Allen and Unwin Commercial Fiction prize to try to encourage and recognise more local commercial fiction. A very worthy winner - I loved it - about Mickey Bloom who’s a shy, awkward, dyslexic kid who doesn’t fit in anywhere - and then she discovers running and it’s the one thing she’s good at. Eventually though,...

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton has been in America for a week and shone the spotlight on the Texas town of Galveston. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, this town is a popular stop-off spot for people on their way to cruise trips. Megan Singleton was pleasantly surprised by Galveston, with the shopping, food, architecture and wharfs impressing her. Read more about Megan's Galveston highlights here L...

This week on the Sunday Panel, c ommentator and TV producer Irene Gardiner and p olitical commentator and partner at Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers, Liam Hehir joined in on a discussion about the following topics: Do we feel safe in New Zealand? Coverage of robberies and assault and ram-raids is on the rise- is it actually getting worse? Are criminals getting bolder? What would make us feel safer? Ar...

The World Health organisation recently published a report highlighting the health risks associated with artificial sweeteners. The report recommends against the use of non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of disease. Wellness expert Erin O'Hara says small amounts of natural sugar and glucose have health benefits and help the brain function. "Be aware of your sugar intake,...

The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival is underway- and it started with some controversy.  Johnny Depp made his return to the spotlight for the Tuesday premiere of 'Jeanne Du Barry' ,  which opened the film festival. Depp stars opposite director and actress Maïwenn as King Louis XV.   Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says this particular film opening Cannes proves that Johnny Depp no longer needs Ho...

Hardly a week goes by without ChatGPT mentioned in a news article about its use or potential use in many different areas of our lives, like education. It’s very 2023. But AI is not new - it’s been talked about and pondered for decades. The term artificial intelligence was coined in 1956 when the creators of The Logic Theorist presented their program designed to mimic the problem solving skills of...

Kiwi acting veterans Michael Hurst and Jennifer Ward-Lealand return to the stage to celebrate Auckland Theatre Company's 30th anniversary. The pair are set to star alongside an elite cast in Shakespeare’s King Lear- working together again after 18 years. Michael Hurst and Jennifer Ward-Lealand still look back on their last project together, The Goat, as one of the 'best performances they've ever b...

When was the first human kiss? This was a question that two scientists – who were married- asked at dinner one night, and their findings were published this week in the journal Science .   The dinner discussion started as the married couple were chatting about a research paper on the ancient DNA of the herpes simplex virus 1. They noted that there had been a shift in the transmission of the virus...

Red wine braised duck with Jerusalem artichoke purée (serves 4)   2 duck breasts, skin on   2 brown onions, sliced   6 cloves garlic, smashed   350ml rich red wine   400gm can whole peeled tomatoes   Small bunch fresh thyme   4 cups Jerusalem artichokes, washed and roughly chopped   1 cup milk   Water to cover   2 tbsp butter   2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley   50gm good parmesan   Salt and freshly...

Economists warn that Budget 2023 may lead to further interest rate increases. This year's Budget was focused around cyclone recovery, infrastructure, and the ongoing cost of living, all of which are expected to cost taxpayers  $11.5 billion over four years. ZB's Chief Political Reporter Aaron Dahmen says it'll be interesting to see how the Reserve Bank reacts with next week's OCR decision. "We'll...

  To celebrate New Zealand Music Month, Kiwi singer/songwriter Georgia Lines joined the Sunday Session to play her new single 'Monopoly'. Georgia Lines is coming off the back of a successful 2022- her EP 'Human' debuted at Number 1 on the charts, and she was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards. She describes her recent streak of success as a 'long journey', having be...

Masterchef UK judge and food critic William Sitwell has been taking in New Zealand's culinary scene. He's been to Queenstown and Auckland, experiencing what the regions have to offer and appearing as a guest at the Auckland Writers Festival. William Sitwell was 'completely stunned' by what he's experienced so far, especially New Zealand's unique views and dining scene. "The hospitality scene here...

The Government is seeking advice about New Zealand's weather forecasting system amid fears of conflict. MetService and NIWA have inspired concern over mixed and confusing messages given to the public during extreme weather events. WeatherWatch founder Philip Duncan says one of the reasons the weather feels so much more intense this year, is because we've had five years of rainfall deficit. "And th...

Air New Zealand has announced that passengers will soon be able to track their bags through their app. The airline will be trialling ‘luggage status’ tracking on a selection of domestic flights, in an attempt to curb the problem of lost luggage. BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton says this is a fantastic idea that will do away with hidden Bluetooth trackers and enable travellers to easily f...

This week on The Sunday Panel, Victoria University Faculty of Law senior lecturer, Morgan Godfery and editor and commentator Jo McCarroll joined in on a discussion about the following issues:  Earlier this week, Police Minister Ginny Andersen and National police spokesman Mark Mitchell got into a debate about police staffing levels. How important is it in an election year to be representing data c...

New research suggests gastritis is on the rise- and it may be an underdiscussed aspect of long Covid. Gastritis describes a condition that causes stomach lining to become red, swollen and inflamed.  Naturopath, wellness expert and Golden Yogi's Erin O'Hara explained that gastrointestinal conditions have been flaring up after people have gotten Covid-19, including peptic ulcer diseases, GERD and ac...

Mothers Day Chocolate Fondant   Cook time: 12 minutes  Prep: 15 minutes  Serves: 6  30g butter, for greasing moulds   200g dark cooking chocolate, broken into small pieces   200g unsalted butter   4 eggs   150g caster sugar   5 tbsp flour cocoa powder, for dusting  Ice-cream   Edible flowers  Preheat oven to 200*C.   Grease 6 x 125ml moulds with first measure of butter, then place in fridge until...