Ian Thomas

Hawke's Bay

Columnist at Bay Buzz

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baybuzz.co.nz

Articles

How to make a bacon and egg sandwich in under six months

1 week ago | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in May/June BayBuzz magazine.]It’s the farmyard ménage à trois: Sultry oozing egg yolk married with a salty, crisp rasher, pressed into the enticing embrace of a fresh bun. The trio of temptation, textural and flavourful perfection, an unqualified triumph, made more so in our household by the knowledge we made it ourselves, from scratch.
Meatballs! | BayBuzz

2 months ago | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in March/April BayBuzz magazine.]They’re everywhere. A global success story to rival Taylor Swift’s. Where animals are eaten, meatballs are made. For, along with sausages, meatballs take care of ‘the bits’ of the animal and frequently surpass the prime cuts in all-round deliciousness. When well-made these spheres of unctuous umami are a delight.
From scratch | BayBuzz

Feb 2, 2025 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

It’s a huge idea! it would benefit all of us by saving money, making us more healthy, growing biodiversity and driving the local economy. It’s not going to happen. We should commune more frequently with friends and family. Sit, sharing stories, anecdotes and amusing tidbits. But it won’t happen. Cook! That’s the big idea. Cook and cook again. From scratch and from left-overs. Banish the packets. Leave the take-aways where they are.
No definitive magic formula for flavour

Aug 22, 2024 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in July/August BayBuzz magazine.]The straightforward question: “What do you think of when tasting food or developing a dish?” is actually pretty complex. So complex that the answers I received were long, intricate, and enmeshed with the cook’s own existential story. In search of clarity, my questioning has opened a box of further questions and intrigue.
A matter of taste

May 14, 2024 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in May/June BayBuzz magazine.]Nomadic gatherers used tongue and nose to test possible foods. Not in a pretentious sommelier-adjacent way (cat’s piss on a gooseberry bush was just that in those days), but in a prehistoric ‘will this do me good or harm’ way. Does this taste indicate nutrition or death? Is this kale food or foe? (Foe, obviously). It’s all just so much easier now! We have labels, lulling us into a false sense of nourishment.
I just wish the world wanted fondue back!

Mar 21, 2024 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in March/April BayBuzz magazine.]As a fashion, food, like the rag trade, regurgitates the old, adds a twist and presents us with something new in order to excite us and get our attention. As a case-study, take the sandwich. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen the rebirth of the humble, utilitarian cut-lunch.
Picnic? What’s the lure?

Jan 18, 2024 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in December/January BayBuzz magazine.]The idea of a picnic is delightfully delicious. A Mary Poppins, sing-along occasion complete with colourful blanket, wicker basket, and enthusiastic, smiling faces. Skipping through the grass to the picnic spot is compulsory, as is some sort of ball game. The reality, in my curmudgeonly experience, is quite different. Rather like fish ‘n’ chips, the imagined is always superior to the actual event.
Potluck | BayBuzz

Nov 29, 2023 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in Nov/Dec BayBuzz magazine.]Tis the season for gatherings and nothing says gathering like a Boxing Day sale, a fire alarm drill or a potluck meal. The shared meal, or bring-a-plate occasion, is a heart-warming affair. A perfect way to show loved ones, friends, workmates, and strangers how much you care. Not just the care you have for them but also for your own culinary flare.
Spring? - BayBuzz

Sep 19, 2023 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

[As published in September/October BayBuzz magazine.]Distrust of the seasons is mounting … understandably. Those closest to the land have been bowled nothing but curve balls and bouncers and hospital passes for more than a year. Well and truly slammed and dunked, their impressive resilience is tested as seldom before. We are in their debt. No farmers, no food. So here we go, bravely into a new round of our climatic wheel of fortune game and associated uncertainty.
Is shaved ham pork?

Jul 25, 2023 | baybuzz.co.nz | Ian Thomas

I am, and have been for years, a self-appointed food label assessor. I am always sceptical of multinational manufacturers, distrusting of long lists of ingredients and wary of ingredients that don’t sound like food. Why? Because whether we-are-what-we-eat, or we-are-what-what-we-eat-eats, we should be putting good things in our bodies. For the sake of our health we’ve got to be interested in our food supply.