Set in the style of a traditional Māori pepeha, starting from the mountain and flowing to the sea, Christall Lowe (Ngāti Kauwhata, Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto) has created another stunning and unique cookbook.
Kai Feast is much more than a cookbook though. Lowe invites readers into the heart of her kitchen, exploring the ingredients, cooking, stories and customs of her whānau. It is a story of hospitality and Lowe's manaakitanga shines through the recipes and the pages. It doesn't follow a traditional cookbook template, but instead aligns with te ao Māori.
Lowe takes readers on a deeply personal journey, focussing on manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, but most of all, whānau. The book honours the legacy of her whānau, in particular her Grandfather, with personal photos and stories, all helping to unfold the story of kai hākari (feasting).
The book, while full of treats for the puku, is a treat for the eyes too. Lowe not only created the recipes but also did the photography. They are, simply put, beautiful. Each photograph is meticulously styled and perfect. Coupled with the warm, autumnal colour scheme, it's a real visual feast.
Of course, it is a cookbook. And the recipes do not disappoint, brimming with flavour, nostalgia and seasoned with whakapapa and history. Lowe takes ingredients from Aotearoa and shows others how to use them within dishes - from kaimoana to native plants and much more in between. Lowe also includes handy hints and tips for cooking for a crowd, menu ideas, and information about the native plants used.
Her recipes are accessible, there's nothing that you won't find within a run-of-the-mill supermarket. They're also fairly easy, meaning the younger whānau members can help out too. While some might be more involved, it's all part of slowing down, sharing stories and seeking out the connections that kai can make.
Every recipe we have tried has been a hit - from the beer-battered fish with lemon horopito mayo to the bush lemonade, the kūmara donuts with kawakawa sugar to the oven-cooked hāngī with native rongoā, the stuffed fry bread to the kawakawa and orange shortbread, each one has been delicious. The brown sugar pavlova was viewed with suspicion by our resident pav-fan, but it was declared the new winner for the Christmas table, and the butterscotch self-saucing pudding has been declared as being like 'an edible hug' from our children. Lowe's first book, Kai, was already on high rotation in our kitchen, and this teina will be joining it. The sign of a good cookbook is, in my mind, one splattered and covered in crumbs, Kai Feast already looks like it's lived in my kitchen for decades, it's rarely put away as it's used every day.
Lowe writes in the book that she would 'like to believe I've inherited the generous spirit of my grandparents when it comes to kai'. It's safe to say she absolutely has. Kai Feast is a generous taonga readers are privileged to be gifted with.
Reviewer: Rebekah Lyell
Bateman Books