Manaia Brookes
Writes the long pieces, presses the apples and quietly rewrites everyone else's first drafts. Lives by the wharf with two dogs and a cast iron pan.
Tēnā koutou — page 03 · hands at work
Six people, one stove, a long wooden table.
A small whānau of cooks, writers and growers who keep the notebook moving, week to week. Most of us live within a short walk of the harbour. None of us belong to a chef brigade — we just like quiet kitchens, careful sentences and the occasional shared cup of tea.
Around the bench
The cooks who taste each line of the recipe.
Everyone on this page cooks each dish at least once before it appears. Quantities, swaps and timings are agreed at the table.
Anaru Whittaker
Tests every recipe at three different scales. A patient hand with bread, ferments and anything that wants more time than the clock allows.
Sione Te Aho
Carries the camera into orchards, allotments and the back of growers' utes. Writes the small place notes that anchor each entry.
Harata Whitelock
Looks after the back-step māra kai garden and visits the suppliers we list by name. Brings in the asparagus and tells us when to stop forcing the rhubarb.
Liana Carmichael
Runs the small Saturday workshops at the wharf hall, and quietly answers every booking note that lands in our inbox by Monday morning.
Te Atawhai Reilly
Writes the Sunday letter, replies to reader corrections and keeps the recipe index honest. Makes the best pot of Te Tai Tonga tea in the building.
Workshop calendar · Spring & winter '26
Saturday mornings at the wharf hall.
Eight chairs at a time. Use the tabs to flip between the season's slots. All prices include GST and ingredients.
14Sat 14 Sep · 09:30
Slow bread morning
A four-hour visit; an everyday sandwich loaf to take home in a brown paper bag.
05Sat 05 Oct · 09:30
Asparagus & lemon
Five short dishes built around the season's first asparagus from Tai Tapu.
26Sat 26 Oct · 09:30
Pantry preserves
Two seasonal jars, one labelled lid, plenty of small notes for the cupboard.
16Sat 16 Nov · 09:30
Strawberry afternoon
A short, sweet session — three ways with the season's first strawberries.
22Sat 22 Jun · 09:30
Winter soup table
Three quiet pots and a long lunch; recipes you can rebuild from a Tuesday pantry.
13Sat 13 Jul · 09:30
Slow braise day
Cuts to ask your butcher for, plus the long way to make a Sunday-style supper.
03Sat 03 Aug · 09:30
Citrus & honey
Mandarins, lemons and last year's mānuka honey. A bright morning out of the cold.
24Sat 24 Aug · 09:30
Quiet baking
An afternoon of scones, oat biscuits and one tin of lemon shortbread.
21Sun 21 Sep · 10:00
Children at the bench
Short Sunday session for younger cooks (8 — 13), with grown-up helpers welcome.
02Sun 02 Nov · 10:00
Whānau pizza day
Two doughs, three sauces, and a quiet outdoor oven at the back of the hall.
06Sun 06 Jul · 10:00
Soup & toast
A warm winter lunch session; everyone leaves with one labelled jar of soup.
Working week · How a recipe travels
From the patch to the page in six small steps.
The quiet weekday rhythm that keeps each Sunday letter honest.
Mon
Market day
Harata visits the local growers and the basket comes home before lunch.
Tue
First cook
Anaru drafts a recipe, often with one ingredient less than planned, around six o'clock.
Wed
Quiet edit
Manaia reads the draft, removes adjectives, and asks one good awkward question.
Thu
Second cook & photo
Sione re-cooks the dish, takes one image we like and three we don't keep.
Fri
Cross-check
Liana reads it as a first-time cook would. If a step is unclear, the day starts again.
Sun
Letter sent
Te Atawhai folds the recipe into the Sunday letter and onto the site, before lunch.
"Mahi tahi — we work as one. Six people, one bench, a long shared cup of tea. The journal is what's left on the page when the dishes are done."
From the kitchen team
Working with us
If you cook, grow or write nearby — let's share a table.
We collaborate with small Aotearoa market gardens, makers and home-cook writers. Tell us what you're working on and we'll write back from the kitchen.