Life for me revolves around food in some way or other. Until recently I was the Food Director of Dish magazine with I co-founded in 2004. Prior to that and for many years I owned and operated The Epicurean Workshop, a specialist cookware store and cooking school.

These days, I write about food and culinary travel on a freelance basis. I also own and run an importing company specialising in eco-friendly products for serving and presenting food, including the amazing WASARA from Japan plus traditional Spanish cookware and other top quality products relating to cooking or serving food.

On a philanthropic level I chair the Garden to Table Trust. Garden to Table is a programme for primary schools where children aged 7-10 grow, harvest,

prepare and share good food as part of their learning. It is based on the very successful Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation in Australia and I am totally passionate about it. The aim is to have the programme in every primary school in NZ eventually!

Apart from food, which has been a consuming passion for me and the focus of my career for more than 30 years now, I live to travel. My (now grown) children often tell me I have spent more time away from home than at home. This is of course not entirely true - I wish it was though.

I am also trying hard to be an environmentally aware NZ’er. I have a square foot vege garden in my small inner city courtyard which is much, much more work than originally imagined. Still I derive much pleasure from picking the odd broad bean or globe artichoke from it.

Oh.. and one day soon I hope to get around to writing another cook book.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CATHERINE'S RECIPES>>