Darren Bevan: Movies

Chasing Great - Richie McCaw Documentary

Directors: Jim Pemberton and Michelle Walshe

Darren's verdict: http://bit.ly/chasinggreat-review

David Brent: Life on the Road - Cast: Ricky Gervais, Doc Brown, Tom Bennett

Director: Ricky Gervais

Darren's verdict: http://bit.ly/david-brent-life-on-road

Eye in the Sky - Cast: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi, Jeremy Northam, Iain Glen

Director: Gavin Hood

Darren's verdict: http://bit.ly/eye-in-the-sky-review

Nici Wickes: Food

Not all pots and pans are created equal. What makes one pot cost $12 and another of a similar size cost over $500? What is each really worth? How do you get the black stuff off a pot when it does burn?

1. Le Creuset is opening a store in Auckland – these pots are 'forever cookware', the price and quality says so.  And they’ve been making them in France since 1925. They’re handcrafted cast iron and I have 3 of them which I treasure. A garage sale gave me one for $1 when I as in my early 20’s. You can make Xmas cakes I the pots and use the lids for cooking pizza! 

Lynda Hallinan: Gardening

Growing Tomatoes from Seed

Homegrown tomatoes are one of the great pleasures of life: meaty, juicy, sun-warmed and full of flavour, which is rarely said of their supermarket counterparts. One of the problems with tomatoes is that consumers demand them year-round, but they are really summer vegetables. They won't grow without warmth. 

Tomatoes shouldn't be planted outdoors before Labour Weekend, so don't jump the gun and buy seedlings now unless you have a glasshouse. What you can do instead, is sow seeds and raise your own plants.

Sowing tomato seeds is easy and makes it possible to grow all sorts of unusual varieties (the Kings Seeds catalogue lists 22, from dwarf MiniBelle to Golden Roma and an amazing black tomato called Indigo Rose). You can also save your own seeds easily, year after year, just by squeezing a few seeds onto a paper towel and drying them. 

To sow the seeds, fill a container - a seed tray, recycled punnet or ice cream container - with 5cm of sterile seed raising mix. Don't use biodegradable peat pots as they fall apart before the plants are big enough to transplant. 

Moisten the mix then pop the container in a clear plastic bag and keep it somewhere warm - a hot water cupboard, on top of an old fridge, a sunny conservatory - until the seeds sprout. Then keep them indoors, but in full light, for 3-4 weeks before gradually introducing them to the outdoors (a process known as hardening off). By then it will be mid-October and time to plant them!

Bob Campbell: Wine

If a wine is too sweet, too acidic or too astringent you can easily change it. Let’s start with “too sweet”. Most wine drinkers have experienced the frustration of finding a white wine just a little too sweet for their taste. Pinot Gris and Riesling both have variable sweetness levels that is not always indicated on the label. But if it’s too sweet you can change it. The first step is to chill the wine down, unless it’s already very cold. Chilling accentuates acidity in wine which helps cancel out some sweetness. The next step is to serve the wine with food that’s slightly sweet. Sweetness in food pulls down some of the sweetness in wine. Try it, it really makes a difference.

-          How do you make a wine taste less acid?

A lot of people can’t handle the high acidity in white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling. If the wine’s very cold you can reduce the effect of acidity by allowing it to warm up slightly, but no one wants to drink tepid white wine so a better alternative is to enjoy it with food that’s got plenty of acidity. Acidity in food reduces our impression of acidity in wine. My wife can’t drink Sauvignon Blanc because of the acid. But if I serve it with a piece of smoked salmon garnished with lime or lemon, she loves it because the acidity in the garnish reduces the acidity in the wine. It makes a big difference.

-          What about big astringent reds?

Astringency in red wine is caused by tannins found in the grape skins, stems and seeds. Red wine made from thick-skinned grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah tend to be more astringent, particularly when they are young. Warming the wine up a little helps to soften it, so does aerating the wine by sloshing it into a jug or decanter. But you can dramatically soften very astringent reds by drinking them with food, particularly food that has uncoagulated protein. Cheese is a good example, or steak served medium/rare rather than well done because the proteins are coagulated in well-cooked steak.

-          Is your wine of the week a big astringent red?

No, it’s Snapper Rock 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Rose. It’s got the fresh, zingy-ness of Sauvignon Blanc and a pretty pink colour from a dash of Pinot Noir. I think the wine offers good value at its regular price of $15.99.

Mike Yardley: Travel

Feature Topic - Spring in Christchurch

For more tips on stepping out in the Christchurch springtime, check out Mike's articles on our website.

www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle

Catherine Raynes: Books

Behind The Tape- Lance Burdett, Allen & Unwin, $36.99

Lance Burdett was in the police force for twenty-two years, in a variety of high-level roles: head of negotiation team; running 111 centre; intelligence management; protection squad and emergency responders. He worked on some of New Zealand's most high profile cases. His daily police life included frequent suicide interventions in high-profile locations, which were common call-outs for the negotiation team. Lance talks about the different negotiation styles and challenges involved. He was involved in Australia/New Zealand anti-terrorism training, and played the role of terrorist over several days on site. His story shows how quickly you can become indoctrinated and 'hate' your 'enemies'. Lance also underwent FBI training in Washington where he found that New Zealand's negotiation skills held up well. My Life as a Police Negotiator tells what it's really like to be a cop: the fear, the stress, the everyday drama, the skills developed, the lives saved, the lives lost. It's gritty, tough and confronting.

Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo - Amy Schumer, HarperCollins, $29.99

Amy Schumer. Frank, fearless and so freaking funny. Her story. In her own words. 'I've only had one one-night stand in my life. Yes, one. I know, I'm so sorry to disappoint anyone who thinks I walk around at all times with a margarita in one hand and a dildo in the other.' In The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy shares stories about her family, her relationships, her career, good - and bad - sex, recounting the experiences that have shaped who she is today: from the riches to rags story of her childhood to her teenage quest for popularity (and boys) to becoming one of the most sought-after comedians on the planet and an outspoken advocate for women's rights. Whether she's experiencing lust at first sight in the queue at the airport, discovering her boot camp instructor's secret bad habit, or candidly discussing her father's multiple sclerosis, Amy Schumer proves to be a fearless, original, and always entertaining storyteller. Her book will move you, make you laugh, catch you completely off guard, and answer this burning question: is it okay for a 35-year-old woman to still sleep with her childhood teddy bears? Amy's got your back. She's in your corner. She's an honesty bomb. And she's coming for you. - Actress Tilda Swinton, Trainwreck co-star A powerful feminist voice. - Guardian Equal parts naughty cheerleader, self-deprecating Everywoman and fearless truth-teller, Ms. Schumer connects with women and men alike. - New York Times Wickedly funny and brilliantly talented. Amy Schumer is everything right now. - Glamour

Andrew Dickens: Music

Suicide Squad Soundtrack - Featuring 21 Pilots, Kehlani and L'il Wayne. Andrew's verdict: 6/10

Much has been made of the merging of genres as though it hadn’t happened before. Hello? linkin park anyone. This soundtrack is a bit like the film.  On paper and in the trailers it should be excellent but there’s something a little watered down about it.  Not as edgy as it claims to be and yet too abrasive to be a coherent listen.  More misses than hits.  6/10 (still love 21 pilots though).