potatoes, kumara, lemons - cut into thin slices, figs, parsnip, baby onions, spring onions, pumpkin, mushrooms, radishes
1.5 kg leg lamb on the bone
10 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons oil

Lemon Rosemary topping:
finely grated rind of three lemons
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 200 deg C.  Trim, peel and prepare the vegetables and fruit, keeping pieces of root vegetables a uniform size.  Remove skin from lamb, leaving a small layer of fat.  Peel garlic cloves and slice in half.  Cut slashes in lamb fat and push a garlic slice into each one.  Sprinkle the topping over the lamb.  Place vegetables in bottom of roasting pan with two tablespoons of oil to prevent sticking, and place lamb on a rack above the vegetables.  Roast in the oven for 1 hour 20 min.  The lamb is cooked when the juices that run out of the meat when pierced with a skewer are faintly pink.  Rest lamb out of oven at least 10 min before carving.  Serve with red currant, mint or rosehip jelly.

HEARTY BEEF CASSEROLE WITH BEER

650-750 grams blade or chuck steak, trimmed of fat on a 
1/4 cup seasoned flour
2 tablespoons oil
355 ml can beer
1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 large parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
560 gram can Minestrone Soup

Cut the meat into large 3 cm pieces and toss in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan and brown the meat pieces on all sides.  Browning will add  colour and flavour to the finished casserole. Add the beer and simmer quickly uncovered, for 5 minutes.  You need to reduce the beer by a quarter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip and minestrone soup and bring to a simmer.  Cover and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours until tender.  Alternatively, transfer to a casserole and cook at 180 deg C. Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

KORORAREKA PORK WITH TAIAMAI KUMARA STUFFING

1 X 3 /2 pound loin of pork
salt and pepper
1 cup grated kumara
1/2 cup grated tart apple

Bone the pork and score the rind.  (Usually get a butcher to do this for you.) Rub the inside of the meat with salt and pepper. Grate the kumara and apple and mix together adding a little salt in wished. Spread along the pork and roll up firmly.  Tie at regular intervals with string. Place in a roasting pan and roast in a very hot oven (400-450F) 20-30 minutes to bubble the crackling, then lower heat to 350-375 F and roast a further two hours.  Take from oven and allow to cool a little before placing in the refrigerator.  Chill thoroughly before serving.  Serve cold cut in thin slices.

WHITEBAIT FRITTERS

Whitebait are tiny 1-2 inch long white fish which are the young of the minnow or inanga.  They are netted in restricted seasons at river mouths.

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 cup whitebait
oil for frying
lemon for garnish

Beat the egg and blend with the milk.  Sift the flour with the salt and pepper into a mixing bowl.  Stir the liquid into the flour to form a smooth batter.  It should be the consistency of thick cream.  Cover batter and allow to stand while preparing the whitebait. Put whitebait in a sieve, run cold water through them and leave to drain well.  Mix the drained whitebait with the batter when ready to cook. Heat oil in a frypan until very hot.  Drop the mixture from a tablespoon into the hot fat and cook quickly until golden, then turn and cook the other side. D rain on kitchen paper and keep warm while cooking remainder of mixture.  Serve hot with slices of lemon.

GERALDINE CHICKEN

6 large chicken pieces
2 oz butter
2 tablespoons flour 
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/2 cup shopped parsley
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup water or chicken stock

Cut the chicken into serving portions and remove the skin.  Heat the butter in a large frying pan and lightly dust the chicken with the seasoned flour.  Fry quickly on all sides until golden brown.  Sprinkle in the orange rind and parsley and pour in the sherry.  Add the stock and stir in the meat juices.  Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender.  Serve with a little sauce spooned over each piece of chicken.  A little more water may need to be added, depending on how fast it boils away.  Serve with rice.