Kathy Paterson. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
BECKIE WILSON
You can’t take the country out of a Wairarapa local, which Kathy Paterson has proved through her latest cookbook that showcases the country’s, and the region’s, high-quality meat.
Paterson, born and bred in rural Masterton, has been living the chef’s dream in Auckland city since she was 21.
Her new cookbook, ‘Meat & Three’, sponsored by Beef and Lamb, celebrates the food New Zealanders eat and the long-standing generations that farm the land. Included is one of Wairarapa’s historic farms, Brancepeth Station.
With more than 80 recipes, the book offers seasonal cooking of both meat and vegetables.
Growing up on her family’s Kaituna farm, she has a strong appreciation for farmers and the land.
“It was a book I could do because it was something that I knew about.
“When I was small I’d sit on the bench and help, then moved onto making desserts, and helped with vegetables,” she said.
Paterson said the current food trend “seems to be looking back to move forward” with consumers wanting “real food” with high quality meat.
“By choosing ingredients from nearby sources, you create a stronger connection to your food and have a better understanding of what you are eating and how it is produced.”
After leaving school Paterson followed her cooking dream and moved to Auckland where she did every cooking class she could find.
Completing the Cordon Bleu Cooking School course, she then trained as a teacher at the school, before dedicating 20 years to her Auckland catering company.
Paterson works as a freelancer and Beef and Lamb NZ. ‘Meat & Three’ is her first solo book, with photographs by Tam West.
Brancepeth Station, owned by the Beetham family, is one of four farms in the book and was chosen for both historical and agricultural reasons.
William Beetham, who is fifth generation, said publications such as ‘Meat & Three’ offers New Zealanders a look into where grass-fed high-quality meat is produced and how consumers can “make a real occasion” of eating the produce.
‘Meat & Three’ is on sale in bookstores.
