Annabel Langbein To Join Te Radar In Hāwea For A Hilarious Celebration Of Kiwi Cooking

Award-winning comedian Te Radar heads to the Wānaka Festival of Colour, serving up a smorgasbord of culinary curiosities with Te Radar’s Cookbookery, from 1 – 4 April in Bannockburn, Hāwea and Queenstown. A feast for the eyes and the mind, join Te Radar for an uproarious journey through 150 years of New Zealand’s rich, and often rather odd, home cooking heritage. From dairy-laden delicacies to offal extravaganzas, Te Radar has sampled decades of Kiwi cookbooks to uncover the tastiest, weirdest, and most nostalgic morsels.

And in an exciting twist, New Zealand’s beloved chef, food writer, and publisher Annabel Langbein will join him in Hāwea as the honoured guest judge for the night’s best homemade dish. Attendees are invited to bring along a favourite supper creation to share after the show, with Annabel casting her expert eye over the entries.

“We eat with our eyes, so visual appeal is important! That said, if people are preparing dishes from another era, I would love to see some authenticity in presentation. I think back to my mum’s cookbooks – all that piping and decorating. And of course, the dishes need to taste really good.”
– Annabel Langbein

With more than 30 cookbooks to her name and three seasons of her award-winning television series Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook, Annabel is the perfect judge to celebrate New Zealand’s culinary past. She fondly recalls the flavours of her childhood, from her mother’s lemony fish pie topped with mashed potatoes and hard-boiled eggs to the nostalgia of whitebait fritters, a dish once so plentiful it was collected by the kerosene tin full. She also has a soft spot for timeless recipes like devilled eggs and Welsh rarebit, classics that have stood the test of time across generations.

Te Radar and Annabel Langbein previously worked together in 2008 on Off the Radar, where Annabel joined him for an episode of his cookery show. They haven’t seen each other since and are thrilled to reunite for this special event.

“The show is fun, it’s celebratory, and it’s nostalgic. People can certainly expect to laugh, because it’s most certainly a comedy show—it just happens to be about cookbooks, food, and New Zealand. There's also a couple of hundred images to look at, and no shortage of larger-than-life characters who have given us some very strange takes on food over 150 years. You don’t even need to like food (and from some of the recipes, it’s clear that some cookbook writers didn’t) to enjoy the show.”
– Te Radar

Te Radar’s Cookbookery promises a deliciously entertaining night out, part history lesson, part comedy show, and all heart. Proudly sponsored by Quartz Reef, the renowned Central Otago winery based in Bendigo. As a champion of Central Otago’s rich winemaking heritage, Quartz Reef is thrilled to bring its distinguished Methode Traditionnelle and Pinot Noir to this vibrant celebration of arts and culture.

“ Attendees can look forward to raising a glass to storytelling, creativity, and exceptional wine, perfectly complementing the culinary nostalgia of Te Radar’s Cookbookery”
- Rudi Bauer (Quartz Reef)

DATES AND BOOKING DETAILS:

1 April - Bannockburn Coronation Hall, Otago : Tickets available here
2 Apr – Hāwea Flat Hall: Tickets available here
4 Apr – Te Atamira, Queenstown: Tickets available here

See the full Wānaka Festival of Colour programme at www.festivalofcolour.co.nz

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