Summer Adventures
Making the most of Aotearoa’s natural beauty this summer season. Plus a handful of ideas for what to cook and eat when you’re out in the wilderness.
We hope you are all enjoying the new year and have managed to find some time to catch your breath and savour some delicious food. The summer holidays are a perfect opportunity to spend time in nature (regardless of the weather). We are so lucky to have so many beautiful walks in NZ!
As a family, we would often do an annual tramp — hiking through the bush, days spent tackling a great walk, and creating memories together. We were always the last ones up in the morning, and the last to the huts at night. We would stay up late cooking, eating, playing cards, and laughing.
When Rose was home last year, she spent as much time adventuring as possible, ensuring that she filled up her cup in all of Aotearoa’s natural beauty before heading out into the world again. She wrote a few words about her favourite walks, and suggestions for making the most of them. Here’s an excerpt:
“Whenever I am homesick, I have these memories I can turn to, to remind me of Aotearoa and our beautiful natural world. Some of my recent favourites are:
Mueller Hut, overnight walk up in Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park. This was amazing!! You get such good views of Aoraki / Mt Cook and Lake Pukaki and the track is really well maintained. Definitely a bit busier.
French Ridge, overnight walk in the back of Aspiring National Park. I found this one VERY hard but it was well worth it for the spectacular views. It’s pretty incredible that you can walk for a few hours and be surrounded by these big majestic mountains.
Abel Tasman. A really lush walk to do in the summertime! The whole walk is coastal with the most tropical surroundings and lots of ocean swims. The sea is the most incredible colour.”
You can read the full story here.
Adventure Food
On the topic of adventures, it is often difficult to figure out what to eat and what to pack when you’re tramping. For lunch, our go-to is wraps filled with avocado, cucumber, almond butter, and parmesan. You can also add tuna if you like. It sounds like an unusual combination, but trust us on this one. The fresh crunchy cucumber is always the best part. Make sure you pack a little salt and pepper too.
For dinner, we often make a simple daal with rice or quinoa for a protein-packed meal. Dice an onion and cook that in a little olive oil and some salt. Once softened, add your spice mix (we often pre-mix some ground cumin, turmeric, and chilli), and then add tomato paste. Cook that out until darkened, and then add red lentils and water. Simmer until lentils are cooked. If it’s your first night, you could take some baby spinach and stir that in too.
Other dinners we like are a simple risotto — dice an onion and cook that in a little olive oil and some salt until softened, then add arborio rice and toast a little until just golden. You can use this recipe as a reference point. Dissolve stock cubes in some water and then add that in and cook until rice is tender and creamy. If you wish, you can add some frozen peas and/or some chopped up chorizo at the end too. Finish with parmesan and a squeeze of lemon, if you can. We’ll often make pasta with pesto at some stage too, which needs no further explanation.
Rose loves making eggy rice — steamed rice topped with poached eggs and wilted spinach. Finish it off with a generous handful of finely grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. The best! There is something quite satisfying about poaching eggs at altitude, and this comforting dish really hits the spot.
For breakfast, we usually stick to quick-cook oats with a finely diced apple and some almond butter. Don’t forget to take some scroggin and chocolate to keep you going! Of course, you’ll need something to drink — we recommend taking a small flask full of Bella. It’s luscious enough to sip as-is, or with some water to make it go a little further.
For adventures a little closer to home (or a picnic) we both like making a good pie. Annabel’s classic Bacon & Egg Pie is always a crowd pleaser, and Rose’s Picnic Pie is a great veggie alternative. This Spanish Tortilla is also amazing and comes together in a flash with minimal ingredients.
There are so many delicious ideas for adventure food, picnics, and easy summer eating in Summer at Home. You can buy a copy here via our online store.
A New Platform
We wanted to let you know we’ve decided to approach our newsletter a little differently, and will now be using substack. We have outgrown our existing platform and it felt like the right time for something new. Whilst the format has changed a bit, you can still expect the same recipes, gardening tips, book deals, and stories as before.
The best thing about substack is that you can easily access the archive of newsletters if you want to see something from another month. You can also comment on the newsletters, so we can have more of a conversation around what you think of the recipes and ideas we are sharing! We are really excited about this, and hope that you are too. As always, if you have any feedback, thoughts, or ideas, please let us know by commenting below, or you can find us at hello@langbein.com.
With love,
Annabel & Rose xx
Great newsletter. I like the new platform.
I enjoy your Newsletters very much. Your recipes are varied and interesting. Thank you.
Rosalie R.