Tea & Happiness Rotorua

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Tea & Happiness Rotorua

Tea ceremony host
Private, retreat & special events chef
Plant based catering
DF cheese workshops Food is my life. It is my smile, my heart, my everything.
(33)

I am in love with being in my flow and allowing my imagination to run wild with the simplest of ingredients. I believe the magic lies in their special language: it is an invitation to visit the realm where humans and animals alike receive nourishment from plants. I am the woman in the market touching and smelling the rinds of melons, weighing the oranges like jewels and eyeing up the greens for t

he deepest, darkest green leaves. My food philosophy is unashamedly simple: simplicity is where the true magic happens. I grew up in Western Cape, South Africa. The wine region and fruit basket of this beautiful country. Surrounded by the best produce in a moderate climate and influenced by the cosmopolitan amalgamated Indian, Malaysian, European and Mediterranean cuisine, my style resembles homely, earthy dishes that burst with flavour and leave epic memories. Spice is life! In my early 20’s my foundation for flavour and simplicity crescendoed as a result from touring the south coast with hard core surfers to the most remote areas to catch the big waves. There was no other alternative than cooking over an open fire in the bush and on the beach. Over a period of five years I pushed my creativity around the fire pit and in the most challenging of environments, I was still able to conjure magic with just a pumpkin, cinnamon, coconut oil and salt. Later in life I swapped the wild coasts of South Africa for a small island off the coast of France, nl Jersey. Here I was able to learn more about Europe’s wild foods and foraging. Sea vegetables and hedgerow herbs became a fascination with my growing food curiosity. Daily we would forage for sea spinach and in season for elderflower, sloe berries, gorse flower and rosehip. As it was so close to France, trips to the continent sparked my learning journey with more traditional, classic French cooking and I still use some of the techniques I learnt then today. Here in NZ, my food journey started with a bang. We arrived on the back of a very stressful period and spurred on by stress related health challenges, life pushed me to go deeper with my understanding of food and this is where Tea & Happiness bloomed into what it is known for today - healthy, plant based food to heal and nurture. I became obsessed with fermentation and fermented everything and anything. The ribbon in my logo resembles the gut and I learnt to value the crucial benefits of microbiotics and enzymes. My health and my family’s health would not be the same without this profound knowledge. I steadily gained a reputation for creating cultured and aged vegan cheeses, tasty kombucha, vegan kimchi and all the other creations in between. From market stall to food truck to opening a cafe, I am nowadays in my happy self as a traveling retreat and events chef. My tag line is simple: Happy food, happy people.

12/11/2024

In love with the fragrance of freshly fallen 🌹 petals!

08/11/2024

Recipe share!

Hi,

Yesterday I had a play with making BUCKWHEAT flatbread. It's still being perfected, but this is how I got the processes going:

500g buckwheat
1kg cauliflower (approximately 1 head)
1 can coconut cream
Salt to taste
Nutmeg

Place buckwheat and cauliflower in a pot, cover with water and boil together until cauliflower is soft. Put the lid on and wait until all the water is absorbed. Add coconut cream and blend until combined and thick like a smooth batter. I use a stick blender. Season to taste with salt and nutmeg.

At this stage, you can add psyllium husk (1-2 tbsp) or ground flax (1-2 tbsp) to bind the dough. It is very crumbly after baking and the psyllium and flax seed will help with this.

Divide into 300g portions and spread thinly on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

You can freeze the portions you are not using and save it for later.

Bake in a hot oven for 20mins, flip over and bake the other side until crispy, another 15-20 mins.

Eat with your favourite toppings like hummus, avocado or tomato and a side salad.

Experiment:

- add a crumbled nori sheet
- add a handful of sunflower or pumpkin seed
- add crumbled vegan feta

Enjoy making and let me know what you think or even better, share a photo of your creation!

Have fun!

Until next time .... 😊

08/11/2024

04/11/2024

Today I received this beautiful gift from my guides. Thank you 🙏

In a recent journey, a message was repeatedly said to me - follow your heart, put yourself out there, let the world know you are here.

It has been a time of transformation for me.....

Physically, I m told I do not look the same.
Mentally, I m learning new skills and retraining.
Spiritually, I m evolving and getting stronger. I m letting go of old.

On every level I m searching deeper for the essence that is me.
.. Today my guides confirmed. My love and life is poured into honouring plants. Reverence to their healing power, nourishment and medicine they hold. This is the vessel that will hold that promise to myself. To honour and be truthful in all I am.

🙏

02/11/2024

The simple flavours of grilled kumara and red cabbage in a rich seaweed & paprika marinade served with and cauliflower koftas. Hmmmm ... Dressed with vegan herb sour cream and a hint of fresh mint from the garden.

Made with abundant Beltane blessings on this second new moon after equinox 🙏 May the gardens flourish and joy fill our hearts!

28/10/2024

It's all in the little details....

Today's salad with tahini miso dressing and a lemon mustard no oil drizzle.

26/10/2024

Loving my day catering for Simone and Liam's wedding ❤️

24/10/2024

Dinner

Tamari glazed baked carrots

Kiwi mustard mayo

Steamed cauliflower and kale

Served on buckwheat.

24/10/2024

Today's inspiration...

Buckwheat

Fermented grapefruit peel

Clover and plantain

Balsamic vinegar

H**p oil

30/07/2024

On Sunday in Whakatane I presented a cheese making workshop and I discussed why nuts and seeds should be soaked before using it in a recipe.

This post from "The Spruce Eats" explains it in more detail:

Discover and experience the benefits of soaking nuts and seeds before using them, especially for a raw food or vegan diet.

17/07/2024

On Sunday, 28 July, I ll be in Whakatāne to present a vegan cheese workshop.

Flow Massage Therapy is my host and Anna has done an excellent job of picking a great venue and creating the event (details linked in the comments).

In this workshop, I ll demonstrate how to create three simple cheeses which are easy to recreate at home:

- a cashew coconut yoghurt brie

- an almond feta

- a smokey cashew based Gouda

A crucial element is understanding how to work with agar. It has taken a bit of time for me to master this ingredient. It is used mainly to set the cheese and create a firm texture.

Other topics I will discuss are

- how to create that umami taste
- how to swop out nuts and
- which machines give better results.

I will also introduce fermentation ideas and show you a sample of the easiest way to create a three ingredient cream cheese. The workshop is jam packed full of cheesiness! 😁

I ll bring my tea collection for a yummy cuppa afterwards and share a cheeseboard. There will be cheeses and breads for sale - brie, Gouda and feta.

Cost is $45 pp and the workshop plus sharing will take about 2-3 hrs.

Please click on the event to see where it's held, what time and how to book 🙏

Thank you so much. I look forward to sharing my cheese making journey with you.

11/07/2024

The tawaka mushroom.

26/06/2024

Good morning!

The cheese making class at Collab in Te Puke has been postponed to a later date.

No cheese making class on Thursday 27 June.

My sincerest apologies for this. 🙏

Hope to see you all very soon.

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Rotorua

Website

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On Sunday, 28 July, I ll be in Whakatāne to present a vegan cheese workshop. Flow Massage Therapy is my host and Anna has done an excellent job of picking a great venue and creating the event (details linked in the comments). In this workshop, I ll demonstrate how to create three simple #vegan cheeses which are easy to recreate at home: - a cashew coconut yoghurt brie - an almond feta - a smokey cashew based Gouda A crucial element is understanding how to work with agar. It has taken a bit of time for me to master this ingredient. It is used mainly to set the cheese and create a firm texture. Other topics I will discuss are - how to create that umami taste - how to swop out nuts and - which machines give better results. I will also introduce fermentation ideas and show you a sample of the easiest way to create a three ingredient cream cheese. The workshop is jam packed full of cheesiness! 😁 I ll bring my tea collection for a yummy cuppa afterwards and share a cheeseboard. There will be cheeses and breads for sale - brie, Gouda and feta. Cost is $45 pp and the workshop plus sharing will take about 2-3 hrs. Please click on the event to see where it's held, what time and how to book 🙏 Thank you so much. I look forward to sharing my cheese making journey with you.