Case 6
- Gastronomy
‘Arohanui’ Pinot Noir 2008 bottle. Martinborough: Palliser Estate Wines, 2008. Private Collection
Hotere liked pubs, and ones such as the Kiwi Tavern in Auckland and the Market Hotel in Christchurch, were places where conviviality with artists, writers, and friends reigned. Home was also a base for such occasions; a glass of wine enjoyed while cooking up a feast. Hotere produced this simple but effective heart-cross design (the symbol of the church of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in Camargue) on the label for a Pinot Noir produced by the Martinborough-based Palliser Estate Winery. Only 360 bottles of ‘Arohanui’ were issued.
‘Arohanui’ Pinot Noir 2008 bottle. Martinborough: Palliser Estate Wines, 2008. Private Collection
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Keith Stewart, The wine handbook. A New Zealander’s guide to the wines of the world. Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1988. SPRH 641.22 STE
Auckland-based journalist Keith Stewart wrote numerous books on wines. This presentation copy has an inscription: ‘Ralph, I know painting is thirsty work, so this may be of help. Keith’.
Keith Stewart, The wine handbook. A New Zealander’s guide to the wines of the world. Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1988. SPRH 641.22 STE
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Keith Stewart, The wine handbook. A New Zealander’s guide to the wines of the world. Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1988. SPRH 641.22 STE
Keith Stewart, The wine handbook. A New Zealander’s guide to the wines of the world. Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1988. SPRH 641.22 STE
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Alison Holst cooks. Auckland: Beckett Publishing, 1985. SPRH 641.5993 HOL
Soon after Hotere moved with Cilla and Andrea into 27 Harbour Terrace, Careys Bay, he redesigned the kitchen at his studio on Aurora Terrace, making it more hospitable for friends and guests. Trying to entice his good friend Barry Brickell south, he wrote of the ‘most magnificent view in the world to stop you from working too hard and ships that pass beneath the kitchen window & seagulls, & fisherman’ (O’Sullivan, 220). The poet Ian Wedde (1946- ) remembers the early morning ‘cook-ups’ and Hotere’s distinctive way of cooking mussels ‘the European way’ – with wine and garlic (O’Sullivan, 236).
‘Queen Scallops’ insertion, pp.3-6. Publisher unknown, c. 1970s. in Alison Holst cooks. Auckland: Beckett Publishing, 1985. SPRH 641.5993 HOL
Hotere’s well-thumbed Alison Holst cooks (1985) contained ten loosely-inserted recipes for Lamb’s fry, Lamb’s liver and mushrooms, apple crumble, rabbit, and Queen Scallops. Perhaps the ‘Shepherds Pie’ option was a favourite? Either way, they all sound delicious.
‘Queen Scallops’ insertion, pp.3-6. Publisher unknown, c. 1970s. in Alison Holst cooks. Auckland: Beckett Publishing, 1985. SPRH 641.5993 HOL
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Ralph Hotere’s Mussel pot. Private Collection
Clare Ferguson, Gourmet vegetarian microwave cookery. London: Grub Street, 1986. SPRH 641.5636 FER
Hotere owned five cookbooks by Clare Ferguson, a Europe-based food expert whose sisters are the mezzo-soprano Patricia Payne and cook Alison Holst. Ferguson’s inscription in her vegetarian microwave cooking book reads: ‘For Ralph – who knows how to create things of wonder. Clare, Jan. 1987’. From all accounts, Hotere was always experimenting, always prepared to try things out. He certainly knew the best spots along the shoreline, places he would gather in cockles, fish, and mussels. On display is his ‘mussels for one’ pot and a photograph of him cooking in the kitchen at 25 George Street, Port Chalmers.
Clare Ferguson, Gourmet vegetarian microwave cookery. London: Grub Street, 1986. SPRH 641.5636 FER
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Clare Ferguson, Gourmet vegetarian microwave cookery. London: Grub Street, 1986. SPRH 641.5636 FER
Clare Ferguson, Gourmet vegetarian microwave cookery. London: Grub Street, 1986. SPRH 641.5636 FER
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Photograph of Ralph Hotere cooking at 25 George Street, Port Chalmers, May-June 2002. Private Collection
Photograph of Ralph Hotere cooking at 25 George Street, Port Chalmers, May-June 2002. Private Collection
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