OB真人视讯

The Verdict

Sad news today as Peter Gordon and Alastair Carruthers have announced that the epic restaurant and cooking school Homeland is being forced to close at the end of July.

A property developer has bought the site and "doesn’t see Homeland in its vision.” While classes will continue until 31 July, the dining room will close at the end of April and they will probably be unable to host events after May.

While an alternative site has not yet been found, we hold out hope that Homeland will rise from the ashes in a new iteration. Kia kaha. .

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The one-and-only Peter Gordon has returned home after more than 30 years in London, bringing with him an ambitious new venture. He and partner Alastair have opened —aka the country's first-ever 'food embassy'—with local, sustainable produce at its heart.

This isn't just a restaurant, oh no. It's also a cooking school, an innovation hub, a connector of communities... a 'food embassy' if you will. No matter where his career has taken him, Peter has always championed Kiwi and Pacifica cuisine and Homeland is no exception, providing the penultimate space to promote local, sustainable kai (something we're sure you'll agree is now more important than ever).

Taking up residence on Auckland's waterfront on the site formerly occupied by Mantells, this is certainly an impressive spot. There's a state-of-the-art cooking school at one end, which includes height-adjustable benchtops (so people of all ages and abilities can join in the cooking fun)—almost an entire wall of well-thumbed cookbooks (Peter and Alastair's personal collection)—and huge TV screens and a recording room to capture all the action as Peter and other chefs share recipes from their respective homelands.

There are classes for baking, classes for roasting... even the chance to bring your fish straight off the boat and cook it up on Sundays.  

There's also a retail space showcasing some delicious local goodies and of course, the dining room. Take a tour of the rare artworks at the rear of the space then settle in amongst the elegant, seaward-facing space for a modern yet approachable menu featuring many of Peter's most famous dishes (Turkish eggs and cheese scones included), made exclusively from Kiwi ingredients.

In true sustainable fashion, the menu will change according to what's available on the day. We were treated to Moodew paneer, pan-fried to perfection and served with a punchy minted pea salsa, mixed tomatoes and pistachio dukkah—a delicate smoked eel and fish roe dish with chilli lime ginger and toast—and our favourite, soft-boiled eggs paired with hummus and crunchy grilled green and white asparagus, all washed down with a glass of lovely crisp sav.

There really is so much more we could say about this amazing new venture, but honestly—why not just check it out for yourself?  

Image credit: Homeland | Supplied

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