It's finally here - Happy New Year!

The last stars for us to visit in our Matariki celebration feast are Pōhutakawa and Hiwa-i-te-rangi.

Pōhutukawa is the star associated with those that have passed on. Thinking about this in terms of cookbooks and recipes my thoughts naturally went towards my grandmothers and mothers recipe books - which I have on my bookshelf. These certainly tell the story of those that have passed on from my family - but not really accessible to those of you following The Cookbook Exchange - so instead I have headed to Hiakai by Monique Fiso. Reviewed as "A breath-taking account of Māori food - its traditions, ingredients and tikanga" I can confirm that it is a most beautiful book. A glorious collection of stories, ingredients and recipes. I haven't cooked from it yet but I have the 'Mānuka honey cloud, milk crumbs and whipped goats cheese' dessert recipe directly in my sights. What a fabulous book to remember those and their wisdom that have passed on.

Hiwa-i-te-rangi is the aspirational star - granting us our wishes and supporting us to realise our aspirations for the coming year. I think sometimes that I ought to wish upon this star more often when trying out new recipes - I may have more success! So I'm thinking of places where we see food aspirations and achievement displayed prominently. What book could I select to reflect this star? Masterchef of course! Now franchised across the globe, each iteration has the same core essence - a love of food, a desire and aspiration, the process of challenge and learning, the achievement. Pick any of the Masterchef books - or any book from a Masterchef winner or competitor , (many of whom are now household names) and you will see the power of Hiwa-i-te-rangi in action!

Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori