Family focus for NZ Woman’s Weekly’s Food Editor

News release
March 2, 2009

Family focus for New Zealand Woman’s Weekly’s New Food Editor

Food writer, radio host and busy mother to “three and a half” children, Helen Jackson will bring her fresh, low-fuss approach to New Zealand Woman’s Weekly’s food pages joining the team from the March 16 issue (on sale March 9).

Helen – who shares her bustling Auckland home with her husband Ed Forsythe, his daughter Greta and their children together, Daisy, Jemima and Freddy – knows the pressure of feeding a family on a budget. She says her goal is to inspire Weekly readers to eat seasonal, local fare wherever possible, and to brighten up thrifty meals with fresh herbs and generous seasoning.

An exponent of the iconic Edmonds Cookbook – “I’ve gifted a copy to each niece and nephew as they’ve left home to go flatting” – Helen says she was herself raised on simple fare with lots of meat from her parents’ farm, and vegetables from the garden.

“I love the synergy between growing things and cooking and I love to forage for berries and pick vegetables,” says Helen. “I learned from an early age where my food came from and I think it’s really important that children see the connection between what’s in the garden and what’s on their plates.

“I am also conscious that readers don’t want to spend loads of money on gourmet food products. And there’s no need! Food doesn’t need to be flash – and you don’t need to spend hours and hours in the kitchen. I’m a working mum and I know that working parents need to concentrate on good, fresh food as much as possible.”

Helen Jackson takes over the culinary reins from some illustrious predecessors. She is only the fourth ever Food Editor of the Weekly, following first Tui Flower then Robyn Martin and, most recently, Julie le Clerc.

Helen started her career as a primary school teacher but loved to cook in-between tackling piles of marking and writing school reports. She worked as a caterer and in professional kitchens for many years before establishing her hugely successful website, foodlovers.co.nz, which now achieves more than 300,000 page views each month. Helen also lends her considerable talents to Radio Live, hosting The Kitchen and Garden Show every Saturday morning alongside Tony Murrell.

Among Helen’s own most memorable food experiences are devouring a rotisserie quail with fresh bread at a market in Spain, and enjoying her first, rare steak after eight years as a vegetarian! “But I also love the simplicity of biting into a sun-ripened tomato, just plucked from the vine and still warm in your hand, or a juicy coconut ice peach – so floral and fragrant.”

For New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, Helen will present a selection of delicious food along a favourite seasonal theme, whip up five easy weeknight meals each issue, search out recipes for memorable dishes from restaurants and cafes, and invite readers to write in with their own tried and tested favourites.

Ends

About NZ Magazines
NZ Magazines, a division of APN National Publishing owns an expanding range of magazine titles, including New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, The New Zealand Listener and Creme, Simply You and Simply You Living.

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