With beef and lamb a mainstay of the New Zealand dining table, Beef Lamb New Zealand Inc. and cook and food writer, Kathy Paterson, figured it was high time there was a cookbook dedicated to the subject. The result is Meat & Three, a stunning cookbook that celebrates the food we eat and the land where we live with a feast of seasonal dishes accompanied by profiles of some of our most stunning and iconic farms. The 80 recipes featured in Meat & Three are designed to offer year-round cooking inspiration. Organised by season, they range from classics with a twist to fresh ideas for barbecues, roasts, slow-cooked meals, salads and delicious ways to use cheaper cuts and leftovers. There is even a section dedicated to mouth-watering desserts to accompany the main event. MEDIA RELEASE However, as the name (a play on the Kiwi saying ‘meat and three vegetables’) suggests, this is much more than a cookbook for meat lovers — vegetables figure prominently, with Kathy Paterson encouraging cooks to use them ‘at their peak of ripeness’. Included in the recipes are a number of new vegetable varieties now readily available in New Zealand stores. Author Kathy Paterson grew up on a beef and sheep farm in the Wairarapa and has a deep respect for the farmers who produce such high-quality beef and lamb products in this country. She and photographer Tam West wanted to honour the farmers who are the backbone of the New Zealand beef and lamb industry, so they headed out into heartland New Zealand to capture a spectacular variety of rural landscapes and the farmers at work. Each station featured has been in the same family for at least three generations, with two now being worked by fifth and sixth-generation farmers. The stories of these heritage stations reveal an incredible legacy of hard work and commitment. Meat & Three also provides a host of fail-safe tips and step-by-step advice for cooks on how to select the best cut of meat for a recipe, how to cook beef and lamb cuts to perfection, and how to make perfect gravy. There are illustrated guides to the different beef and lamb cuts used in the recipes, and plenty of recipes for simple accompaniments to serve alongside stand-alone cuts such as steak or a rack of lamb. Leading London-based New Zealand chef Peter Gordon has provided a Foreword for the book, and he describes the recipes as ‘contemporary and delicious . . . It is a book to read, to cook from and to feel proud of.’ Meat & Three goes on sale on Monday 22 October (Labour Day) to coincide with new season’s spring lamb arriving in stores and the start of the barbecue season. New Zealand cooks would be well-advised to grab themselves a copy before they start cooking that leg of new season’s lamb or fire up the barbie to cook a steak!