Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Bread 'n' butter pudding but not as you know it! Think croissants studded with sharp rhubarb and held together by a creamy baked custard.   Serves 6-8   6 croissants 300mls milk  300mls cream  4 large eggs ½ cup sugar  1 tablespoon vanilla extract Soft butter to butter croissant 2 cups chopped rhubarb  Icing sugar to dust   Heat oven to 160 C fan-bake (180 regular) and butter an oven proof dish. Slice each croissant into 3-4 thick slices. Butter each slice on one side and pack them into the prepared dish, rounded side up. Scatter and tuck rhubarb in and around the croissant.  In a large bowl whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour over croissant and leave to sit for 30 minutes to one hour to allow the croissant to soak up the custard. Help it out by pushing the croissant down into the mixture every now and then.  Bake for one hour or until the middle is set.  Dust with icing sugar to serve.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin's been watching superhero film The Suicide Squad, and undercover thriller The Mole. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's been loving the Olympics - but he's got one problem with the success we've been having.He's been talking to Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The housing crisis. The Covid-19 vaccination rollout. Asset inflation further widening the gap between rich and poor. Poverty. Coal imports. Fiji’s health crisis. What actually constitutes safer policing. The painfully slow rate of change in the mental health sector. Families separated by our closed borders. Three waters. China’s increasing influence in the Pacific. Climate change mitigation. Superannuation. The immigration backlog. Treaty settlements. Financial support for the survivors of March 15 attacks. Our slipping achievement in mathematics education. Local government reforms. The nurses’ strikes. Disabled people’s appalling ove-representation in poverty statistics. Crown-Māori relationships. The future of farming in New Zealand. Hate speech. Hate crimes. Significant Natural Areas. Public transport infrastructure.There you go. Bam! Just off the top of my head: 25 issues that should be far more important to our politicians than a debate over whether we should call New Zealand, ‘Aotearoa.’National MP Stu

Our music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to ‘Gold-diggers Sound’ from American Soul singer Leon Bridges. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading the latest novel from Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger; When the Grass is Greener. She's also been reading The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember how, for a brief period, we could hop across the ditch?  Travel reporter Mike Yardley took the oppourtunity while the bubble was open, and checked out O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat in the Gold Coast Hinterland.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool has been looking at how to manage loss in a relationship.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strawberries to take your mind off winter  I tend to totally ignore my winter feelings when the weather is rubbish. In fact, there’s nothing more positive than planning the next summer fruit extravaganza: STRAWBERRIES!   The young plants are available in shops now – many varieties. For me in Canterbury, a good producer is Cama Rosa; It actually fruited until June! Royal (also known as Camino Real) works good too. I am tempted to track down Sundae (large and vigorous plants that fruit well into late summer). And also Temptation, which is “day-neutral” (means: it will flower and fruit no matter what the day-length is). Now’s the time to put the beds together. After all the winter rain you can quickly assess where the garden is prone to inundation (not good!). Often raised beds (just a foot or so above ground level) can solve the wetness problems. Be careful not to compact the soil when it’s soaking wet – aerate it and add organic matter. Weed-free, good drainage, slightly raised. Work in good, rotted compost so

We're seeing signs property investors are getting the jitters, after recent law changes.Enable Me's Hannah McQueen's been speaking to Jack Tame about whether it's time to sell your investment property. If you want more help, she's available at www.enable.me  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cauliflower, cheddar and ale soup  Recently I sat a friend’s kitchen bench and watched her make this soup. As she ladled it out into big bowls my mouth was watering with anticipation. It’s like the best cauliflower cheese you’ve ever had, in a soup form! 2 tbsp olive oil + extra for drizzling  1 onion, finely chopped 1 leek, sliced thinly 4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled  3 cups chicken or vegetable stock 150ml pale ale ½ a large cauliflower, broken or chopped into florets 3 tablespoons of picked thyme leaves  150mls cream 150g cheddar, grated 1 tsp wholegrain mustard  ½ tsp smoked paprika to serve  Finely grated rind of 1 lemon Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add onion, leek and whole cloves of garlic and sauté until softened. Try not to get too much colour on them as it will brown your soup.  Pour on stock and ale, add cauliflower and thyme leaves, cover and simmer until tender – about 20 minutes once it’s come up to heat. Blend with a hand-held blender until very smooth, add cream, cheddar and m

Bleachers is an indi-pop act you might not have heard of ... yet.     It's the stage name for Jack Antonoff, who is variously-known for his role in the band Fun; as well as a collaborator with our own Lorde, Taylor Swift and a laundry list of other stars as a writer and producer.   But recently, he's been working on a new album as Bleachers, called ‘Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night', and he's been speaking to Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zoom calls on your TV The days of huddling around a laptop or propping up your phone on a table to chat with your friends is over. Finally you'll be able to sit back on your couch and have a comfortable Zoom meeting! With Amazon's FireTV Cube device, you can now plug in a webcam and use your TV as a Zoom display.  There were ways to utilize your TV today, but it always involved a computer. With this, you'll be able to ask Alexa to join your meeting and you'll be connected. This has been a massive gap in the market - and I'm expecting to see more in the space.   Tech companies are requiring vaccination Silicon Valley's tech companies are planning to reopen their offices to staff at the end of Summer and many of them will require everyone to be fully vaccinated. Facebook, Google and Lyft are some of the big names leading the charge. Just when the offices will be fully open though is still in flux. The Delta variant has already pushed back many September reopening plans to October.  What's still unclear is what

The Pursuit of Love: a new British drama starring Lily James, Emily Mortimer and Dominic West. Set in Europe before World War II, the story follows the adventures of the charismatic and fearless Linda Radlett, and her best friend/cousin Fanny Logan. Consumed by a desire for love and marriage, they both seek out the ideal husband (Amazon Prime Video).  Smother: An Irish drama set on the rugged coast of County Clare. When Val Ahern's husband is found dead at the foot of a cliff the morning after a family party, the matriarch starts to dig into the family's secrets to find out who might be responsible (TVNZ OnDemand, from Sunday).   Zomboat: a quirky British comedy. A Zombie apocalypse is unleashed in Birmingham and sisters Kat and Jo, together with unlikely travel companions Sunny and Amar must flee for their lives...by canal boat (TVNZ OnDemand). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin's been watching new Kiwi drama The Justice of Bunny King; and historical film Warrior Queen of Jhansi.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Stokes is taking a break. The Christchurch-born English cricketer and hero of the 2019 Cricket World Cup is certainly one of the biggest stars in the game. But his mental health isn’t great. Understandably, the death of his Dad last year has had a really big impact on him. Because of Covid-19, and at the behest of his Dad, Ben Stokes couldn’t make it back it back to Christchurch for the funeral. Now, he wants to take some time. The break is indefinite.That’s three very high-profile sportspeople then, in the space of just a couple of months. Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, and now Ben Stokes, have all come out and said they need to step back.I’ve heard some pretty lousy takes on Simone Biles’ decision, this week. It was suggested to me by a colleague that the young American gymnast lacks resilience. I would have thought that getting up in the small hours of the morning almost every day for your entire life to manipulate your body in extreme and painful ways, surviving being sexually abused by your coach, winnin

Kiwi actress Thomasin McKenzie has had a wild ride.  She was called one of the “Fifteen rising stars poised to dominate 2021” by Vogue Magazine.And she’s living up to that, starring in handful of upcoming films.Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, Psychological thriller Last Night in Soho and Kiwi film The Justice of Bunny King. Thomasin joined Jack Tame from MIQ, where she’s been since returning from London. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the right decision to open the Trans-Tasman bubble and it’s the right decision to close the Trans-Tasman bubble.I don’t think any of us was particularly surprised at Cabinet electing to shut things down for a couple of months. Disappointed? Sure. It sucks for those of us with family on either side of the Tasman Sea. I was fortunate to visit Australia last month and I had been hoping to go over again in September. I don’t know when I’ll see my brother or Grandma next.But given just how infectious the Delta strain is proving to be, and given our low levels of vaccination, it’s a responsible and entirely reasonable call to close things down and reduce the threat of importing infections.Remember – this is the way the bubble was designed to function. From the word go, there was risk for anyone who decided to go to Australia. You bought a ticket. You chose to travel. You assumed that risk. I actually think the people who’ve come back from New South Wales and into MIQ should consider themselves very lucky the

Next week Jack Tame has a very special interview, legendary musician Jack Antonoff. He’s part of Fun and is a producer who works with musical heavyweights including Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey and P!nk.  He also has a solo project, making music under the name Bleachers and his new album is Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night.  Estelle Clifford has been listening to the first few tracks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tsarinas Daughter, Ellen Alpsten  Born into the House of Romanov to the all-powerful Peter the Great and Catherine I, beautiful Tsarevna Elizabeth is the world's loveliest Princess and the envy of the Russian empire. Insulated by luxury and as a woman free from the burden of statecraft, Elizabeth is seemingly born to pursue her passions.  However, a dark prophecy predicts her fate as inexorably twined with Russia. When her mother dies, Russia is torn, masks fall, and friends become foes. Elizabeth's idyllic world is upended. By her twenties she is penniless and powerless, living under constant threat. As times change like quicksand, an all-consuming passion emboldens Elizabeth: she must decide whether to take up her role as Russia's ruler, and what she's willing to do for her country – and for love. The House of Kwa, Mimi Kwa  Mimi Kwa ignored the letter for days. When she finally opened it, the news was so shocking her hair turned grey. Why would a father sue his own daughter? The collision was over the