Monica Galetti

“I still remember the first time I made a bread roll. For me it was the most amazing thing.”

“Trussing a chicken is something we consider a very basic skill. From your college years to any kitchen, you should learn it. I mean if you buy a chicken from Tesco it is all tied up, so you should know what it looks like. If you don't it is a bit of a worry.”

“Sharing good food with your children is the purest form of love.”

“Some people put Marmite on all sorts of dishes - I don't mind dropping a teaspoon into a pot of stew - but it's something I like to eat at home, on the sofa. I have to stick the jar right at the back of the cupboard or I'll eat six slices of toast in one go.”

“At home we cook very simple food. A grilled rib of beef or a baked side of fish, for example, and lots of vegetables.”

“We had a family beach house in Savai'i in western Samoa. When the tide used to come in it would come under the house and you could watch the fish from sitting in the lounge. It was so beautiful.”

“I loved 'The Dukes Of Hazzard,' but I don't think you could redo that. They did a movie of that but it was a bit rubbish.”

“When I was really young, I thought it was really cool to wear red and yellow bike pants with one red sock and one yellow sock.”

“Cooking with my daughter is a treasured part of my life, as I don't get to spend as much time with her as I would like to.”

“The most precious item I have is my wedding dress.”

“Extracting the meat from a whole crab is a time-consuming job - picking all the meat out of the legs, claws and body, double-checking for bits of shells, etc. But the flavour makes it worth it, and you get the additional bonus of the crab shells to make a flavourful bisque or stock as a base for other dishes.”

“We always had a lot of pak choi because my dad grew it in his vast vegetable garden in New Zealand - he grows everything, everywhere!”

“I grew up in Samoa, where food is an important part of our culture. I remember this sea worm, called the palolo, that would lay its larvae once every full moon. You'd go and scoop it up, serve it on a banana leaf with coconut cream and seaweed. Delicious, a real assault on the senses.”

“Mum worked in telecommunications and Dad was a mechanic.”

“I have a little garden, and I quite enjoy fiddling about in it.”

“There's always a problem, every day there's a problem.”

“Culturally, you know, I come from a Samoan background where the food is very humble, it's very simple.”

“Food is about the flavours that work well together, but when you've got great ingredients half the job is done for you.”

“I didn't like Christchurch when I visited a long time ago. I had been camping on the outskirts of some gorgeous little towns throughout the South Island. But when I arrived in Christchurch, I just didn't like it nor find it to be very friendly.”

“It's all about a beautiful table on Christmas day. I put out lovely napkins and napkin holders, and maybe put a wreath in the centre. I like to dish all the veg up into massive serving platters, for everyone to help themselves - it feels so abundant.”