GARTH HOKIANGA

Garth Hokianga is the best advertisement for his own cooking. He's the picture of health and vitality and a staunch believer in food not only tasting good, but doing you good.

Garth has spent years investigating the benefits good food can have on your health and is a strong advocate of balance and variety. His is a modern approach to mealtimes that takes into consideration everything from time constraints to dietary restrictions. Never was there a more passionate proponent of the old adage 'you are what you eat' and Garth is full of tips, tricks and new information to help us all unleash 'the power of food.'

A son of a crayfisherman who became a classically trained chef, Garth's cooking career has spanned over a dozen countries and seen him ply his trade in everything from five-star restaurants and royal kitchens to international expos, super yachts and sheep paddocks without power or running water. His trademark combination of healthy, delicious food has made him a highly sought after personal chef, who has cooked for such luminaries as Dustin Hoffman and the Sultan of Brunei.

A self-confessed control freak, Garth cooks, styles and photographs all his own recipes. Having appeared as a celebrity chef on both television and radio, he currently writes a regular column for Fitness magazine and Essentially Food, and has just finished a stint as the Summer Food Editor for the Herald newspaper's Viva section. Garth Hokianga's Kitchen is Garth's third cookbook. His second, The Outdoor Table, won 2002's 'Best entertaining book in the English language' at the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Garth's mussel handling tips
Make sure the mussel shells are tightly closed or will close if tapped lightly and discard any mussels that won't close · Clean in a bowl of cold water, scrubbing with a stiff-bristled brush · If the mussels have beards, pull them off just before cooking; don't debeard the mussels in advance, as this kills them · Cover cleaned mussels with a damp cloth and store in the refrigerator.

Click on one of Garth's recipes below.