about donna

Hello,
I’m getting excited as our first reader event at the donna hay general store draws nearer. It’ll be my first event held at the store and I can’t wait to enjoy a glass of Champagne with some of our readers and show them the gorgeous things I’ve hand-picked from around the world. For all of you who missed out, don’t worry, we’ll be holding another one very soon. But the fun doesn’t end there! At the end of the month, July 30 to August 2, I’m heading back to New Zealand for the Auckland installment of The Food Show, where I’ll be taking to the stage and firing the pans for demonstrations. It’ll be a fun few days with loads of things to do and see, so if you’re in or around the city drop in and check out the fabulous fare and great foodie ideas. For more information on the show, visit www.foodshow.co.nz. After all that frivolity, I’ll be ready to put my feet up, relax and start on some recipes for our annual entertaining issue.
Donna

Hello,
The chilly season is finally upon us and I’m very excited by our new winter issue which has hit the shelves just in time for the long weekend. I can’t think if anything better than spending the weekend cooking with family and friends and that’s exactly what I plan to do. I’m heading up to our farm for the first time in two years and I’m not ashamed to say I’ll have my own magazine tucked under my arm! I can’t wait to get stuck into the rib recipes, all juicy, tender finger-licking goodness. I’m having a hard time deciding between the classic barbecue pork ribs with a sweet, sticky marinade or the beef ribs braised in an aromatic coconut and lemongrass sauce. Whatever I decide, there’s no question of finishing the meal with one of the gorgeous puddings. I hope you enjoy the issue as much as I do. Happy cooking.
Donna

Hello,
My apologies for being out of radio contact for a little while – rest assured it’s been with good reason! I’ve been a busy bee since my sojourn to Canada (those boys from Teatro Verde sure know how to put on a good party) and the team and I are working furiously on our upcoming special kids’ issue. Let’s just say we’re lucky to be surrounded by every candy, lolly and chocolate imaginable which is fuelling us through the long days. We’re happy with the way it’s shaping up, too, and it’s set to be a bumper party issue. In other news, I’m preparing for our first exclusive reader event at the donna hay general store. It’s bound to be a special evening. Look out for the details in our upcoming winter issue, on sale June 3.
Donna

Hello,
I’m in Canada for two fantastic reasons. Firstly, I’m launching my latest book no time to cook and also helping Shawn Gibson and Michael Pellegrino launch their new Teatro Verde store in downtown Toronto. Shawn, one of Canada’s best designers, and Michael, a celebrated landscape design architect, have filled their new homewares store with unique items from all over the world. It’s the kind of place that’s an inspiration for my general store, but on a much larger scale! Joining me at the opening will be Queer Eye’s Carson Kressley and Top Design’s India Hicks. I will also be signing copies of my new book at the opening this Friday at 100 Yorkville between 6-9pm. I hope to see some of you there!
Donna

hello,
There’s been such a busy stream of people dropping by the general store that we’ve decided to open Sundays, too. We’ll be trading from Monday to Sunday as of this Mother’s Day. I had just dropped in to the shop last Sunday to quickly play around with the window display and was pleasantly surprised by how many people stopped to curiously peer into the window and wave hello. There was even one woman who was desparate to get a hold of some cupcakes so I opened the shop doors especially for her. It’s been such a delight to see such enthusiasm for the store.
Donna

hello,
I’ve spent the past weeks with my two boys who have been on school holidays and I’m amazed by how much food they can put away. As a parent you always want your kids to eat lots of different things and try new foods but there comes a stage when taking them to sushi train is tantamount to taking out a second mortgage. Those little coloured plates – sashimi salmon being their favourite – pile up so quickly, and so dangerously high. It’s been great to spend so much quality time with them baking and fishing, especially since I’ll be off to Wellington next weekend, May 8–10, for the second instalment of The Good Food Show. It’s a great event filled with all sorts of foodie treasures from around New Zealand. For more information, visit www.foodshow.co.nz.
Donna

hello,
I want to thank every one who came to see me at The Food Show in Christchurch, New Zealand. I had such a fun time perusing the terrific food stalls. I was especially taken by the handcrafted Lorimer Knives and the fragrant organic artisanal honey from J.Friend and Co, with each jar featuring the name of the beekeeper who harvested the batch. I’ve been enjoying their Wild Thyme honey on toast. I purchased a small mountain of locally cured ham, bacon and pancetta, too. Every meal for the remainder of the trip had some form of pork in it: ham omelette, Bolognese, pancetta-wrapped sausages… If you missed seeing me in NZ this time round, you can catch me on Campbell Live by clicking here or I’ll be back appearing at The Food Show 8–10 May in Wellington and also 30 July–2 August in Auckland. For more information, visit www.foodshow.co.nz.
Donna

hello,
the grand opening of the donna hay general store yesterday was a huge success. Thank you for everyone who dropped by and had a look at all our hard work in bringing the shop to life. And thank you for all your positive feedback. It was a race to get everything in place for the big day – we even had to dry a spot of paint with a blow dryer! Drop by and pick up anything from a dainty macaroon to hand-poured soap (I poured the first batch myself!) to spoil yourself.
Donna

hello,
Tune into Sunrise on Tuesday 24 March at 8.40am on Channel 7. I’ll be showing you how to throw together a Greek dinner in less than 30 minutes. Even though it’s autumn now, the weather is still singing a summer song, so make the most of the last days of gorgeous rays with a Mediterranean-inspired spinach and feta pie and a Greek salad. You can pick up all the ingredients at the supermarket on the way home from work. It’s that easy. Here are the recipes:

spinach and feta pie (spanakopita)

3 x 250g packets frozen spinach, defrosted and drained well
1 x 200g packet feta, crumbled
¼ cup (20g) finely grated parmesan
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped dill leaves
1½ tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
3 eggs
sea salt and cracked black pepper
100g butter, melted
12 sheets filo pastry

Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Place the spinach, feta, parmesan, green onion, dill, lemon, eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
   Lightly brush a 3 litre-capacity baking dish with a little melted butter. Layer half of the pastry in the base of the dish, brushing between each layer with melted butter. Spread over the spinach mixture and top with the remaining pastry, brushing between each layer with melted butter. Brush the top with melted butter and score with a small sharp knife. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy. Serve with a Greek salad. Serves 4.
* The spinach mixture can be made the day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container, so all you need to do is assemble the pie for a quick easy dinner. The pie is equally tasty served cold, making it ideal for picnics.

greek salad

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
1 x 200g packet feta, sliced
1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
1/3 cup (50g) Kalamata olives
greek dressing
1/3 cup (80ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Arrange the tomato, feta, cucumber, onion and olives in a bowl.* Place the oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl, whisk to combine and spoon over the salad. Serves 4.
* For easy entertaining, it’s a great idea to serve the salad on individual plates so the last person doesn’t just get the leftovers and there’s no waiting for each person to serve themselves.

Enjoy!
Donna

hello,
After many delays and mishaps my general store no longer looks like a wrecking site. It’s been so exciting to watch the shop come to life. The floorboards have been put down, the cobblestones have been laid in the courtyard, the wooden shelving has been put up, the special fridge for the macaroons and other sweet treats is being installed and there are boxes and boxes of beautiful products around dh headquarters waiting to be arranged on display. Stay tuned and later this month I’ll announce when the grand opening will be.
Donna

hello,
It’s a great privilege for me to announce that I’m the ambassador for Sydney’s Holdsworth Community Centre & Services. The non-government organisation does amazing work across Sydney’s eastern suburbs offering assistance to those in need including the carers of disadvantaged individuals. Last week, I attended their annual fundraising gala to recognise the great work carers do. There was a silent auction of great prizes donated from the local community and I was selling tickets to the donna hay raffle. The prize was a kid’s birthday party complete with birthday cake, party food and, of course, take-home lolly bags. At the end of the night I had a shopping bag bursting with tickets. It was a fabulous event to celebrate the work of the unsung heroes in our community. Bravo to all those who contributed. For more information or to donate to the Holdsworth Care Fund, visit www.holdsworth.org.au.
Donna

hello,
I’m back in Sydney now after my Paris-London trip, just in time to celebrate my birthday. And what a birthday it was! What was suppose to be a calm night with family after my overseas trip ended up being a very crowded house of 12 adults and seven kids. The adults who weren’t lucky enough to score a chair had to make do eating cake around my kitchen island, while we kept the kids entertained with a makeshift cinema in the living room. All in all, it was the perfect excuse to open up a couple of bottles of my favourite red, the Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, and share it among friends. I was trying to keep my birthday under wraps but the team back at the office somehow found out and surprised me with these lovely birthday cupcakes. Aren’t my team just the best? I think so.
Donna

hello,
I’m in Paris for the Maison & Objet design fair. I hear it’s been very hot back home. It’s quite the opposite here - very cold and maybe even the chance of snow tomorrow. I ate the most amazing lunch yesterday in a tiny neighbourhood bistro. It was a creamy buttery risotto with shavings of white truffle, topped with sagey chanterelle mushrooms and gratings of parmesan – oh it was so good… I can still taste it. One of my favourite things about Paris are all the pâtisseries on nearly every corner. I’ve had a different macaroon every day. The winners so far are chocolate-passionfruit and vanilla from Pierre Hermé, one of Paris’ best pâtissiers. I’ve also visited the most beautiful artisan ceramic maker I’ve seen in years and purchased too many treasures. All of them were equally beautiful and I couldn’t bear to leave any behind. How I absolutely adore Paris!
Donna

hello,
Over the holiday break I just loved spending time with my family, especially playing games with my two boys. I was the sculptural director of the sandcastle my boys were busy building at the beach and had to lug my fare share of water-filled pails to empty out into the moat. I’ve held onto my reign as Jenga champion, not to mention my crafty Lego-building skills, but I couldn’t dethrone my six-year-old Angus from his Uno crown. Now, I’m back at work to finalise the dhm summer issue before flying to Paris for the annual Maison & Objet design fair for inspiration and to see what new products are out there, then a quick stopover in London to check how my new homewares range with Royal Doulton is progressing. I’ll be sure to post about all the gems I’ll uncover on my trip.
Donna

hello,
I can’t believe the year is coming to an end. We had a fabulous staff Christmas party at my house on the weekend. It’s so good to see everyone out of our work environment. There was Champagne, dancing, a spit roast in the backyard. It was good times all round. We’re signing off for the year until 5 January so I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and safe new year.
Donna

hello,
It's started... the Christmas cooking help phone calls. My sister-in-law called me yesterday afternoon. She was having an early Christmas dinner for some friends who are heading overseas for the holidays and she was in a tizz about turkey cooking times. I swiftly directed her to the perfect roasted turkey. Her next dilemma was not as easy to solve. She seemed concerned that her daughter Emma was having trouble cutting pretzel antlers for reindeer cupcakes. It didn’t seem to bother Em so much, though, as I heard her call out from the background, “don't worry mum, I’ve got a huge bag". I suspect my niece may have been a better pretzel cutter than she was making out to be, but was secretly enjoying the feast of broken antlers! It’s nice to see them cooking out of the magazine I send them.
Happy Christmas cooking.
Donna

hello,
It’s been a busy couple of weeks with my various book signings and cooking demos. But it’s been great to meet so many of you! My new food range is starting to trickle into stores now and I’m so excited. After two years of testing and mixing and tasting, it’s great to see it come to life on the shelves. With Christmas just around the corner it’s time to start planning menus and stocking the fridge and pantry with easy throw-together nibbles for impromptu drinks parties. It’s also a great excuse to keep a few extra bottles of bubbles chilled at the ready. Not that I ever need an excuse…
Donna

hello,
Catch me on Sunrise tomorrow morning at 8.50am on Channel 7. I’ll be putting hosts Kochi and Mel’s cooking skills or more appropriately assembling skills to the test with the pumpkin, ricotta and basil lasagna from my new book no time to cook. It’s a fast and fresh recipe you can make for dinner or freeze and simply reheat and serve up over this busy holiday season.
Donna

hello,
Get a taste of the fast and fresh recipes in my new book no time to cook at David Jones this Thursday and Friday. I’ll be demonstrating how easy it is to make a gingery Thai chicken salad, a summery prawn and rocket linguine and an onion marmalade tart perfect for a weekend lunch. And as a little extra, everyone will get to try my new molten chocolate chunk brownies. They’re part of my new bake-at-home food range, which I’ll be launching in December (just in time for Christmas!). I’ll be signing copies of my new book, too, so I hope to see you all there. I’ll be in Sydney on Thursday 20 November, 12.30pm–2pm at David Jones, Market St and in Melbourne on Friday 21 November, 12.30pm–2pm at David Jones, Bourke St.
Donna

hello,
Keep the morning of Monday 17 November free in your diaries. I’ll be making an appearance on Today at 8.20am on channel 9 as part of the official launch of my new book no time to cook. I’ll be giving hosts Karl and Lisa clever cooking tips and demonstrating how to cook zucchini and mint pasta. It’s a fast and fresh recipe you can make that night and have a meal on the table faster than your kids can say, “mum, what’s for dinner?”.
Donna

hello,
Thank you to everyone who turned up for the advanced signing of my new book no time to cook at Chadstone in Melbourne. It was such a big hit! I’m about to hop on a plane to Hong Kong with my husband. I’ve been brushing up on my Cantonese phrases and can’t wait to discover Hong Kong’s gems. I’ve got a list of places to eat and shop from my savvy staff, so I’ll be on the look out for new ideas to bring home to you.
Donna

hello
Get your hands on an advanced copy of my new book no time to cook at the Chadstone Festival of Food in Melbourne. Drop by the Chadstone shopping precinct at 11.45am on Friday 31 October where I’ll be cooking some fast and fresh recipes from my new book. I’ll be whipping up lemon-feta chicken, zucchini and mint pasta, marinated feta and a flourless chocolate cake. I’ll also be signing copies, which HarperCollins have generously air-freighted in for the day. There are only 200 available and it’s on a first come, first served basis so get in early. If you miss out, you’ll have to wait till the official launch on 17 November. You can find out more information at www.chadstoneshopping.com.au.
Hope to see you all there,
Donna

Welcome to the new-look donnahay.com!
You’ll find your favourite recipes and menus for every season, styling secrets, online shopping and live chat forums. I'll be posting regular updates about happenings at dhm headquarters via my diary so keep checking back as we've got lots of exciting things on the go. Don't forget to sign up to our e-newsletter, too - it's the best way to keep in touch, plus you'll receive an exclusive web recipe and special offers.
Have fun navigating the new site!
Donna