Darren Bevan: Movies and DVD

AT THE CINEMA
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies - Darren’s verdict: Wait for DVD
Full review here http://darrens-world-of-entertainment.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/the-hobbit-battle-of-five-armies-movie.html

ON DVD

Things get spooky in Housebound, a Kiwi flick on DVD - Darren’s verdict: Rush to see it!
Full review here http://darrens-world-of-entertainment.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/housebound-movie-review.html

And things get sexy with Sex Tape - Darren’s verdict: Give it a miss
Full review here http://darrens-world-of-entertainment.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/sex-tape-blu-ray-review.html

For all Darren's reviews and info go to Darren's blog - type Darren's World of Entertainment into Google and there it is!

NICI WICKES: Food

Nici beams in from Central Otago where she's meeting with the farmers/growers from NZ Merino and cooking them dishes from some of the countries where their prized meat gets exported to – Shanghai, Dubai and New York City! The NYC inspired recipe is Slow Cooked Shoulder with BBQ Sauce.
For more inspiration visit http://www.niciwickes.com/ or her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/niciwickes

LYNDA HALLINAN: Gardening

The only herb you need for summer cocktails, salads, spring lamb, green tomato chutney, boiling with new potatoes... and that's mint.
Mint is the only herb I'd actually miss if I couldn't grow it. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme all have their uses, sure, but only mint can't be substituted with something else. I go through handfuls of it now that I'm digging up new potatoes.. and what would a mojito be without mint?
Mint needs moist soil. Constantly moist soil. It's also pretty invasive, so lots of gardeners prefer to plant it in a pot, then bury the pot in the ground to stop its underground rhizomes heading out all in all directions.
Pretty much the only problem you have growing mint is that when it's dry, it get rust. This is a fungal disease that manifests as orange spots on the foliage... which ruins your crop of crisp, minty leaves. The way to beat rust is to have two separate patches of mint in opposing corners of your garden. When you see rust on one clump, cut the plants right back to ground level and dispose of the affected stems, then simply harvest from the other until the first patch recovers.
There are heaps of different types of mint - peppermint, chocolate mint, spearmint etc - and all vary in their mintiness. My advice is to always nibble on a leaf before you buy a mint plant from a garden centre as some aren't as minty as others. Plain old common or winter mint, which has large, dark green, crinkly foliage, is the best for flavour.

JOHN HAWKESBY: Wine

Stocking filler wines
Coopers Creek Malborough Sauvignon Blanc 014 $15
Thornbury Waipara Pinot Gris 2014 $14.99
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Merlot Cabernet 2012 $18.50
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Organic Merlot 2013 $20

MIKE YARDLEY: Travel

This week Mike takes us to San Antonio, Texas! For further travel news, tips and inspiration, check out http://www.fortheloveoftravel.net.nz/

KERRE WOODHAM: Books

The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes, Penguin $29.95

FRANCESCA RUDKIN: Music

The Veronicas - "The Veronicas" - Francesca's verdict: 4 stars out 5!