paella party

I couldn't have chosen a more perfect place to cook my Beachside Paella than this beautiful bay in the Abel Tasman National Park at the tip of New Zealand's South Island.

My fisherman friend Bucky and I head out to his secret fishing spot to check on the crab pots he put down the previous night.

I can vouch that these little critters have a nasty nip!

Bucky and I share the picnic lunch I've brought with me – a Frittata Sandwich and a slab of my home-made Birdseed Bar.

For a delicious portable snack, sandwich a slice of Onion and Herb Frittata inside a rustic loaf with good-quality mayonnaise and a few rocket leaves.

Cameraman Scotty shelters from the glaring sun – one of the few drawbacks of such a gorgeous blue-skies day.

A friendly seagull also keeps a close watch on us as we eat our picnic – maybe hoping for a few crumbs from the Birdseed Bar.

My paella ingredients all lined up, ready to go into the pot. The back of my truck has become my favourite kitchen – where else can you cook with a view like this!

Fresh chillies add bite to my recipe for Aromatic Steamed Mussels, and they're also a wonderful counterpoint to crisp watermelon and creamy mozzarella in my Watermelon and Avocado Salad.

It's so easy to create a party scene with some stakes and string, fabric for a mini shelter, a mat and some candles. In this simplest of ways you can transform the wilderness into the setting for a long, languid summer evening feast.

I'm never happier than when I'm cooking outside with some friends. Food somehow always tastes better in the great outdoors.

The perfect paella should be dry and sticky enough for you to be able to squish the rice grains together and eat it with your fingers.

My home-poached peaches make a spectacular dessert heated in a pan to warm through and reduce the juices, then set alight with a little brandy or rum.