We are taking our passion for delicious, easy food and sharing it with you in the best way we know how - Make Pepper & Me your secret culinary weapon today.
Pepper & Me - 6 months on! by Cherie Davies April 02, 2017
Reading back on my first post, its crazy how things can change so much in such a short period of time! Miss Pepper is walking! She’s loving daycare, sleeping through the night and self weaned at 8 months old - Which is rather relevant because I started this business with an aim of supporting lactating mamas… (this topic was pretty close to
my heart and may need a full separate blog post)
Now we not only support lactating mums but whole families - with a goal of showing you how to include a wide variety of delicious, simple, and budget friendly meals in your day to day life. Our snap chat (pepperandmenz) has been an integral part of this transition, it’s so simple for me to snap as I cook, and show you guys how easy it is to make something a little bit special, making sure we use family friendly ingredients and super simple methods. It’s basically just us, and what we eat. A little baby spam thrown in and the odd yarn of the day. Shannon used to have a man review segment, but then he realized I had more that 20 followers….#bringbackmanreveiw
We have welcomed so many new products to the family! Man rub has quickly become a staple in everyone’s pantry, and man rub mayo has just as quickly become just as much (if not more) of a staple in the fridge! Thanks to Katie in the Kitchens vegan version, its now suitable for everyone, including pregnant mums too. Man grind has become our most widely used seasoning, replacing salt and pepper in every dish. Cue the entrance of the Man Bag, our manliest gift option for that sneaky little gift you are actually kind of buying for your own benefit. We sourced the most beautiful glass Grinders to sell with our grinds, and have sent out over 500 of them across the country. Once Miss P had weaned, I enjoyed bringing a little heat back into my cooking, and as a solid long time fan of Tio Pablo’s products, we added the Chipotles with Adobo sauce to some of our packs. And of course you all know about Mother Dukkah, as we attempted to take over the internet with our March release of this awesome new product. As a business we have almost reached the point where its time to get some extra (very, very low) paid hands in, as Shannon and myself are starting to struggle with 4-5 hours each of packaging, paste making, bagging up, labeling, emailing and booking couriers each evening. My brother Lorne is on call constantly for website, design, social media and label making duties, while my mum Joc takes care of all my accounts, tries to rein in my generous discounts and giveaways and generally shows up just in time to pull my household together as it starts to burst at the seams. My dad Paul is a business mentor, he writes down numbers and comes at me from a sensible business like angle - sometimes I take that on board! We decided in December I would get a part time job, so that I could use Pepper & Me’s small amount of profit to be put back into growing and promoting the business, so in January I started work as a cook at Peppers daycare. Pepper absolutely LOVES daycare, and I enjoy seeing her learning, playing and developing in these awesome new surroundings. You may or may not hear me yelling "make good choices Pepper" from the kitchen (stage 10 clinger much). Also using my brain for something else each day is good, and it gets us out of bed and dressed at a reasonable hour. Its Main purpose is supporting my online shopping addiction TBH, although some days leaves me pretty drained come 10pm. With Pepper's first birthday scarily looming just around the corner, and an enormous snap chat following that’s growing everyday, I thought it might be time to (hopefully) give this blog a bit more love, and share a bit more in depth, some parts of our lives that you all seem interested in. As I shared above about my family, and how much they do for us, I would love for the Pepper & Me family to become a similar thing. A support network if you like. I was thinking Food, babies, relationships, kids, non-judgmental parenting, good yarns, some sarcastic humor and the odd whinge. Just don’t be a dick though, I’m a big fan of the old block and delete buttons. I hope to be able to support and share other NZ small business with you as well, I’ve become a crazy fan of shopping small, local and NZ made. You have probably figured out by now that I am an over user of exclamation marks, I am not that funny, I eat way too much and I don’t care for kale or his friends. What you are yet to learn is that I am quite passionate and emotional in my head, but I very rarely come across that way whilst speaking. I also have a super wild pre mum/wife life side that no one knows about, (Shazza) As she is known, sometimes still itches to come out…
I also have the worst spelling and grammar, which is a potential issue, but we will deal with that along the way. Welcome to the fam. Hopefully I don’t offend too many people along the way…
X Cherie
24/06/2026
French Kiss Sausage Gnocchi. There’s no stepping wrong here, juicy pork or chicken sausages combined with a flavourful creamy sauce and greens of your choice for a bit of crunch and health. All you need is the Tarragon Mustard seasoning to create an excellent flavour bomb with all the right touches.
ADHD Recipe Version: Bash chicken breasts thin, crumb them in French Kiss and panko, fry until golden, then serve with a warm roasted butter bean, green bean and red onion salad.
1 Leek
1 Cup White Wine
2 Tbsp French Kiss
1 Whole Chicken
Olive Oil
2 Shallots or 1 Red Onion
1 Cup Cream
1 Tbsp French Kiss
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
Trim off the dark green tops of the leeks. Cut each leek in half lengthways, then cut each half in half crossways to create four lengths. Rinse well to remove any dirt.
Arrange the leeks in the base of a large baking dish, cut side up. Pour in the wine and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of French Kiss.
Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the leeks. Drizzle generously with olive oil, then rub 1 tablespoon of French Kiss all over the skin.
Roast at 180°C for 45 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, finely slice the shallots or onions and place them in a large bowl. Add the cream, remaining French Kiss, and Dijon mustard, then whisk to combine.
After 45 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. Pour the cream mixture over the chicken and leeks.
Return to the oven and cook for a further 35–45 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken. The chicken should be golden and cooked through. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Spoon the sauce from the bottom of the dish over the chicken. Serve whole, cut into pieces, or shredded through the sauce.
HIGH on the dinner rotation. You can grab the French Kiss Seasoning on our website!
22/06/2026
French Kiss Energy 😘
Sharp, herby and versatile. This is our first tarragon based seasoning, and it’s taken the front seat in our pantry cupboards! We’ve got a bunch of recipes to share with you this week - so we recommend adding one of these to your cart asap!
Here’s the French Kiss dip, pair this with some salty chippies, vege sticks or finishing dip (big hit)
21/06/2026
Dump and Bake Pasta? Yay or Nay? 🍄🟫
Mushie Dust was our hero this week, and will be every week we’re doing winter cooking. It brings the warmth, the umami and the comforting creamy goodness.
Is this on your dinner rotation this week? 💛
20/06/2026
Pick any 3 products from our Fieldays Collection for just $30!
With over 25 products to choose from, it’s the perfect excuse
to try something new or stock up on old favourites.
But be quick. This offer won’t be around for long ⏱️
19/06/2026
Money, Freedom & NZ’s Most Iconic Food 🎙️
We get a little deeper than usual as we unpack the age-old question: does money really buy happiness?
We also recap our time at Fieldays, chat about Pepper & Me’s upcoming 10th birthday celebrations, and share the excitement around our latest collaboration with Pics Peanut Butter.
Plus, we tackle a very important debate: what is New Zealand’s most iconic food? Unsurprisingly, Em and Cam can’t seem to agree on any of them.
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts 🎧
19/06/2026
Mushrooms + Butter 🧈
Some relationships are just meant to be!
Shop our individual butter flavours on July 2nd 🍄🟫
19/06/2026
Treat yourself Friday? 🛍️
3 FOR $30 SALE IS ON NOW!
Pick any 3 products from our Fieldays Collection for just $30.
With over 25 products to choose from, it’s the perfect excuse to try something new or stock up on old favourites.
But be quick. This offer won’t be around for long.
18/06/2026
Mushie Dust 👈 Our Umami mushroom powder enhances everything it touches. Even those who don’t like mushrooms, like this shiitake powder!
Chicken Pot Pie is a great hit for a wintery dinner, a low effort throw together with the help of your slow cooker. Pop some puff pastry on the top to make a pie, or service it with mash or crusty bread for a comforting hug 💛
18/06/2026
Any 3 selected products for $30 💣
We’re back from the Fieldays with a selection of left over stock, instead of putting it back into the warehouse - we’re selling it straight to you for an EPIC deal!
We’ve got large bags of Man Grind, TikTok Trending, Sauces, Dips and a whole bunch of our most popular products included in the deal.
Shop now while stocks last and grab yourself a bargain! 🐄
