Welcome to a very special episode of the Forkin' Good Podcast — because today, we’re not just talking about food… we’re EATING it.

Simon and Kate take you inside Lokanta, the legendary Mediterranean restaurant run by their long-time friend and Turkish chef Zeki, right in the heart of Auckland, New Zealand.

This episode is part feast, part masterclass, part travel story — and fully packed with:

🍷 Proper Mediterranean dining
🐙 Octopus & lentils cooked the traditional way
🔥 Flaming saganaki
🦪 Rice-stuffed mussels
🥗 Why olive oil truly matters
❤️ Food, family & human connection
🌿 What the Mediterranean diet ACTUALLY is (not what Google tells you)

You’ll hear:
• Stories of cooking together in Turkey & the Greek Islands
• Why Mediterranean food is naturally healthy, clean and flavour-packed
• How we can cook this way at home
• Zeki’s philosophy on food, hospitality, and why “less is more”
• Rapid-fire questions including favourite herbs, sauces, secret dislikes & kitchen must-haves

This episode has everything: food, friendship, travel, nostalgia, storytelling and the kind of hospitality that fills your soul.

👉 If you're in Auckland, GO to Lokanta.
👉 If you love good food, hit LIKE.
👉 If you want more Mediterranean adventures, SUBSCRIBE.
👉 Tell us in the comments: What dish should Simon & Kate try next?

Follow the podcast on Instagram and Tiktok: @forkingoodpod

Follow Simon on his channels below:
Instagram: @simon_gault
Facebook: @Officialsimongault
Tiktok: Simonjgault
Youtube: Simon Gault

Follow Waste-ed with Kate here:
Instagram: @wastedwithkate
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wastefreewithkate
Tiktok: wasted.kate
Youtube: Waste-ed with Kate

🍫 Kate’s $7 Brownie Rebellion
Kate refuses to buy tiny café brownies for the kids and bakes her own big, gooey tray instead – topped with a sprinkle of Murray River salt. Simon taste-tests (brutally honestly) and LOVES it.

🍝 Next-Level Bolognese Tips
Simon shares his chef secrets for a proper bolognese:
- Why a splash of milk at the end is magic
- A tiny grate of nutmeg and even chicken livers (trust him!)
- Pancetta vs bacon
- Why fettuccine/tagliatelle beats spaghetti for holding sauce
- Turning leftovers into pies, toasties, nachos & stuffed veg

🥗 30-Second Creamy Salad Dressing (No E-Numbers)
Simon whisks up a “creamy” dressing with:
Extra virgin olive oil, Balsamic (guava, pomegranate or whatever you’ve got), Mustard or lemon horseradish cream... All in under a minute – no bottles, no weird ingredients.

🍪 Forking Good Gooey Skillet Cookie
Then Simon rolls out his “brownie points” – a hot skillet cookie with:
Gooey cookie dough, A hidden layer of Nutella, A scoop of his Much Moore Christmas mince pie & vanilla ice cream, Finished with flake salt for that final 5% magic

🎒 Kids’ Lunchboxes, Waste & Real-Life Eating
Kate and Simon chat about:

Why kids’ lunchboxes are full of packets (and what to swap instead)
- White bread vs proper grain bread
- Fruit vs “99% fruit” lollies
- Getting kids to pack their own lunch
- The 80/20 rule: healthy most of the time, fun some of the time

🧼 Old-School Soap Shaker & Zero-Waste Dishes
Kate shows Simon a seriously cool retro gadget: the soap shaker – a metal basket for solid dish soap that replaces plastic bottles and watery detergents. Plus: Wasted Kate dishcloths and how you can win some.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Tell us in the comments:

Are you Team Brownie or Team Skillet Cookie?

What’s your go-to, actually-eaten-by-kids lunchbox combo?

Follow the podcast on Instagram and Tiktok: @forkingoodpod

Follow Simon on his channels below:
Instagram: @simon_gault
Facebook: @Officialsimongault
Tiktok: Simonjgault
Youtube: Simon Gault

Follow Waste-ed with Kate here:
Instagram: @wastedwithkate
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wastefreewithkate
Tiktok: wasted.kate
Youtube: Waste-ed with Kate

This week, it’s Simon’s turn in the hot seat! Kate grills (gently) the man behind the chef’s whites to uncover how a glider-flying Kiwi kid became one of New Zealand’s most recognised culinary voices.

From growing up in Papakura with a pilot dad to washing dishes at 15 and learning perfection (and terror!) under legendary chef Tony Astle, Simon shares the hilarious, humbling and inspiring journey that shaped his career.

Hear how a young apprentice ended up chatting with Elton John, cooking at Michelin-level restaurants in London, surviving a dodgy bedsit, and carving a giant turkey in half for his first wedding gig. It’s packed with stories of grit, luck, and “fail fast, fix fast” moments — plus the advice that’s guided Simon ever since.

Kate and Simon also chat about food waste and the Love Food Hate Waste “Great Date Debate” busting myths about best before vs use by dates!

💬 Join the chat: Comment on YouTube to enter our Forking Good giveaways (including Simon’s book!).

📦 This week’s takeaway: Your nose knows — and your fridge deserves an Eat Me First section.

Follow the podcast on Instagram and Tiktok: @forkingoodpod

Follow Simon on his channels below:
Instagram: @simon_gault
Facebook: @Officialsimongault
Tiktok: Simonjgault
Youtube: Simon Gault

Follow Waste-ed with Kate here:
Instagram: @wastedwithkate
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wastefreewithkate
Tiktok: wasted.kate
Youtube: Waste-ed with Kate