2 Jul 2025

How to keep cooking costs down when prices are jumping

From Checkpoint, 4:06 pm on 2 July 2025

A price tag of more than $80 for just over 3kg of prime New Zealand lamb is a little too rich, even for a former chef who devoted decades to fine dining. According to Stats NZ in the past year food prices have gone up 4.4% percent. That's the biggest jump since December 2023. Tony Astle ran the legendary Auckland fine dining restaurant Antoines in Parnell for almost 50 years. He spoke to Lisa Owen about how to keep cooking costs down.