Moore Wilsons | Baking and the Meaning of Life

Baking and the Meaning of Life

Timeless baking companion by Ottolenghi pastry chef and food columnist, including 100 favourite tried-and-tested bakes as well as insight into why baking brings us joy.

In her hotly anticipated debut solo cookbook, Ottolenghi pastry chef and recipe developer Helen Goh shares her 100 favourite baking recipes to show the many ways baking brings meaning and joy to our lives.

No one knows the 'why' or 'how' of baking better than Helen Goh, recipe developer with Yotam Ottolenghi for more than a decade, co-author of bestselling books Sweet and Comfort, food columnist for the Good Weekend, The Guardian and Observer, and practising psychologist. In this, her first solo cookbook, Helen draws on her upbringing in Malaysia and Australia, her acclaimed work with Ottolenghi and her psychology training to share her distinctive approach to baking with 100 delicious sweet and savoury bakes.

With recipes like Chocolate Tahini Cake with Sesame Brittle, Plum and Pistachio Bars, Pandan and Coconut Chiffon Cake, and many other shareable treats that offer both tried-and-true and creative flavours, this book is a celebration of community, connection and pleasure through baking. Helen's Champagne and Blackcurrant Celebration Cake will become your new go-to for a special occasion, while a batch of Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes for a picnic or charity bake sale is a small but powerful building block of community and solidarity. All of her desserts are impressively sweet ways to celebrate milestones and connect with family and friends. And after your sweet tooth has been satisfied, there are more than 15 savoury baking dishes, from a Puttanesca Galette with Lemon Ricotta to a Potato, Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia.

With inventive flavour combinations that showcase Helen's creativity, a wealth of thoroughly road-tested bakes and her reflections on living and baking well, Baking and the Meaning of Life is a one-of-a-kind companion bakers will return to again and again to spread joy, one cookie, cake, or cheese puff at a time.

Shipping & Delivery

In order to make things simple and convenient, we have set our delivery pricing with our couriers based on a standard delivery box, with dimensions of 330mm L x 250mm W x 310mm H, and a maximum weight of 18kg.

To get an idea of how much that is, the delivery box fits up to 12 bottles of wine, one kitchen mixer, or a feather and down duvet inner. Your total delivery charge is automatically calculated in the checkout – simply enter your delivery region and let our system do the rest.

Your order is then sent out by our couriers and delivered right to your door. When orders contain alcohol, someone over the age of 18 must be present to sign for it – if you can’t be home at the time, we recommend that the order is sent to a workplace.

If no one aged 18 or over is present when delivery is attempted, a contact card will be left by the courier, and redelivery can be arranged with them.

Once payment is received, your orders will usually be with you in up to 5 working. You can track your order once it has been collected by Courier Post – an email with the tracking reference will be sent to you automatically. Please note that Courier Post do not collect from us on Saturday or Sunday, any orders placed during the weekend will be dispatched the following Monday.

Please note: We cannot accommodate requests for a specific delivery time; actual delivery times will be dependent on the courier's schedule.

While we do everything we can to get your order to you as quickly as possible, there may be occasions where orders may take longer to arrive – you can follow your order’s progress using the courier tracking reference.

Moore Wilson’s is a Cash and Carry business, but we’ve negotiated some fantastic rates with our couriers:

$6.95 per standard delivery box for Wellington region (upto Levin and Wairarapa)
$10.95 per standard delivery box for Rest of North Island
$13.95 per standard delivery box for South Island
Rural delivery - extra $4.95 (Delivery to your local rural delivery driver. Your normal rural delivery times then apply.) You can click here to check if your address is rural.
Waiheke Island delivery - North Island Rural charges apply

Additional information:

All goods are insured up until the point of delivery - until a signature is obtained. Shortages or Breakages must be reported to us within 24 hours of delivery, preferably by email, with your order number as reference.

We do not ship outside New Zealand.

Q: I’ve seen a product in store but can’t find it on your website. How can I order it?

If there's something you are after that isn't yet available here on our website, contact us and we'll see what we can do. If it’s something we have in stock and can send by courier, we will do our very best to make it available on our website.

Q: Why is there a minimum order quantity for some products?

Some of our products – such as beer and grocery items – can be bought individually in store, but we can only courier them in set quantities (such as boxes, cases or cartons). It is often quite a lot cheaper to buy in these quantities, which is why we show both the individual and bulk prices on the product pages. It’s always nice to know what you’re saving!