At home with Daisy Dagg

The moment Daisy Dagg decided to start her popular healthy food blog, The Rugby Pantry, she was eating pizza and drinking prosecco. She laughs at the irony, but then again, life for the Christchurch-based foodie is all about balance, but with good habits as the strong foundation.

The blog, which she started with close friend Amber Vito [married to All Black Victor Vito], began as a platform to share recipes with family and friends, and later helped her develop ideas for two cookbooks and a new business venture.

As mum to four month old Arlo, she’s drawing on the lessons she learned from her own parents to help set up some healthy family routines.

“It’s scary now how often kids are on iPads or looking at social media, and dinner is a good time to set that sort of thing aside.”

She also thinks it’s vital to get kids to help in the kitchen.

“Kids love to cook, and in some ways it’s a dying art,” she says.

“It’s something Amber and I talk about often, how important it is to get kids interested in food, in what they’re eating and where it comes from, and how to grow and prepare things.”

For more on family life for Daisy and Israel, plus her child-friendly recipes, see the September issue of Good Health Choices.

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