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After being brought up in Gisborne around the beach and the barbecue, Daisy Dagg met her husband, current Crusader and All Black Israel Dagg, at high school – and started a recipe Facebook page with her fellow foodie, Amber Vito, called The Rugby Pantry.
It quickly evolved into a popular site and cookbook, sharing recipes, tips, and insights into what top rugby players eat.
We sat down with Daisy to discuss her blog, favorite meals and how she juggles life and motherhood.
Tell us about The Rugby Pantry
The Rugby Pantry is a blog, Facebook page and Instagram account that Amber Vito and I created to share our love and passion for food.
It’s a mixture of recipes, funny quotes, relevant articles, lifestyle choices, and health and fitness information.
We believe in eating everything in moderation and using local and fresh produce to create meals for everyday Kiwis that are both easily accessible and affordable.
What’s your favourite meal of the day?
That’s definitely dinner. My family would always eat dinner together around the table, discussing our daily activities.
My husband and I also love entertaining so we often have people over for dinner, which is a great way for me to trial and showcase new recipes.
Although often it is a big group of footy players, so I usually have to cook a lot of food! But there’s nothing like a good ol’ Kiwi barbecue on a summer’s night.
How has motherhood changed your approach to cooking meals at home?
Becoming a new mum means constantly being busy, and juggling the baby, work and household duties. I haven’t been able to be as creative and experiment with new recipes as much as I would have in the past – I just don’t have the extra time.
Luckily, The Rugby Pantry’s approach to meals has always been about quick, healthy and easy recipes, so I often can whip up something delicious in under 30 minutes.
When you have a moment to yourself, how do you like to spend it?
There isn’t much of that at the moment! Usually I love walking, yoga or a good massage.
My husband and I are pretty active outdoorsy people, and we also enjoy jet boating and fishing. I absolutely love the water so I love being around the beach or lake.
Cooking is another huge passion of mine, so when I get some time to myself, I love experimenting with different food and recipes.
What’s your go-to snack?
At the moment, it’s Tegel Chicken Tenders. One of the hardest things I have found about being a new mum is having the time to eat and cook meals for myself, especially when my husband is away.
Sometimes you just have a day where all you manage to eat at each meal is toast or a piece of fruit.
That’s the reason I love Tegel Chicken Tenders as a snack. They are a great source of protein, which is highly important while breastfeeding, and are a very convenient on-the-go snack.
