The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Cook time: 10mins

Prep time: 30mins

Serves 6 people

INGREDIENTS: 

6 eggs
pinch of salt
250 gm caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
10 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
50 gm melted butter

2 punnets strawberries
300 gm fresh cream
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 tbsp icing sugar

METHOD:

For the Sponge:
Whisk the eggs and salt until well combined, add the sugar and vanilla paste and turn up to high. 
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Amanda Knox talks new book Free: My Search for Meaning

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Amanda was found guilty, convicted of the murder and spent four years in an Italian prison - but she was later found to be wrongly convicted.

10 years after she was officially exonerated of the crime, she's told her ...

Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie unveils new album 'Freak Out City'

Kiwi musician and comedian Bret McKenzie, best known for his work with Flight of the Conchords, is set to release his second album next week.

Freak Out City is a follow-up to his 2022 solo project Songs Without Jokes.

The lead off single is All I Need, and Bret McKenzie says it's inspired by his long-term relationship with his wife, Hannah.

Pike River: Actress Melanie Lynskey reveals why the story needed to be told

New Zealanders will get an insight into the Pike River tragedy that continues to be felt by relatives - and on the West Coast.

A film based on the 2010 explosion that took the lives of 29 men is being released in New Zealand this week.

Starring Kiwi actresses Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm, it tells the true story of Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockh...

Director Paul Feig joined Francesca Rudkin to chat about his new movie, coming to cinemas on Boxing Day, titled The Housemaid. 

Previously Feig has directed Bridesmaids (2011), A Simple Favour (2018), and Last Christmas (2019), along with a number of episodes of The Office. 

The Housemaid is a drama / thriller, based off the Freida McFadden book of the same name, following a struggling woman as she starts over as a housem...

A study published this week in the journal American Psychologist has said that swearing can make you physically stronger.

Participants were required to do a chair push up and those who swore were found to perform better than those who didn't.

Michelle Dickinson and Francesca Rudkin discuss the study and how it might help people push through the Christmas season.

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New Zealand politics has been a whirlwind this year with RBNZ drama, Te Pati Māori's meltdown, the Treaty principles bill, and local body elections.

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Political correspondent Thomas Coughlan share shares with Francesca Rudkin with predictions of strategies and successes...

At this time of the year it’s nice to reflect on some of the good things that happened throughout the year, and just days ago the nominees for the 63rd Halberg Awards were announced.

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Kiwi actor Julian Dennison's built up an impressive acting resume between Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Deadpool 2, and How to Train Your Dragon, but he's about to make the switch to music next.

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Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy. This is by the author of the Booker Prize winning The God of Small Things - about her life growing up in India, the forces that shaped her, and particularly her very difficult relationship with her mother, Mary, who is always referred to in the book as Mrs Roy. Mrs Roy was a formidable force of nature and in trying to make sense of the dynamic between them, and to find her own way in the wo...

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On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 14 December 2025, Kiwi Hollywood actor Julian Dennison is trying out a surprise new career, he talks to Francesca before his first festival Rhythm and Vines.

Dai Henwood has had rollercoaster of a year, he shares his journey, talking about comedy, honours and living with stage 4 cancer.

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Comedian Dai Henwood's ticked plenty of boxes over his three decades in the business, but next May, he'll take on a new challenge and host the Best Foods Comedy Gala. 

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Cider, star anise and pineapple roasted ham 

Cook time: 60 minutes 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Serves: 8-10

3kg free range cured and smoked Christmas ham  

2 x 330ml dry cider or apple juice  

6 star anise  

10 cloves  

2 cups fresh pineapple, peeled, sliced and cubed  

2 tbsp Dijion mustard  

300 gm brown sugar

Preheat a oven on fan-bake to160c.  

Slice the skin of the ham and...