Jo Seagar is a household name in food, a passionate foodie and leader of culinary inspired group tours to Europe.

She continues to write best-selling cookbooks and magazine columns while making regular television and radio appearances.

The Tauranga Home Show is proud to host Jo Seagar in the Live Cooking Kitchen with her chatty live show featuring plenty of talk, tips and tricks for the budding home cook – plus plenty of tasters of course!

You can catch Jo twice a day on all three days of the show from October 28 to 30.

At her 11.30am sessions, she'll be demonstrating how to make Brazilian Cheese Puffs; known as Pāo de Quiejo, these warm balls of delight look a bit like a cream puff but are garlicky and cheesy with a wonderful chewy centre – as well as Seeded Crackers, wonderfully crisp and rustic seed crackers with the nutty taste of seeds.

At 2.30pm she will be showing you how to make Feta and Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells, a flavourful way to feed a crowd, as well as Raspberry and Almond High Tea Cakes. Based on a classic Friand recipe, these are moist and buttery bites dotted with raspberries and adorned with almond flakes.

Jo is passionate about the work of Hospice and enjoys her role as Patron and ambassador. You can help Jo in her support; after each session, you can take a copy of the recipes demonstrated in exchange for a donation to Waipuna Hospice.

Jo hosts cooking classes, where the money raised is donated back to hospice.

She was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the community in the 2015 New Year Honours.

She has published 19 cookbooks that span a range of themes and years – with her first, ‘Jo Segar's New Zealand Country Cookbook' in 1993 to her latest, ‘Better Than a Bought One: Clever Recipes and Ideas for Home-Grown Celebrations' in 2018.

In ‘Better Than a Bought One' Jo shows ordinary Kiwis how they can put on great celebration events with minimum effort and maximum effect. That's what Jo does best. From a baby shower to a 21st, an office shout to a winter dinner party, from a high tea to a wedding, Jo gives great recipes and tips so you can celebrate in style, without breaking the bank.

There's even a chapter on holding a winter bonfire party for Matariki, and no celebrations book would be complete without Christmas - but this one is a Kiwi Christmas at the beach!