Dame Alison Holst | |
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.jpg) Holst in 2011 | |
| Born | Alison Margaret Payne 1938 (age 86–87) |
| Known for | Food writing Television chef |
| Relatives | Patricia Payne (sister) |
Dame Alison Margaret HolstDNZM CBE QSM (néePayne, born 1938) is a best-selling New Zealand food writer and televisioncelebrity chef.
Alison was born inDunedin, and graduated from theUniversity of Otago, then a constituent college of the University of New Zealand, with a Bachelor of Home Science and subsequently spent a year at Teachers' College. She then began lecturing in the Foods Department at the School of Home Science before starting her television career.[1] Her first television programme premiered in 1965. The following year she published her first cookbook. Since then (as of 2010) her cookbooks have collectively sold more than four and a half million copies of 100 titles,[2] and she has appeared on numerous other television and radio shows as well as writing newspaper columns and magazine articles.
Since 1990 she has co-written several cookbooks with her son, Simon Holst.[3][4] In November 2010 Holst appeared onRadio New Zealand's afternoon programme to deny rumours that she had been asked to be the nextgovernor-general.[5]
Holst has described the style of food in most of her books as 'everyday food' and the recipes are generally written for home cooks and intended to be easy and reasonably cheap to make, as well as nutritious.[6] Since 1994 she has marketed a brand of bulk wholefoods under the name Alison's Pantry through theFoodstuffs supermarket company.[7][8][9]
Her cook bookMeals with the Family from 1967 is held in the collections at New Zealand’s national museumTe Papa Tongarewa.[6]
In the1983 Queen's Birthday Honours, Holst was awarded theQueen's Service Medal for public services.[10] In the1987 New Year Honours, she was appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to home science.[11] In 1997, the University of Otago conferred Holst with an honoraryDoctor of Science degree.[12]
In the2011 New Year Honours, Holst was appointed aDame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the food industry.[13][14]
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