Forbes Homemade Gourmet Kohimarama, at 144/146 Allum Street inside the Allum Street Shopping Centre, is New Zealand's original frozen meal provider, cooking homemade meals since 1997. Founded by Tim & Gael Forbes, the business prepares food the old-fashioned way — in small batches, with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, cooked and baked in ovens just like at home.
The Kohimarama store offers main meals, lunch and savouries, cakes and desserts, biscuits, salads and soups, alongside catering, gift boxes and barista-made drinks. It also stocks a curated selection of other New Zealand artisan food and drink brands. Now 28 years on, Forbes has grown from its original store into a business supplying all over Auckland, still run by a team of more than 16 staff who cook and bake the same way it always has.
Forbes Homemade Gourmet Kohimarama, at 144/146 Allum Street inside the Allum Street Shopping Centre, describes itself as the original frozen meal provider in New Zealand, cooking homemade meals since 1997.
Forbes likens itself to a grandmother's house — warm and inviting, smelling like biscuits. It's a place where customers might find their mother's cinnamon oysters or their grandmother's cottage pie, all lovingly handcrafted by the team's dedicated chefs.
Forbes Homemade Gourmet was started by Tim & Gael Forbes in 1997, with the aim of preparing food that tastes just like it would at home, using locally sourced ingredients made the old-fashioned way. Twenty-eight years on, the business has grown into a supplier across Auckland, but the approach hasn't changed — small batches, fresh produce, and ovens just like the ones at home. The team now numbers more than 16 staff.
The Kohimarama store's menu spans main meals, lunch and savouries, cakes and desserts, biscuits, salads and soups, alongside catering platters and gift boxes. The kitchen prepares fresh breakfasts, lunch and savouries, shared platters and frozen meals every day, alongside barista-made drinks served in-store.
Forbes caters for important meetings, treating a team, or entertaining friends and family at home, with a dedicated catering menu built around shared, homemade food.
For gifting, Forbes offers beautifully packaged gift boxes and care packages, drawing from its wide range of artisan food products and gourmet meals made fresh in-store.
Beyond its own kitchen, the Kohimarama store also stocks a curated range of other New Zealand artisan brands, including Allpress, Apostle, Allgood, Fix & Fogg, Hakanoa, Jenny's Kitchen, Nana Dunn Co, Noble & Sunday, Pepler's, Superseed Crackers, The Kiwi Artisan, Totara Cottage and Westcoast Stoneware.
Forbes prepares its fresh food and barista-made drinks in-store every day, using shared equipment and a wide range of ingredients. While the team does its best to manage allergens, it cannot guarantee any food or drinks are allergen-free due to the risk of cross-contact — an Allergen Guide and Ingredient List are available for customers with specific concerns.
Forbes Homemade Gourmet Kohimarama is open Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 7:30am to 2:30pm. It's also one of several Forbes locations around Auckland, alongside stores in Epsom.
Between its homestyle main meals, named family classics like cottage pie and cinnamon oysters, catering menu, gift boxes and curated artisan market, Forbes Homemade Gourmet Kohimarama offers a genuinely homemade food experience with nearly three decades of history behind it.