In the New Zealand where Hillary grew up, the table inherited the British colonial fare adapted to the climate and the great outdoors: a hearty breakfast, dinner in the evening, and above all, the "smoko" — the morning and afternoon tea break where hot tea and homemade baking (scones, biscuits, cakes) come out. Added to this, specific to his life as a mountaineer, was the "ration": food designed not for pleasure but for weight, calories, and preservation at high altitude.

Before Everest, Hillary was a professional beekeeper with his brother Rex in Auckland: the hives financed his expeditions. Honey — sugar, energy, natural preservation — is the most intimate ingredient of his life and runs through all his cooking, from smoko to summit.