• The Inciting Incident: The story opens on a high note as Marmalade Rabbit organises an elaborate birthday party for her husband, Montgomery, complete with an extended family feast. The joy is short-lived when a large yellow digger suddenly demolishes their cosy Christchurch city warren. 
• The Journey: Left homeless, the newly married rabbits salvage what they can—including cooking pots, tins, aprons, and recipe books. Guided by a pair of helpful skylarks named Skye and Lark, they travel out of the city to the countryside. 
• Settling In: They discover the grand 55m² custom playhouse within Tangleby Gardens and claim it as their safe haven. They are soon joined by Vincent and Violet, two mouse transplants from Southland who take up residence in the three-story dollhouse inside the playhouse. 
• The Challenges: Over the course of 11 chapters, the animals face several obstacles:
  • Two bully magpies constantly steal their food, but a deliberate act of kindness reforms them into helpful friends who protect the garden plants from slugs.
  • Montgomery gets swept away in a sudden flood but is dramatically rescued by Leo, the next-door poodle, operating his own helicopter. 
• The Resolution: The book concludes in the spring with a massive celebration picnic on the lawn to welcome new baby rabbits, mice, and skylarks, alongside arriving Southland hedgehogs who step in as local teachers. 

• The Birthday & Picnic Menu: Sourced directly from Montgomery's initial party and the final spring celebration, these chapters feature easy-to-assemble crowd-pleasers like fairy bread, fruit skewers, banana treats, and homemade strawberry ice cream. 
• The Southland Secret: When the hedgehog teachers arrive from the deep south of New Zealand, they bring along a regional culinary staple, passing on the secret to making perfect Kiwi cheese rolls. 
• The Visual Competency Rating: Recipes are clearly graded with a visual "tomato" system so parents know what to expect before cooking. 1 Tomato signifies simple assembly (like the fruit skewers), while 3 Tomatoes introduce foundational stovetop or sharp-knife skills. 
• Standalone "Genius" Baking: The signature Individual Pavlovas anchor the baking section, deliberately formatted to protect children's shorter attention spans by allowing them to beat all base ingredients together for 12 minutes rather than slowly adding sugar.

• On Resilience: "How do you think Montgomery and Marmalade felt when the big yellow digger arrived? What would you pack in your backpack if you had to find a new home?"
• On Kindness: "The bully magpies were mean at first, but the rabbits were kind to them anyway. How did being kind change the magpies into good friends?"
• On Teamwork: "Vincent and Violet mouse live in the dollhouse, while the rabbits live in the main playhouse. How do they work together to keep the Tangleby kitchen running smoothly?"

• Fairy Bread & Fruit Skewers: White bread, butter, multi-coloured hundreds and thousands, wooden skewers, strawberries, bananas, and grapes.
• Strawberry Ice Cream: Fresh or frozen strawberries, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy whipping cream.

• The 12-Minute Pavlovas: Egg whites, caster sugar, cornflour, white vinegar, heavy cream (for whipping), and fresh fruit for topping.
• Mini Muffins: Self-raising flour, milk, eggs, melted butter, and your choice of mix-ins (chocolate chips or blueberries).

• Southland Cheese Rolls: Thru-sliced white bread, grated tasty cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, and a packet of onion soup mix.
• Comfort Soups: Chicken stock, shredded cooked chicken, fine egg noodles, and sweetcorn.

"Tonight, we are starting a brand new adventure! We are going to meet Montgomery and Marmalade, two very neat rabbits who love to cook. But in Chapter 1, a giant, loud yellow digger comes right toward their home! They have to pack up all their favorite cooking pots, aprons, and secret recipe books draft a kitchen safety contract for your young chef