Taste New Zealand
If your clients have got a passion for fine food and wine then they’re in for a treat! With an abundance of top international-quality restaurants and fresh produce, New Zealand cuisine satisfies even the most discerning palates.
Dining out is an important part of any vacation. Being able to recommend a selection of good restaurants helps to ensure that your clients’ time in New Zealand is memorable for all the right reasons. Combine culture and cuisine with a Maori hangi meal – opportunities abound to experience a Maori hangi together with a cultural performance.In the last few decades New Zealand cuisine has undergone a major renaissance. Drawing on influences from many different cultures, including indigenous Maori cuisine, New Zealand’s dining culture has emerged innovative and sophisticated.
Part of New Zealand’s secret lies in its geography. The diverse landscape means a wide variety of ingredients can be grown – so the majority of produce is locally grown. Add to that the seafood gathered from its 15,000 kilometres of coastline and you have the recipe for a special local cuisine.
New Zealand is a natural home for the fusion approach to cooking. Blending flavours from around the Pacific Rim, this vibrant style is internationally popular and Kiwi chefs such as Peter Gordon have played an important role in its development. Other well-known New Zealand cooks and chefs include Jo Seagar, Annabel Langbein, Alison Holst, Al Brown and Steve Logan.
For visitors interested in the culinary arts, look for food and wine tours, factory/farm visits and cooking schools, while best-selling cookbooks are a great way to take a slice of New Zealand home.
Sampling the Cuisine
There’s more to sampling Kiwi cuisine than dinner in a local restaurant. Your clients can browse farmers’ markets, visit food festivals and have a go at cooking lessons!
Buying Food & Wine New Zealand cuisine dishes up delicacies ranging from cheeses, oysters and crayfish (rock lobster) to handcrafted chocolates and gourmet wines. Visitors can buy wines at the cellar door and direct from the grower at farmers’ markets around the country. The number of gourmet grocery stores is steadily increasing – every main centre has stores dedicated to the best local produce.
Nosh Food Markets www.noshgourmet.com
Moore Wilson & Co. www.moorewilson.co.nz
Cook Schools Found in all major centres, cook schools provide an insight into culinary New Zealand. Participants can learn how to cook local favourites, match food and wine, and find out about indigenous ingredients! Particularly renowned schools include celebrity chefs’ cooking schools like Seagars in Oxford (near Christchurch) or Ruth Pretty Cooking School just north of Wellington. Another gem is the Akaroa Cooking School on Banks Peninsula (near Christchurch).
Seagars www.joseagar.com
Cook school, kitchen store and B&B accommodation. Popular Lunch & Learn classes and special courses on topics such as BBQs for blokes, gluten-free cooking and more.
Ruth Pretty www.ruthpretty.co.nz
Ruth Pretty and her team of excellent chefs run regular cooking series with themes varying according to season. Book a place online or organise a private lesson.
Restaurants, Cafés & Bars
Every city and small town has its own iconic eateries and bars, showcasing the best of New Zealand food and wine. Your clients may dine at the waterfront in Wellington or Auckland, indulge at a Christchurch winery or unwind in a Queenstown lakefront restaurant. Local pubs offer great atmosphere, while top restaurants offer world-class cuisine and service.
The Sugar Club (Auckland)
SKYCITY Grand Hotel, 90 Federal Street t: +64 9 363 6365
www.skycityauckland.co.nz/restaurants/the-sugar-club/
One of New Zealand’s most celebrated chefs, Peter Gordon, showcases his award-winning fusion cuisine in elegant and chic surrounds at The Sugar Club.
Logan Brown (Wellington)
192 Cuba Street t: +64 4 801 5114
www.loganbrown.co.nz
Critically acclaimed fine cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere is the order of the day in this restaurant owned by New Zealand celebrity chefs Steve Logan and Alister Brown.
