Lauraine’s blog
31 August 2011
Some mornings I wake up all fired and opinionated. Today is typical. What’s got me going is my attendance last night at the Good Egg Awards.
Essentially the Royal NZ SPCA initiated Good Egg Awards to recognise commitment to consumer and food industry use of humanely produced eggs. In other words, as an association that safeguards the welfare of animals, they’re concerned about some of the more suspect treatment of laying hens. (So you thought SPCA gathered up stray dogs and saved kittens from being drowned at birth? Think again.) Good Eggs from happy hens for healthy intelligent consumers. A great recipe.
The Good Egg Awards were given in a variety of sections including retail, restaurant, café and catering, farmer, food manufacturing, and takeaways. I was pretty pleased to see a second generation McDonald’s franchise holder from Christchurch win the takeaway section. The genial man who collected his award explained he was committed to using great food like Good Eggs, even in the face of research that showed his policy didn’t increase business. Kakako, Henergy, Farro Fresh, The Library Café in Onehunga were the other impressive winners on the night along with several restaurants with high impact in Sky City’s restaurant group. They must use zillions of good eggs!
Consumers who want to follow the fine example of these winners can look for the SPCA”s Blue Tick on egg cartons. (Pic above). Once you spot that tick, you’ll never go back. Your conscience won’t let you.
All this good stuff in the same seven days when our giant food production company, Fonterra (or FONTERROR as they have become in my mind,) decided to pull the plug on paying farmers for organic production of milk. Having encouraged farmers into this arena, they’re now crying over the cost of organic spilt milk and deem it uneconomic. What about us who want it? What about the courageous farmers who invested in alternative farming methods? What about the future generations who guard their health? Come on Fonterra, sometimes things are not about a rather small figure on the bottom line, especially when you’re a multi, multi million dollar company. Even though you are the backbone of our NZ economy. Please rethink this one.
28 August 2011
Last week, at Wellington on a Plate I was lucky enough to score a ticket to the High Tea at Hippopotamus restaurant in the Museum Hotel on a balmy Saturday afternoon.
All the smart set of Wellywood turned out to see the divine clothes by Alexandra Owen. Mark Hadlow, straight from the set of The Hobbit tried hard to steal the show in his fabulous suit, but nothing could beat a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne and the amazing food. (See pic above)
I think the Museum Hotel is one of the capital's best assets. A trip south is always the better for the indulgence of the food and wine at Hippopotamus. Vive Chef Laurent!
22 August 2011
I have a severe case of Wellington Envy. I spent the weekend there, taking in a few of the Wellington on a Plate events and eating in a restaurants. It seems that size doesn't matter for even though the city is miniscule compared to Auckland, there's this fantastic "we are all here to support each other" about the place, which never happens in Auckland.
The WOP concept, perhaps loosely based on the Melbourne Wine and Food Festival, brings all the restaurateurs, foodie producers, retailers and much more together in a whirlwind two weeks of showcasing just what the region (and the Wairarapa) has to offer. And that means fabulous eating, drinking, partying and having an amazing foodie time.
I only tasted the tip of the iceberg, but the Fisher & Paykel Masterclass was an intimate show at the Michael Fowler centre with about 150 attending, that made it worth the trip into the cold! I loved it. Chef Wan, the little energiser bunny Ambassador Chef from Malaysia kicked it off. His Nonya Prawn and Pineapple curry was divine.
Al Brown followed, with wonderful simple venison dishes, and had Rex Morgan as moderator. Rex is so witty he really stole that show, gently ribbing Al and keeping him on track.
Des Harris in his first ever gig on stage produced amazing food that was absolutely the best of the day. There will be many Wellingtonians who will head to Clooney if they ever visit Auckland I am picking, for more of Des' truly delicious, truly stunning food.
Alexa Johnson was also there from Auckland, cooking her traditional but not forgotten puddings. She's an excellent presenter, clear and instructive with fine recipes for apple pie, blancmange and some yummy salt almond toffee.
And to finish the day long line-up, Martin Bosley took to the stage with Rachel Taulelei and did a riff "Nose to Scale" eating, which involved cooking every part of a fish. Martin's roasted snapper head with butter sauce dripping over it ( pic above) was quite the masterpiece although I missed out on the eyeballs which are always delicious. His tartare of snapper with salmon roe was ethereal too.
Well done Wellington! The tastings were generous and pretty amazing too.
And I want to go back to eat at the glitzy new Ancestral in Courtenay Place (will this be the tipping point that tidies up that sleazy stretch of eateries and clubs?), Arbitrageur for Chris Green's honest-to-goodness food and the Museum Hotel to eat at Hippopotamus.
13 August 2011
When I told Murray, my husband, we were going on a two week trip to Sri Lanka, all he could say was, “Why are we not going to Paris?” I really had no answer to that, as this trip was at my instigation as it’s a place that I have always hankered to visit.
Mary Taylor, a long time NZ Guild of Food Writers member, has been leading tours through her Food Matters tour company to Sri Lanka for almost ten years. The itinerary of each group is “Taylored” to suit individual and collective interests. She led two back to back tours this year, the first concentrated on fabric and art, while our group wanted to focus on food and architecture. We were seven; with a skilled and careful bus driver, a knowledgeable local guide, a charming baggage handler and Mary to look after us.
We stayed in stunning, luxury hotels, all hand picked by Mary for their Sri Lankan ‘x-factor’. Majestic colonial edifices, a Geoffrey Bawa designed eco-friendly hotel perched amongst rocky outcrops and tumbling vegetation, an amazing converted tea factory, a planter’s bungalow that I feel was a every bit as good as Huka Lodge, and the Lighthouse, another Bawa designed hotel in the coast near Galle where the waves crashing onto the rocks below lulled us to sleep.
For me, travel is all about food. Sri Lanka is a lush country with intense cultivation that provides plenty of food for all 23 million people who inhabit this teardrop shaped island to the east of India. Successive waves of travellers and immigrants from southern India, Malaysia, the Middle East, Portugal, Holland and England have made their mark on the spicy rich cuisine, leaving a legacy of vegetables, spices, rice, tea and much more to sustain the Sri Lankans.
The smelly bustling Pettah market in Colombo, a vibrant fish market in Negombo, a vegetable distribution market at Dambullah, a traditional spice garden and a couple of cookery lessons helped to really understand the local cuisine. Visits to the Dilmah tea factory, a dessicated coconut processing plant, a boat trip to observe cinnamon quilling, and walking amongst the tea pickers on the plantations got us up close and personal with the bounty of Sri Lanka. There were food experiences galore, and truly wonderful rice and curry meals.
Breakfast was buffet style everywhere and it’s intriguing to watch other tourists who want to stick to their own food; bacon and eggs, cereal, and espresso coffee. Not for me. I ate lacy egg hoppers each day, with a selection of spicy vegetable curries and now at home I’m finding my tomatoes on toast truly bland. Mary is the ultimate tour guide, quietly witty, incredibly calm even when the bus breaks down on a remote strip of road, and has made fabulous contacts and friends through Sri Lanka who welcomed us warmly and fed us delicious food.
I’m not a dedicated animal lover, but we ticked off quite a list of intriguing wild life; cheeky monkeys on our balconies, colourful birds, water buffalo providing buffalo curd for almost every meal, and adorable orphaned baby elephants in a special transit house who came in from the wilds while we visited, for their daily ration of milk. We also visited a little primary school, and we were constantly handing out pencils to wide-eyed children who curiously and shyly approached us.
And something I learned about Sri Lankans and their sport. We know about their love of cricket, but most people we spoke to knew all about our All Blacks. Apparently Sri Lanka has more than 130,000 registered rugby players. That’s more than New Zealand by miles!
It was an outstandingly successful trip and I dream about going back. Even Murray wants to go on another Mary Taylor trip and not to Paris!
Pic; Kandalama Hotel by Richard Harris
11 August 2011
Sri Lanka’s tea growing region is lush, beautiful and is in the mountainous central region of Sri Lanka where tea grows. It’s an important crop for Sri Lanka, exported around the world.
We caught the train from the hill capital city of Kandy to Hatton. Our rickety ancient wooden carriage rattled on the narrow gauge railway as it climbed into the mountains. With tickets reserved for first class observation seats, I had visions of a glass dome that popped up above the roof. No such luck. “Observation” meant a window in our carriage at the rear of the train giving us a view back down the track as we climbed up to Sri Lanka’s important tea growing region.
In Hatton locals were holding a demonstration. That was Saturday, and by Monday the wages of thousands and thousands of tea workers had been raised from 415 to 515 rupees a day. We felt a part of their triumph, cheering the pickers out in the fields plucking the tea, as we passed en route to our hotel.
Sri Lankan tea plantations are lush and beautiful with extensive sculptured waves of bushes. We relaxed for a couple of days at Tea Trails Bungalow Norwood, one of four planter’s bungalows on adjoining estates that have been converted to luxury accommodation. Surrounded by acres of tea bushes, these comfortable homes are stately, with hospitable staff and excellent cuisine. The highlight was real High Tea with cucumber sandwiches and dainty little cakes.
Andrew Taylor, a direct descendant of James Taylor who introduced tea to Sri Lanka from China, expertly guided us through the Norwood Estate tea factory. Small green buds with the accompanying two leaves below are plucked from the bushes and within 24 hours of arriving fresh and dewy at the factory are processed and graded to become tea that’s ready to be shipped to the government-run tea auctions in Colombo. It’s a process that’s painstakingly hands on.
Nuwara Eliya, a resort town high in the hills with a distinct English feel right down to its very grand and proper Grand Hotel and adjacent manicured golf course was a welcome stop. We shopped for saris, sapphires and bargains; surplus goods and seconds from Sri Lanka’s international clothing industry are sold at unbelievably low prices in the local market. We wound up our way up a rough track, deeply pot-holed and bumpy to the cleverly converted Heritance Tea Factory Hotel for another night of luxury and blissful sleeping in the cool air of the mountains among the tea bushes.
29 July 2011
I loved the Food Show this year. The big trend I noted for this year is definitely the arrival of ethnic ready-to-eat meals and accompanying products, all made here. Indian, Samoan, Azerbijani, Malaysian, Mexican, Lebanese, Russian, Korean, Turkish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Dutch, Lebanese, Visitors from Hawkes’ Bay and many, many more. Very diverse and very exciting!
I was kept really busy cooking. My big gig was this afternoon; a cooking demonstration in the Electrolux Celebrity Chef Theatre and I was really pleased to see so many friends and long-time readers attend. I love you all!
I also cooked on two exhibitors’ stands;
I made some great salmon canapés with Regal Salmon cold smoked salmon, by spreading a little Mustardmakers’ Horseradish Mustard on each slice of salmon, and then rolling the slice around a sprig of watercress and a perfectly knife-peeled orange segment, secured with a toothpick. (As pictured above)
On the Electrolux stand I demonstrated the induction cooktop. Brilliant. I have gas at home but this cooktop is way better! I want one. More heat faster, and lower heat than any gas ring or electric element. Safer and easier to clean.
And thanks to the many exhibitors who gave me the chance to showcase their products on the stage: the recipes and pics will be on the Foodshow website, soon. (LOOK OUT FOR THE MOST AMAZING BANANA TART EVER!)
- Sabato’s Salvagno olives
- All Good bananas
- Panetone’s wonderful flaky puff pastry
- Heilala vanilla syrup
- Collective Dairy’s Straight Up yogurt
- Eggs with the SPCA Blue Tick
- Village Press olive oil
- Freedom Farms’ pork fillet
- Regal Salmon hot smoked salmon
- Regal salmon caviar
- Mustardmakers chef’s mustard
- Mustardmakers organic honey
- Essential chicken stock
- Perfect Produce's sweet baby cos lettuces
- My Škoda Superb wagon (they don’t sponsor me but they should) which allowed me to get there safely, economically and on time)
- And the team backstage, esp Tim and Jim.
And my real finds of the show:
• Quina Fina tonic water
* Lighthouse Gin to go with the tonic
• Addmore elderflower soft drink
• Ti Point Syrah wine
• An extraordinary fig preserve from Taihiki Orchards in Waiuku.
13 July 2011
It's that time of year again. I love the Food Show in Auckland as it gives me a chance to interact with so many of the food people I have met over the years. Best of all I love just walking around the exhibitors and seeing what the food trends are. In the past years I have identified organics, flavoured beverages, flavoured everything, chocolate and spices. What will it be this year?
I will be there on Thursday 28 July Preview Day and on Friday 29 July.
Here's where to find me;
Thursday 28 July
- 11am and 3pm: Electrolux stand cooking on the induction hob
- 1.30pm Regal Salmon stand with a fabulous idea for cold smoked salmon
Friday 29 July
- 1.30pm ONSTAGE CELEBRITY CHEF THEATRE with a fabulous menu that's simple and delicious
- 11am and 3pm Electrolux stand cooking on the induction hob
- 2.30pm Regal salmon stand with a fabulous idea for cold smoked salmon.
Come and see me; there will be a few special giveaways!
10 July 2011
I was enthralled tonight with the entertaining Michael van de Elzen and his Food Truck, and can’t help thinking that we have finally found a great Kiwi food programme for television. In fact, I believe we have found our own Antipodean version of one of my all-time favourites, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.
The basic premise of the show has been to re-invent fast food in a healthy manner. So we’ve seen burgers, fish and chips, pizza and more taken to the average Kiwi to see if they can cope with so called healthier renditions of their favourites. And with food trucks the hot new dining number throughout the USA, and Jamie Oliver also on the wagon trying to convince the Yanks to eat better, this is a highly fashionable concept that our TV producers got onto.
Michael didn’t have much show really as snapshots of the audience he was dealing to displayed many fatty thighs and porky bellies that were never going to agree with or really embrace his reinventions. And of course, Michael is used to purchasing great product, so his costings couldn’t even be in the realm of the ‘average’ kiwi consumer.
Tonight’s show was a gem. Chinese cuisine, which in New Zealand has become a faint version of the real thing, went under his knife. Michael ate around the traps to test it out, and then went as far as Kingsland’s Canton Café to work with the chef to learn the inside story on Chinese cuisine. He admitted he’d never cooked with a wok before (where have you been all these years Michael?) and Canton’s chef said Michael was far too slow! But he then designed a very healthy and delicious version of the food and attempted to sell it at a Chinese New Year celebration. He couldn’t even give it away. Too weird, too expensive and too white-honky.
Yet. Think about this. I would happily eat Michael van de Elzen’s interpretation of Chinese food. I would want it in luxurious surroundings. I would want proper service. I’d gladly pay the $30 that it deserves. We’re now a very multi cultural country with an ethnic-eats-are-cheap-eats mentality. But in that Food Truck I have glimpsed a possibility of the future. We have talented Kiwi chefs who well might be willing to learn other cuisines. Chefs who could start restaurants with a real point of difference that would cater to our expanding appetites for the interesting cuisine that we are developing tastes for. Bring it on!
7 July 2011
I was privileged to attend a Masterclass, sponsored by Dish and Gaggenau this week, with Jonny Schwass, cooking ‘the versatile world of duck’. Jonny is one of the top chefs in our country, a Christchurch restaurateur who lost his restaurant in the recent earthquake, who has managed to keep going in a restaurant-without-walls mode. He’s retained most of his staff, doing dinners in private houses, catering and he appears personally wherever he’s asked.
Jonny Schwass has a “whole animal sensibility”. If we’re going to eat meat like pork or lamb or duck, he thinks it imperative that the whole animal be consumed. It is not on to take the best bits, but every part must be turned into something delicious. The chefs in his kitchen learn to break an animal down and keep all the bits and pieces for different parts of various dishes and for roasting off and making stocks and sauces.
His class started with a whole duck, complete with webbed feet and head still attached (!). He boned the duck expertly in about three minutes, and shared three recipes; confit of duck, liquorice and coffee spiced duck breast with chocolate ganache and fresh cranberry, and quack and crack salad. Suffice to say the recipes were fabulous, as we tasted each and I am confident in recommending Jonny doing duck anytime, anywhere.
However a Masterclass is not about the recipes, alone. It’s about discussion and the huge opportunity to learn about the chef’s philosophy for food, to share the passion, and to understand the heart and mind behind the individuality and personality that might appear on the plate. Jonny is a cook not a chef. Food is very important, but he feels a chef’s obsession with food is not the path to success. He buys the very best products he can, and then explained, “I put myself and my soul into the food, the customer eats it and that is how the relationship develops.”
Food for thought. Truly passionate and I only wish some of the more fly-by-night chefs had been there to partake in an extraordinary Masterclass.
PIC: ducks feeding after the rice harvest at the Chedi Club, Ubud in Bali.
24 June 2011
It was only a 45 minute trip from Colombo airport in Sri Lanka to the Maldive islands. Our plane flew over magical circlets and strands of coral reefs that protect the aqua blue waters of the myriad of lagoons and tiny islands in the Northern Atoll of this precious country. Male, the capital, rose up like a mini Manhattan with every square centimetre committed to buildings.
But we were here for a few days of rest and relaxation at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort. Within 25 minutes of landing we were in a speed boat, skimming over the ocean to our destination. Unbelievably sophisticated, fabulously welcoming and utter luxury in a ocean front villa completely private and with our own swimming pool (gasp!) for the times we did not want to walk to the white sandy beach. We could also sleep, dive, snorkel, walk, sleep, eat, swim, sleep, eat.....Bliss.
But the best was the food. Chef Garth Welsh, an Aussie who learned his trade in Australia and has cooked at Hugo's, Vatulele and other exotic spots is firmly in charge of a large kitchen that feeds 120 guests and more than 200 staff each day. The food was wonderfully fresh, highly inventive and all delicious. (That's Garth above standing on the beach overseeing a firepit where he cooked lamb fish, chickens and meltingly tender veggies.)
Several restaurants to choose to dine in each night including a buffet dinner, a Thai restaurant, a grill bar and my favourite, the Sand Coast restaurant with an extensive a la carte menu that included Indian, Sri Lankan and Maldivian set menus. Best of all was a young local chef who produced flaky naan breads and fish in a tandoor oven right by the tables on the water's edge.
And to show we were truly spoilt, the resort's junior sous chef whipped up a large platter of sushi and sashimi, fresh from the sea on the evening we flew out. Perfect. I want to live there!
www.sheraton.com/maldivesfullmoon